A Denver District Courtroom decide sentenced disbarred lawyer Steve Bachar to 3 years in jail Monday, handing down a heavier sentence than even prosecutors sought within the felony theft case.
Bachar pleaded responsible in September to felony theft for defrauding an investor of $125,000. In a cope with the Denver District Lawyer’s Workplace, prosecutors agreed to drop two different felony counts in opposition to him in alternate for his responsible plea.
He requested for mercy in courtroom Monday and mentioned he was a modified man. His public defender, Robert Swestka, requested that Bachar be sentenced to probation, whereas prosecutor Ashley Beck sought two years in jail.
Denver District Courtroom Choose Eric Johnson discovered that three years in jail was the extra becoming punishment. He famous Bachar owes about $180,000 in restitution within the case, which incorporates curiosity on the unique stolen funding.
“What number of dwelling invasion burglaries do it’s important to take to get to $180,000?” Johnson mentioned in courtroom. “…What number of stolen vehicles does it take to get to $180,000? And but day after day I’m requested to place into jail people who find themselves promoting 4 fentanyl capsules or stealing vehicles. And I’m not saying that’s incorrect, nevertheless it helps put into perspective the job right here.”
The decide mentioned he wished to push again in opposition to the legal justice system’s tendency to be extra lenient on rich, well-connected and well-educated defendants, significantly in instances of white-collar and monetary crimes.
“One of many main challenges for our legal justice system, and our society, in my opinion, is the existence of two courses of people: those that are topic to our legal guidelines however not protected by them. And those that are protected by our legal guidelines and never topic to them,” he mentioned. “…And a minimum of on this courtroom, I’m not going to have people who find themselves protected by legal guidelines however not topic to them.”
Bachar was handcuffed and brought into custody on the finish of Monday’s sentencing listening to, the second such listening to scheduled within the case — the disbarred lawyer had a yr in the past agreed to a plea deal wherein he may have served solely probation, however Johnson threw that settlement out in March on the grounds it was too lenient after Bachar skipped his authentic sentencing listening to.
The person Bachar stole from, Jamie Lindsay, mentioned in courtroom Monday that Bachar is an “unrepentant liar, thief and fraudster.”
“His clear intent is to restrict his punishment so he can hold defrauding folks with out finish,” Lindsay mentioned. “He can’t and won’t cease his lies and fraud… I’ll by no means be capable of restore the injury he has executed to my life in what was alleged to be my golden years in retirement.”
Bachar, studying from a handwritten assertion, apologized to Lindsay and mentioned he’s going to a therapist to handle the “underlying points” that led to his habits, mentioning a “horrible” childhood and “some issues with my mom.” He and his lawyer argued that he must be sentenced to probation so he may hold working and incomes cash to pay the case’s restitution.
“I’ll admit I started with defiance or denial,” Bachar mentioned of the courtroom course of. “Perhaps partially as a result of I didn’t perceive the gravity of what I’d executed. I didn’t perceive that I used to be even able to abusing his belief and friendship in that means. It’s not in step with how I’ve lived most of my life… All in all, the previous two-plus years have been an awakening for me. I deeply remorse what I did to be right here.”
Bachar famous that the unique plea deal, which Johnson rejected, probably would have allowed him to keep away from each a felony conviction and time in jail.
“I received’t declare to not have most well-liked that,” he mentioned. “However ultimately, it’s most likely higher I carry this felony with me ceaselessly. I feel it’s a part of an applicable retribution, justice. However it’s additionally a part of a therapeutic course of for Jamie and for me.”
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