VAN NUYS : Businessman Guilty in Perjury Case

A Van Nuys businessman was convicted Friday of claiming in two court documents that he could only afford one meal a day when in fact he was wealthy.

After only three hours of deliberations, a Superior Court jury convicted Amnon Charash, 49, of perjury for filing fee waiver applications that grossly understated his wealth.

Jurors also convicted Charash of one felony count of altering a court file for adding three pages to a motion in a civil lawsuit against his former attorney.

Jurors said they determined Charash added the pages after the fact because it was the only document in a lengthy court file that was not signed and dated by the defendant.

“You can see how he’s just a con man,” one juror told attorneys after the verdict was read.

During a trial that began Monday, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Schuit presented evidence that contrasted Charash’s stated net worth of over $500,000 with one fee waiver application that stated he could only afford “one simple meal a day.”

Superior Court Judge Darlene Schempp, who earlier this week accused Charash of faking a heart attack during an earlier court proceeding, will sentence him June 14. He faces a maximum possible sentence of eight years.

Faced with the prospect of being sentenced immediately after the verdict, Charash asked Schempp to request additional information from the Probation Department to show “what a decent person I am.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot that would indicate otherwise,” Schempp replied.

The judge also refused Charash’s request that he be free on bail until sentencing.

Charash was remanded into custody without bail May 20 after complaining of chest pains, but refusing to be transported to a hospital by paramedics.