Raabe Defense Will Ask for Jury From Outside County

A judge on Friday set a Sept. 16 trial date for former Assistant Treasurer Matthew Raabe, who is facing criminal charges in connection with Orange County’s bankruptcy.

The case is set for Orange County Superior Court, but defense attorneys have indicated they will seek a jury from outside the county, contending that local residents would have a negative impression of county government officials because of the financial collapse.

Raabe’s attorneys said they also will be seeking to have the grand jury indictments against him dismissed largely because they say that grand jury members were influence by extensive media coverage of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Defense attorney Richard L. Schwartzberg said he has collected five boxes of newspaper stories and will be seeking to introduce the clippings as part of a motion to dismiss the indictment.

The Orange County Grand Jury indicted Raabe in May on six felony charges alleging he and former county Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron deceived unsuspecting school districts, cities and public agencies into sinking money into the ill-fated investment pool. Raabe has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Schwartzberg said he plans to seek an outside jury, perhaps from Vista and possibly traveling by train, commuting each day to Orange County to hear the case. He fears the bankruptcy might have left potential jurors countywide feeling that, “Government is bad. Matt Raabe is part of government, therefore let’s send a message to government through Matt Raabe.”

The change-of-venue issue is expected to be argued in late summer before Superior Court Judge Everett W. Dickey. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks, not counting the time needed to select a jury, prosecutors estimated.