Disbarred Las Vegas lawyer sentenced in theft, forgery case
Disbarred lawyer Charles Radosevich was sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison Wednesday for stealing more than $200,000 from people who hired him for legal services.
Radosevich, 67, held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center, pleaded guilty in February to one count of theft and one count of forgery.
At the urging of prosecutors, District Judge David Barker sentenced the Las Vegas man to 3 to 10 years on the theft charge and 1 to 3 years on the forgery charge. The sentences are to run consecutively.
The case involves the theft of $140,000 from the estate of the mother of Darlene Lonzaga and her brother, Jimmy Montgomery. Radosevich was also charged with circulating a phony court document with the forged signature of District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez in an effort to swindle the brother and sister out of the estate money.
One of Radosevich’s other victims, Southern California real estate agent Michelle Geris, said Wednesday that Radosevich deserves to spend a lot of time behind bars for the harm he has caused her and others.
"I think they should throw away the key on this guy," she said. "He’s been disbarred twice. He’s hurt so many people. He’s not going to stop."
Geris was arrested blocks from her home in August 2009 after Radosevich pocketed $53,000 she had given him to pay off a gambling debt to the Green Valley Ranch resort.
Radosevich was supposed to give the money to the district attorney’s bad-check unit, which planned to give it to Green Valley Ranch and then dismiss the criminal debt case against Geris. But when the unit did not receive the $53,000, it obtained a warrant for her arrest.
Geris said the case against her was dismissed last month.
"This was the worst experience of my life. I went through an awful lot and spent a lot of money defending myself."
Radosevich fled Las Vegas in September but was captured at a Phoenix airport as he returned from Costa Rica. He faces sentencing today in Las Vegas Justice Court on misdemeanor charges of practicing law without a license and obtaining money under false pretenses.
He is to be sentenced May 26 on additional felony theft charges.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Staudaher told Barker Wednesday that Radosevich used his experience as a former lawyer to prey on unsuspecting victims.
Staudaher has said he believes Radosevich left about 30 victims in his wake.
Prosecutors alleged that Radosevich, disbarred in Colorado and Nebraska, was forging documents and stealing money from clients even after being charged in the original case.
At the request of the Nevada State Bar, prosecutors first filed criminal charges against Radosevich in October 2009 and added new charges last April after learning of more victims.
The State Bar has kept tabs on Radosevich since 2000, when it got him to sign an agreement promising, among other things, not to provide legal services in divorce, personal injury, immigration and bankruptcy cases.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.