Veteran Prosecutor Gets No. 2 D.A. Job

Maurice L. Evans, a veteran criminal prosecutor, was named Thursday to the No. 2 post in the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Evans, 53, a former FBI agent, joined the office in 1973 as a deputy district attorney. He was promoted to a supervising deputy district attorney in charge of the office’s West Orange County branch in 1979. Evans was put in charge of the special assignments branch in 1986 before being promoted to assistant district attorney that same year.

In 1984, Evans became involved in one of the most celebrated political-corruption cases in California history. While still working for the district attorney’s office, Evans was named special assistant U.S. attorney in the investigation of Anaheim fireworks manufacturer W. Patrick Moriarty. The fireworks magnate was jointly prosecuted by the Orange County district attorney and the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.

Moriarty was eventually indicted and pleaded guilty to bribing government officials and giving kickbacks to bankers. The case led to the indictment and convictions of several city council members, bankers and one state legislator.

Robert C. Bonner, then U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said he was always impressed with Evans.

“He’s a low-key guy, but quite bright and able to handle any situation well,” said Bonner, who was recently named a federal judge in Los Angeles. “I was very, very impressed with his courtroom abilities.”

Evans said he looks forward to the challenges of his new role as chief assistant district attorney. Evans fills the post vacated by Michael R. Capizzi, who was named district attorney to replace Cecil Hicks earlier this week by the Board of Supervisors. Hicks was named a Superior Court judge by Gov. George Deukmejian.

Evans is a director of the Orange County Bar Assn. and is a past chairman of the group’s Administration of Justice Committee.