Former Deputy D.A. Cleared of Illegal Gambling Ring Allegations

The Orange County prosecutor who resigned in April amid allegations of illegal office gambling has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the state attorney general’s office, his attorney said Thursday.

Former Deputy Dist. Atty. Daryl Dworakowski will not face criminal charges in connection with an alleged gambling ring that a onetime co-worker claimed was being run out of a county office, according to his lawyer, Salvatore Ciulla.

“This is the end of it as far as Daryl is concerned,” Ciulla said. “My feeling is what was claimed by this witness to be going on in the office was an exaggeration.”

Dworakowski, now in private practice in Santa Ana, resigned from the Orange County district attorney’s office after his name was cited by an employee who charged that county phones and cars were being used to further a major gambling operation.

That employee, 47-year-old Teri Ortal, worked as an investigator in the public defender’s office until she was fired in 1996. She says she was fired after blowing the whistle on co-workers who allegedly had ties to a large betting ring.

In a civil suit filed in March, Ortal claimed bets from $5 to $1,000 were collected throughout the office by two investigators, while gambling sheets hung from walls. The bets were passed on to a major bookmaking ring, Ortal claimed.

Dworakowski was employed as a public defender before switching to the district attorney’s office last year. He was among the employees Ortal identified as a bettor.

Public Defender Carl Holmes could not be reached for comment Thursday, but in past interviews he has described Ortal as a disgruntled employee who created an overblown situation with questionable allegations. He pledged, however, to have a thorough internal investigation.

County prosecutors also have looked into Ortal’s overall allegations--but not Dworakowski’s involvement. The attorney general’s office stepped in to investigate Dworakowski’s individual role to prevent a conflict of interest.

That inquiry ended late last month when Ciulla received a brief letter from Deputy Atty. Gen. James Dutton that officially ended the threat of prosecution.

“We anticipated this, but it is still a relief, of course,” Ciulla said Thursday.

Dworakowski had been deeply upset by his resignation from the prosecutor’s office, Ciulla said, but he added that recent successes as a private defense attorney and the end of the state inquiry had buoyed Dworakowski’s spirits.

“He’s really busy, he’s turned things around and is doing well now,” he said.

Dworakowski could not be reached for comment.