Lawyer Sent to Prison After Plea Deal Sours

A tax lawyer convicted of running a brothel out of his Ventura Avenue office was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday after a judge found he had failed to meet his end of a bargain that would have made his time in custody both shorter and easier.

In a deal with prosecutors, Bobby Abrams, 51, would have been sentenced to a prison rehabilitation center if he made a legal showing that he was an addict.

A sentencing hearing on Monday was rescheduled to allow Abrams and his lawyer to make their case, allowing the judge to recommend his placement in the center, which authorities said is similar to a halfway house and allows for much earlier release than regular prisons.

Abrams was arrested in February 1998 on pimping and pandering charges for running a six-woman prostitution business called “Fantasy Affairs” out of his second-story office in Tarzana.

Andrew Flier, Abrams’ defense lawyer, accused prosecutors of getting cold feet and reneging on the deal.

“It’s not the spirit of the plea agreement,” Flier said. “I could’ve lost the case [at trial] and gotten the same time.”

He said that he was convinced his client is addicted to cocaine and that he would have been much better off at a rehabilitation facility.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter Korn quoted from a transcript from the hearing where Abrams entered his no contest plea and was told that he would be sent to a regular prison if he did not prove an addiction.

Abrams testified in court Thursday that he did a few lines of cocaine in the morning and evening, which could have clouded his judgment.

“It was very cursory and lacked sincerity,” Korn said. “It was rather apparent that he was going to say whatever he had to say at this point. His testimony fell short of a legitimate request for help, and I couldn’t in good conscience wink an eye to that.”

Superior Court Judge Michael Hoff agreed with Korn that the rehabilitation center was not an appropriate sentence and sent Abrams directly to prison.

Flier responded by requesting to withdraw his client’s no contest plea. Hoff denied his request and sent Abrams off to prison.