Judge Demands Details of Attorney’s Illness in Raymond Chan Trial

Call it the circumstance of the missing protection legal professional for former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, on trial for community corruption.

A judge has declined to grant Chan’s request to declare a mistrial in his corruption situation devoid of learning what despatched attorney Harland Braun to the medical center and is insisting the trial be held, Town News Assistance claimed in the Los Angeles Everyday Information.

U.S. District Judge John Walter informed Chan’s lawyers to file medical data under seal and return to court docket to explore the make any difference additional, in accordance to the U.S. Attorney’s Business.

Proceedings in the scenario ended up placed on maintain in the 2nd week of the demo, which began Feb. 21.

A defense motion filed this 7 days said that Braun “is now bodily not able to participate in the defense for at the very least several months.”

The Los Angeles attorney had been representing Chan for four a long time and is the only lawyer capable of primary the defense, the filing reported.

On March 2, Braun returned to his place of work immediately after the day’s trial exactly where his adult son, Adam, with whom he shares an business office suite, uncovered the lawyer gravely sick, in accordance to the motion.

Unexpected emergency companies were known as, and Braun was taken by ambulance to the nearby UCLA Healthcare Middle wherever he was admitted for therapy. Soon soon after, the decide and prosecutors have been educated of Braun’s surprising sickness, and a 3-7 days trial recess was granted.

In the course of the interim, Braun underwent crisis medical procedures and was hospitalized for 10 days, the movement mentioned.

In accordance to modern updates from Braun’s healthcare group, the protection lawyer will be not able to even more participate in the Chan situation.

He also faces an “indeterminate but significant” time period of additional health care treatment options and convalescence, and that his eventual return to the practice of law — albeit in a gradual, or maybe, even confined potential — will be at least a few months down the line, if not more time, the submitting claims.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said prosecutors would react in creating in a courtroom filing.

Chan is dealing with a dozen criminal counts, together with racketeering, conspiracy, bribery, honest solutions fraud and lying to federal brokers for his alleged position in a advanced spend-to-participate in scheme that prosecutors say soaked builders for hundreds of thousands of dollars in trade for getting their creating initiatives permitted at City Corridor.

Walter initially positioned the trial on keep right up until March 27 while Braun recovers from the undisclosed sickness.

The 80-yr-previous Braun is one of the city’s best known legal protection attorneys. His shoppers have provided Roman Polanski, Roseanne Barr, John Landis, Gary Busey, Chris Farley and many others.

Chan, 66, of Monterey Park, is accused of staying important to what prosecutors have dubbed the Council District 14 business – a conspiracy led by previous Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, who unlawfully applied his business office to give favorable cure to serious estate builders who financed and facilitated bribes and other illicit benefits.

Huizar pleaded responsible in January to felony rates for utilizing his effective posture at City Hall to enrich himself and his associates, and for dishonest on his taxes. He faces yrs guiding bars at a sentencing on April 3.

Chan, a deputy mayor who oversaw financial enhancement for ex-Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2016 and 2017, is billed with allegedly arranging indirect bribe payments to town officials by lining up work contracts for the officials’ relatives.

In his opening statement, Braun explained his consumer was an innocent community servant who acquired swept up in the case by overly formidable federal prosecutors. He promised that Chan would acquire the stand to refute all allegations.

Chan worked for the metropolis for extra than 30 several years, serving at one particular stage as the top rated executive overseeing the Section of Setting up and Protection, which testimonials making plans and inspects development projects.

Ahead of Huizar signed his plea offer, he and Chan were being scheduled to go on demo with each other. Two prior trials arising out of the 2020 indictment from Huizar, Chan and several associates have ended in convictions.

— Dana Bartholomew