Attorney Robert Yousefian has brought suit against two Glendale (Cal.) police officers and his estranged wife in a case that reads like a made-for-tv movie. Yousefian was arrested on drug and assault charges by Glendale Police Officer Michael Lizarraga, whom was allegedly having an affair with Yousefian’s wife. He was prosecuted and acquitted of all charges and claims that his wife, Lizarraga, and police Det. Petros Kmbikyan conspired to set him up.
Yousefian was subject to a 35-month investigation and trial. Prosecutors persisted in trying the case despite the allegation that the arresting officer had a suspicious affair with the wife of the man he arrested. If the prosecutors were not informed of the alleged relationship, it should be grounds for termination of the officer (if true).
On Aug. 19, 2007, Yousefian had called his in-laws to find out where his wife and his children were. His father-in-law came over and allegedly hit Yousefian with a cane over the head and they fought. It was Lizarraga who responded to the call and arrested Yousefian but notably not the father-in-law. That should have given the prosecutors pause but they appear to have ignored it.
Lizarraga then searched his car with another officer and confiscated a laptop, digital camera and documents. Why? Yousefian says that the property was then turned over to his wife.
His wife later called Lizarraga and said that she had found illegal drugs and paraphernalia in the property turned over to her from the car. The complaint cites cell phone records showing his wife and Lizarraga continued to correspond before and after his arrest.
Prosecutors, however, continued to prosecute the case even though Yousefian never tested positive for drugs, and his fingerprints were not found on the evidence. There has been no statement from the prosecutors why they would take such an absurd case to trial. There is also no word on the status of a police officer who allegedly had an affair with the wife of an individual who he arrested. Glendale must have money to burn.
We will be following this case closely and hopefully we will hear about the status of both these officers and the responsible prosecutor in the case.
Source: Glendale
Jonathan Turley
I know this attorney for at least 20 years ! He’s been a victim & there’s NO doubt about it. Shame on his wife ! No kidding !
I take that back…I think I am mistaking him for another Yousefian with a similar name
You forget to mention that Yousefian was a Glendale City Council member at the time that this happened! This is why it has recieved such attention. Also, the Glendale City is partially managed by allegedly racist people who are anti-Armenian (namely the City Manager, City Attorneys, and the Police Chief/Department). The City and the GPD are currently being sued by 3 Armenian-American Officers, 1 Hispanic Officer, 1 African-American Officer, and 1 Female Lieutenant…all for discrimination and racist/sexist harrassment.
You better investigate Kmbikyan for a lot of wrong doings and abuse of power against the public
I have been a victim of Glendale prosecutors before, and so far I have spent $7,500. I will be doing the same thing what bob is doing, which is to get these dirty bastards out of Glendale.
There is an interesting case just winding up in Minnesota. Guy got mad at his neighbors so he hacked their WiFi, planted child porn on neighbors computer, sent porn from neighbors email & details of an sexual assault to his company. Finally he sent death threats to VP Biden, Gov Pawlenty & Sen Klobuchar. FBI investigated neighbor & figured out what actually happened (I KNOW! Big surprise they didn’t just assume he was guilty & lock him up).
The bad guy was offered a deal but he turned it down. Two days at trial however he changed his mind and decided to plead guilty. But the deal was no longer available so he could get up to 44 years as a child pornographer! Justice is served.
WOW……Pennies……chum change…..now….a big pay off….
Michelle, what is this obsession with the death penalty? You apparently support the death penalty for anyone that offends you sensibilities. If you are ever on a jury, I’ll bet the prosecutor loves you.
A very plausible and possible scenario. If true, the wife’s lover deserves the death penalty, imo.
I’d buy the book …
From the linked article: ” Yousefian’s attorney, Mark Geragos…”
Yea, that Mark Geragos.
Among his many awards: “2008 – Top 10 Verdicts of the State of California – obtained jury verdict in excess of $38 million dollars against a pharmacutical company.”
Wikipedia
Robert Yousefian is going to own Glendale by the time this is over. To parrot an internet meme “Garagos to Glendale,’All your monie are belong to us’. 🙂
A few years ago, this might have surprised me. No more. It’s just the tip of a mighy iceberg and if we don’t start to reign it in, it’ll be too late, if it isn’t already.
Aren’t there any Smith’s or Jones’s in Glendale? This does read like a novel. I expect to see the TV movie any day now.
I read Carlyle’s link with the letter from Mark J. Kappelhoff regarding allegations of witness intimidation.
You should know that the feds don’t investigate and don’t prosecute witness intimidation unless it is in their interest. In other words they would prosecute it to get a sentence enhancement of someone they were criminally prosecuting anyway but they won’t follow up at all if it is something that might result in government embarrassment.
Makes me wonder what Lizarraga has on the prosecutors.
Here is another WordPress post on the Scott sisters which may explain what actually happened.
The ability to subject your enemies to malicious prosecution is one of the perks of being a policeman or prosecutor. Consider this post on Jamie and Gladys Scott at Friends of Justice.
There are a lot of claims regarding malicious prosecution but it has been a “disfavored tort”, meaning that the plaintiffs find it difficult to get an attorney and 99.99% of them lose.
The big difference with this case is that the person whose rights were violated was an attorney. I guess some people think it is shocking when even a lawyer has difficult defending his rights, but think it is just unfortunate when the same violations of rights happen to people with other employment or education.
As I posted before about my case, I was prosecuted for criminal harassment without a written statement of probable cause. When I got a lawyer and pled not guilty (cost about $4 K), then the charges were dismissed. The prosecutor refused my lawyers motion for a probable cause hearing and the district attorneys office confirmed there was no written statement of probable cause. This went on from August 26 when my former neighbor reported to the police that I had yelled about them violating the constitution by building extra buildings that violated the zoning until March 27 when the prosecutor filed a motion to dismiss. She skipped most of the steps listed in the Rules of Criminal Procedure. She had a financial motivation to prosecute me too based on her husbands’ real estate speculation and my former neighbor’s position as city council president.
If my case is/ was not news, when truthfully reported, then the only reason that Yousefian’s is, is his law degree.
I put the Colorado Registry of Actions (showing no probable cause statement and no arraignment) on PACER D of Colorado 02-cv-1950 filed 4/13/2009.
What was the source of the illegal drugs supposed to be?