Former Deputy City Attorney Gets Year

A former deputy city attorney was sentenced Friday to a year in Los Angeles County Jail for offering to help an 18-year-old woman accused of forgery obtain a lighter sentence in exchange for sexual favors.

Former Deputy City Atty. George Schwartz, 43, a 10-year veteran of the city attorney’s office, also was placed on five years probation and fined $500 by Superior Court Judge Judith Chirlin.

Chirlin ruled that Schwartz could remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction on one count of soliciting a bribe, but ordered him to surrender his passport.

Schwartz was convicted by a jury on June 4 of promising a lighter sentence to defendant Laura Kazemi, who was then 18, if she agreed to have sex with him.

Kazemi was charged in Van Nuys court with forgery and receiving stolen property, but Schwartz told her that, in exchange for sex, he would ask the judge to sentence her to perform community service rather than serve jail time.

According to evidence presented at the trial, Kazemi notified her lawyer and Schwartz’s supervisors of Schwartz’s offer. Police were then contacted and arranged to have Kazemi meet with Schwartz on Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, 1988, at his tanning salon in Woodland Hills.

At the meeting, Kazemi wore a concealed recording device which recorded their conversation, during which Schwartz repeated his offer.

Schwartz was arrested Aug. 25, 1988, and later fired from his job.

The criminal charges against Kazemi were subsequently dropped.

During the trial this summer, Schwartz’s attorney argued that the prosecutor never intended to have sex with Kazemi and that she pursued him in efforts to obtain leniency on her case.