Charges reduced and referred to City Hall
A local motel owner who was arrested three weeks ago for allegedly running a prostitution ring has yet to enter a plea in court.
The arraignment of Maurice Farzam was continued Tuesday for a second time. Earlier this month, the hearing was continued so he could retain an attorney.
On Tuesday, the hearing was again postponed so Farzam’s recently hired lawyer, Richard Beada, could familiarize himself with the case.
Farzam, owner of the Holiday Motel located at 1102 Pico Blvd., is expected to enter a plea of not guilty next month. He faces eight misdemeanor criminal charges, including allegedly running a brothel and accepting stolen property, as well as 91 building code violations.
“Once you really go into it, you’ll see I’m not the person they are painting me to be,” said Farzam, an Iranian immigrant who lives north of San Vicente Boulevard and owns another residential property on Lincoln Boulevard. “There’s no pimping going on. There’s no ring of prostitutes. All this coming out has Farzam faces two counts of allegedly knowingly and willfully running a house of ill repute, two counts of creating a public nuisance, one count of accepting a stolen credit card and three counts of using a stolen credit card to obtain money, said Chief Deputy City Attorney Betty Haviland.
The 91 building code violations cover everything from broken smoke detectors to bad plastering in the Pico Boulevard hotel, authorities allege.
Police served search warrants and arrested Maurice Farzam on July 30. Five agencies were involved in the investigation, which was prompted by a history of resident complaints involving alleged prostitution, illegal drug activity and nuisance violations. Over the past four years, police received more than 150 calls pertaining to the hotel’s activities, said Santa Monica Police Department Lt. Frank Fabrega.
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, said Farzam was not pursued for pimping and pandering — a felony with mandatory jail time — because the DA’s office did not have enough evidence.
Instead, the case was referred to the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office.
“It is rare, given the allegations, that the DAwould pass on a case of this kind unless there were some substantial problems,” Beada said. “They just don’t pass on those kind of cases, not if they’ve got it.”
Haviland, who oversees City Hall’s criminal cases, said the evidence against Farzam is comprehensive. Each of the eight criminal charges carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $3,000 in fines. The building code violations each carry a maximum fine of $1,500.
After Farzam’s arrest, neighbors described the Holiday Motel grounds as an eyesore and said prostitutes have been seen there for years.
But Farzam denied any wrongdoing and said what his guests do is not his business. He said the investigation was prompted by an incident when a handful of rowdy guests that used drugs and ordered prostitutes refused to leave.
Farzam, who also owns the American Motel at 1243 Lincoln Blvd., was originally charged with 103 counts but now faces 99.
Beada said he was pleased Haviland amended the charges to reflect the evidence.
“I’m picking up ground already,” Beada said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 20, 2003. Read the original PDF.