Southeast : Lawyer’s Exit Delays Councilwoman’s Trial

The lawyer who was set to defend former Compton City Councilwoman Patricia Moore against 25 counts of federal extortion and tax evasion has been excused from the case, causing a major delay in the trial that had been scheduled to begin today.

A federal court judge on Friday assigned two Century City lawyers to replace attorney Ollie Manago, who suffers from a heart problem and depression, both of which have worsened during her work on the case. The new lawyers, Thomas Mesereau and Cheryl Turner, pledged to donate their time on the case.

Attorneys working on the case said Judge Consuelo Marshall’s decision will probably postpone the case for several months. However, Marshall is not expected to set the trial date until Monday.

Moore is charged with extorting more than $60,000 from Compton businessmen while serving on the council in 1991 and 1992. She says she was entrapped by federal agents in the same sting that recently led to the conviction of former Compton Mayor and Rep. Walter R. Tucker on similar charges.

Manago--the third lawyer to represent Moore in the case--had worked without pay on it since January of last year.

In court Friday, Manago pledged full cooperation with the new attorneys.