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Just hours after the Trump administration moved to expand us. Bill Essayri’s term as Los Angeles’ top federal law enforcement officer moved to dismiss the charges in a controversial pair of criminal cases that included donors to the president.
In a motion filed late Tuesday, federal prosecutors sought to dismiss the charges denounced Andrew Weederhorn. Andrew Weederhorn is the former CEO of the company that owns the Fatburger and Johnny Rockets chain, which have implemented a $47 million “fake loan” scheme.
Prosecutors also tried to dismiss the charges against LA County Sheriff Deputy Trevor Kirk, who was already convicted and sentenced to prison in an overly military case after attacking a woman in a supermarket parking lot in 2023.
A spokesman for the US Lawyer’s Office declined to comment. In both cases, during the turbulent essays’ run as the top federal prosecutor in LA, it already sparked significant controversy.
A few days before the initial appointment of the April essaylie, US lawyer Adam Schleifer, who handled a criminal case against Weederhorn, was fired at a White House request.
Schleifer allegedly sued the decision that his dismissal was motivated by the prosecution of Trump’s donor Weederhorn, who maintained his innocence.
According to three sources familiar with issues that are not allowed to speak publicly, the essays met with Weederhorn’s defense team shortly after their appointment. The meeting included former US atty. The source said Nicola T. Hannah was in charge of the office when the Weederhorn investigation began and is now on Weederhorn’s defense team.
According to these sources, the essays suggested that if the essay is permanently appointed shortly after the meeting was concluded, the case against Weederhorn could be dismissed.
“From day one, we’ve maintained Andy’s innocence,” Hanna said in a statement Tuesday. “We are extremely grateful that our US law firm has listened to our arguments and decided that all charges should be withdrawn in the interest of justice.”
Hannah has not responded to requests for comment on her previous meeting with Essayli.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that the essay would be appointed as a representation U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.
Under normal procedures, US lawyers must either receive confirmation from the Senate or be appointed by the Federal Judiciary Committee. But in opposition to Trump’s pick in the Senate, the administration used similar tactics to skirt legal norms, retaining elected prosecutors in New York, New Jersey and Nevada for the last few weeks.
The indictment against Weederhorn also alleged that he was supported by the company’s former chief financial officer, Rebecca D. Hersinger, and his outside accountant William J. Amon. The US lawyers’ firm has dismissed the indictment against all three defendants and moved on to accusations against the company, Fat Brand.
“Rebecca Hersinger said he was innocent,” said attorney Michael J. Proctor, of the law firm Iversen Proctor LLP, in a statement. “I am grateful that the government has accepted that this case should be dismissed.”
Weederhorn is also under firearm charges, and prosecutors also moved to dismiss it. Wiederhorn is prohibited from possessing a firearm after pleading guilty in 2004. He spent 15 months in prison and paid a $2 million fine.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. law firm moved to dismiss the charges against Alejandro Orellana, a former Marine, 29, who was accused of civil disability assistance in handing over a massive protest against the Southern California immigration attack.
A spokesman for the US Lawyer’s Office declined to comment. The Orelana case is one of the few charges that the essay prosecutor won in connection with alleged misconduct during the protest, and the essay enthusiastically defended the charges when questioned by a Times reporter last month.
“He didn’t hand him a mask on the beach… they’re covering his face. They’re wearing backpacks. These were not peaceful protesters,” Essayri said. “They didn’t carry any signs with a political message. They started to engage in violence.”
Olerana issued a statement on Tuesday declaring, “Protest is not a crime. Protecting my community is not a crime.”
“I want to thank all the supporters across the country who mobilized to lower the charges,” he said. “We were on the right side of history and we won because our cause is fair.”
Sheriff’s aide Kirk was convicted of assault under authority in February and faced 10 years of prison for throwing a woman to the ground and blowing her away while responding to a robbery reported at a Lancaster supermarket in 2023.
Kirk and his defense team argued that Houston coincided with the suspect’s explanation given to Kirk when he answered.
Kirk was set to be a self-surrender next month, August 28th.
“We obviously support it without objection and I think it’s within the law,” said Kirk’s lawyer Tom Yu.
Essayli successfully lowered Kirk’s penalty against misdemeanors despite the lack of new evidence presented in the case. His decision to provide a plea bargain to his lieutenant after a generous plea led to the resignation of several prosecutors in May, including the head of the civil rights department. Kirk was sentenced to four months in prison in early June.
Caree Harper, who represents Houseton, said he was notified by ASST on Tuesday afternoon. Our atty. Robert Keenan, who plans to dismiss the charges against Kirk.
“We thought Trump’s new US lawyers’ firm would not be that low, but there appears to be no limit to Essay and Keenan’s claims that he is Trevor Kirk’s best defense attorney,” Harper said in an email.
Contacted by phone, Harper calls the news “disappointing and discouraging” and cites the fact that the judge in the case “already given him an incredible break.”
“They don’t want him to spend the whole day in prison. They don’t want him on the cuffs at all,” Harper said. “This is once again a tragedy of justice.”
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