VAN NUYS : Judge Says Defendant Faked Heart Attack
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A judge refused Tuesday to release a Van Nuys businessman on trial for perjury, saying he had faked a heart attack.
Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp twice refused pleas from Amnon Charash to be freed.
Charash’s lawyer Tuesday offered to submit medical records documenting his condition.
“I don’t care. He’s faking, he’s not to be trusted, he’s dishonest,” Schempp said.
Charash is accused of falsely claiming poverty when he sought an exemption from a $41 filing fee in a case in Municipal Court in 1988. At the time, Charash stated under the penalty of perjury that he was indigent and could only afford to eat once a day.
But prosecutors allege that Charash was worth $500,000 at the time and owned a shopping center and several residential properties, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Schuit.
The prosecution rested its case Tuesday in Charash’s trial on two perjury charges and one count of altering a court file.
Defense attorney Bruce Hill, who is at least the fifth attorney to represent Charash in this case, will begin presenting evidence this morning. He said Charash will testify.
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