COUNTYWIDE : Ely Attempts to Halt Prosecutor’s Review
Convicted embezzler James T. (Tom) Ely, who is suffering from a cancerous tumor on his face, is trying to stop a county prosecutor from reviewing his medical records to determine when he can begin his jail sentence.
In a motion Ely filed in Ventura Superior Court, the former college district trustee claims that releasing the information to prosecutor Carol J. Nelson would violate his constitutional rights.
Ely was sentenced to a one-year jail sentence after he was convicted in June of stealing $15,000 in district funds by padding expense accounts between April, 1988, and January, 1990. But his term has been delayed three times so he could undergo cancer treatment.
In a hearing next Friday, Nelson said she will ask Judge Lawrence Storch to put Ely’s doctors on the stand to discuss the former trustee’s condition. Storch is also expected to rule on Ely’s request.
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