Judge Institutes a Gag Order for Trial of Moses Next Week

In an unusual move for a misdemeanor trial, a gag order was imposed Friday on the prostitution solicitation case of Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses.

Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge David M. Horwitz imposed the order, which bars any of the participants, including police investigators and witnesses, from publicly discussing the trial, which begins next week.

Horwitz also banned still cameras and television cameras from his courtroom once testimony in the trial begins.

Horwitz said the rule was instituted to control the publicity surrounding the case.

“I think this case has been tried in the media enough already,” he said.

The trial will get under way Monday morning with the jury selection. A panel of 80 prospective jurors has been requested, compared to 35 in most cases, court clerk Theresa Hokoyama told reporters. A jury of 12 and two alternates will be picked. The trial could take a week, defense attorneys said.

Horwitz held a private, pretrial discussion with prosecuting and defense attorneys Friday to set up the case’s ground rules. Defense attorneys said they were pleased with the outcome.

Moses, of Laguna Hills, who is free on his own recognizance, did not attend Friday’s proceedings. He and his wife, Myrella, are expected to appear during the trial next week.

Moses, 29, was arrested Jan. 13 during a police sweep of prostitution in the Hollywood area for soliciting a plainclothes policewoman for sex.

Moses has pleaded innocent to the charge, his first for such an offense. If convicted of the misdemeanor solicitation offense, he faces a maximum penalty of six months in Los Angeles County Jail and a $1,000 fine. A spokesman for City Atty. Gary Netzer said first-time offenders usually are given a small fine and put on probation.

Representatives for Moses have insisted that the star hurdler had no intention of having sex with a prostitute. They said Moses viewed the incident as a joke, and drove away in the opposite direction when the officer told him to meet her nearby after a verbal exchange at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Genesee Avenue.

Police, however, claim that Moses approached the female officer and solicited her for sex. They also said Moses drove to where the woman told him to go.

Moses, who holds the world record for the 400-meter hurdles with a time 47.02 seconds, won the Olympic gold medal in the event in 1976 and 1984.