Fundraiser makes brief court appearance

Fundraiser makes brief court appearance

	Published : Fri, 28 Sep 2007 23:52 By : Agencies Print this Story

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) - A lawyer for Norman Hsu said Friday the Democrat's high-flying years on the political fundraising circuit should have made him easy for authorities to find during 15 years on the lam.

'He was public, he was visible,' said the attorney, James Brosnahan, after Hsu made a brief court appearance.

Politicians often hosted Hsu at their cocktail parties, had their photos taken with him and 'rather enjoyed being in his presence,' Brosnahan said. Anyone searching for Hsu 'could find him literally in one minute' using an Internet search engine, Brosnahan told reporters.

Hsu, 56, pleaded no contest in 1992 to grand theft and agreed to a maximum prison term of three years, but he fled California before he was formally sentenced. He turned himself in on the charge last month after 15 years as a fugitive, then skipped a court hearing, fled by train and was arrested at a Colorado hospital after attempting suicide.

Hsu's defense team hopes to undo his California plea and force prosecutors back to square one in the California case -- a new trial or dismissal of the charges. Brosnahan has said he intends to exploit state law that requires the same judge who takes a defendant's plea to mete out the sentence. The judge who took Hsu's plea in California has since retired.

Friday's hearing was focused on Hsu's effort to recover $2 million in bail money and withdraw the no-contest plea. Attorneys on both sides, along with a judge, agreed to hold another hearing on the matter Nov. 2.

Hsu spoke only one word in court, replying 'yes' when asked by Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Hall whether he remained willing to waive his right to a speedy trial.

Ronald Smetana, a California deputy attorney general, said after the hearing he was eager to see the case resolved but had little alternative but agree to the delay.

A top priority, he said, was returning money to the many victims who sunk millions into Hsu's alleged schemes.

Hsu will remain in the Redwood City jail until the legal issues are worked out in the 15-year-old fraud case that alleged he stole $1 million from family, friends and others who thought they were investing in a clothing deal.

Prosecutors are fighting to keep Hsu's bail money so it can be used to compensate victims.

'Sometimes you get restitution, sometimes you don't,' Smetana said. 'Sadly, in most cases there isn't money' returned, he said. 'I'm doing what I can.'