3 Men Accused in Brockovich Case Plead Not Guilty

After numerous postponements, three men accused of trying to wrench money from movie protagonist Erin Brockovich pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of conspiracy and attempted extortion.

Shawn William Brown, 38, Jorg Lawrence Halaby, 46, and John Jeffrey Reiner, 52, answered the felony charges during an arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.

A preliminary hearing was set for Wednesday, at which time defense lawyers hope to persuade a judge to move the case to another county because of publicity and allegations that authorities manipulated an investigation to lure the defendants into Ventura County.

Outside the courtroom, Brown, a Simi Valley resident and Brockovich’s ex-husband, said the case has been emotionally draining and hard on the couple’s children.

“This is an enduring process,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to this being over soon.”

Halaby, Brockovich’s ex-boyfriend, smiled as he walked out of court but declined to comment on the criminal allegations.

“When this is all over,” he said of sharing his thoughts on the case. “I promise you.”

Halaby is portrayed in the fact-based movie that tells the story of how Brockovich, a twice-divorced mother of three, helped win a $333-million lawsuit against a public utility accused of poisoning a town’s water supply.

Prosecutors say Brown and Halaby, along with Brown’s attorney, Reiner, tried to extort $310,000 from Brockovich by threatening to tell tabloids that she was a bad mother who had sex with her lawyer boss, Ed Masry.

Brockovich, a private investigator, told her Thousand Oaks divorce lawyer, Cathleen Drury, about the alleged extortion. Drury reported it to local prosecutors, who, after a two-week inquiry, arrested Brown, Reiner and Halaby during a videotaped sting at Drury’s law office.

Defense attorneys say the three men have committed no crimes and were engaged in a legitimate business deal. They have accused prosecutors of manufacturing the high-profile case.

“It was arranged like an arranged marriage,” said Brown’s attorney, Joel Isaacson, who joined in the motion filed by Reiner’s attorney to move the case to another county.

Defense lawyers had hoped that Superior Court Judge Art Gutierrez would rule on that motion Thursday, but he decided to assign it to the judge who will preside over the preliminary hearing. That assignment will come next week.

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Frawley, who is prosecuting the case, said he expects the preliminary hearing will last about one day.

During Thursday’s hearing, Frawley indicated that Masry would be called as a witness at that hearing. Outside the courtroom, Frawley declined to comment further.

Meanwhile, Isaacson said he hopes to show that prosecutors have insufficient evidence to prove attempted extortion.

He said his client, Brown, “is certainly very distressed to find himself a criminal defendant in this situation, and we hope to have it resolved as soon as possible.”