Civil Rights Lawyer Convicted
A crusading civil rights lawyer convicted of tax evasion and other charges could be sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Stephen Yagman of Venice, Calif., was convicted of tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and money laundering on Friday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Prosecutors had claimed Yagman hid money to avoid paying more than $200,000 in taxes. They said he transferred his home to his girlfriend and deposited all of his income into her account while filing for bankruptcy.
Yagman argued he was targeted by prosecutors because of “contentious history with federal law enforcement agencies.” He has filed hundreds of civil rights lawsuits against the Los Angeles police department and other police agencies.
He also filed the first lawsuit challenging the detention of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay Cuba, and acted as a special prosecutor to pursue charges against the FBI agent who killed separatist Randy Weaver.
