Yagman officially disbarred

Stephen Yagman, the civil rights lawyer who did battle with the LAPD several times before his 2007 conviction for tax evasion, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud, was formally disbarred by the State Bar Court. The summary action happened in December but was just reported by the California Bar Journal, which calls Yagman the "controversial civil rights attorney...known for his longtime crusade against police brutality."

Yagman, 66, had been on interim suspension since Aug. 23, 2007, following federal convictions of one count each for tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud and 17 counts of money laundering. The State Bar Court’s review department found that because bankruptcy fraud is both a felony and involves moral turpitude, it meets the criteria for summary disbarment. It rejected Yagman’s argument that the crime does not constitute moral turpitude.

Yagman was convicted of attempting to avoid payment of more than $100,000 in federal taxes and sentenced to three years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing took three days, and the prosecutors’ request for a nine-year sentence was reduced to three, as well as two additional years of supervised release after the prison term.

Prosecutors said Yagman transferred his Venice Beach home into his girlfriend’s name, hid money by depositing his income in her bank account and declared bankruptcy in New York without disclosing his California assets.

Blogger Patterico, an L.A. prosecutor, celebrates.

Previously on LA Observed:
Yagman gets three years
Yagman guilty on all counts
Yagman bags a new client in jail