Prosecutors Win Delay of Citron Sentence

A judge Friday put off the scheduled Feb. 23 sentencing of former County Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron, giving Citron more time to help prosecutors investigating the roots of the bankruptcy.

“We will have a use for [Citron]. At this point, I don’t know in what capacity. He’s been cooperative,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew Anderson. “It may be he’s important in the next phase.”

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Czuleger instructed prosecutors to summarize Citron’s cooperation in time for a March 8 status conference. Czuleger was named to the case after Orange County’s presiding judge cited potential conflicts of interest and disqualified the entire Orange County bench.

Citron pleaded guilty last year to six felonies stemming from his management of the investment pool he ran for the county and about 200 school districts and other local agencies.

Meanwhile, a judge said he will rule next week whether Orange County prosecutors should be prevented from pursuing felony charges against former Assistant Treasurer Matthew Raabe.

Raabe’s lawyers have argued that local prosecutors should be taken off the case because post-bankruptcy cutbacks victimized employees of the district attorney’s office.

But prosecutors said any losses have been minor and the office has no conflict of interest.

Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey said he has seen no evidence of unfair treatment since Raabe was indicted last spring on six felony counts.

In a separate courtroom, prosecutors handed over documents sought by attorneys for Supervisors Roger R. Stanton and William G. Steiner and Auditor-Controller Steve E. Lewis, who are charged with willful misconduct for their roles in the bankruptcy.

A judge also ordered the prosecutors to provide still more documents that could detail how much Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi knew about the impending financial collapse and his role on a county management team after the bankruptcy.

Defense attorneys are seeking that information to support their bid to disqualify Capizzi and his office from pursuing the case against the three elected officials. Conviction on the charges would result in the officials’ removal from office.