Lawyer Who Served Time Is Elected District Attorney
A lawyer who served a federal prison term for failing to pay taxes has been elected Mendocino County district attorney.
Norman Vroman scored a 52%-48% upset victory over Susan Massini, one of Mendocino County’s longest-serving district attorneys. She is president-elect of the California District Attorneys Assn.
“I’m very gratified in the trust and confidence that the voters of Mendocino County have given me,” Vroman said Wednesday.
Vroman, who contended that county voters would overlook his tax and personal finance problems, pledged “not to betray them, nor violate their trust.”
Vroman served a nine-month prison term after being found guilty of several misdemeanors by a federal jury. In addition, he piled up $1.3 million in tax liens, and filed for bankruptcy twice, most recently in 1994.
During his 18-month campaign for district attorney, Vroman championed himself as a “tax rebel.” His stance in favor of decriminalization of marijuana also proved popular in rural areas, where marijuana is the county’s biggest cash crop.
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