Evidence against motel owner reviewed by lawyers
A local motel owner on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges levied against him by City Hall, from fraud and accepting stolen property to allegedly running a house of ill repute.
Maurice Farzam, 51, entered the plea in Santa Monica Superior Court with his lawyer Richard Beada. Beada told Judge Bernard Kamins he is waiting for City Hall to hand over “hours and hours” worth of audio and video evidence gathered before Farzam was arrested.
“We’ve seen the icing on the cake,” Beada said after the hearing. “Now we want to see the cake.”
“We’ve seen the icing on the cake. Now we want to see the cake.” — — RICHARD BEADA Attorney
In addition to the eight criminal charges, Farzam, owner of the Holiday Motel, 1102 Pico Blvd., and the American Motel, 1243 Lincoln Blvd., faces 91 building code violations. He was arrested in July, capping a year-long investigation by five law enforcement agencies.
Farzam is free on $150,000 bond. He maintained his innocence Tuesday and said business at his two motels has been “very, very slow” since his arrest.
Neighbors have described Farzam’s two hotels as eyesores that regularly attract drug dealers and prostitutes. They said Farzam, a native of Iran and father of four who lives north of San Vicente Boulevard, has for years let his two properties slip into disrepair.
But Farzam said he is being targeted by an overzealous City Hall. He said the bulk of complaints against him stem from one group of unruly guests that refused to leave the Holiday Motel earlier this year. The group apparently used drugs and brought prostitutes to the motel, said Farzam, who added that since he was able to evict them in May the motel has been quiet and safe.
Farzam pointed out that although the case was originally submitted to the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, it did not pursue pimping and pandering charges, which are felonies. DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the evidence against Farzam was not sufficient and the case was sent to City Hall. As a result, Deputy City Attorney Betty Haviland filed eight misdemeanor charges against Farzam.
Those charges are 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.
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. No plea discussions have taken place, Haviland said.
The investigation into Farzam’s activities was prompted by a history of resident complaints involving alleged prostitution and illegal drug activity. Over the past four years, police have received more than 150 calls complaining about the motel’s patrons, said Santa Monica Police Department Lt. Frank Fabrega.
While Beada waits to receive the evidence from City Hall, he told the court he also has subpoenaed credit card records from American Express. Beada said he hopes the records will prove Farzam did not use a stolen credit card to get cash.
Farzam, who is scheduled to return to court Oct. 29, said the records will vindicate him.
“I’m in good standing with all of my credit card companies,” he said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 24, 2003. Read the original PDF.