Thursday, February 19, 2015
Page 3
Former Judicial Candidate Sentenced in Drug Case
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A San Fernando Valley attorney and former Los Angeles Superior Court candidate was sentenced yesterday to two years in custody for smuggling drugs to a client in jail.
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STEPHEN BEECHER Former Judicial Candidate |
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Craig Veals sentenced Stephen Beecher based on his December no-contest plea to delivering $30,000 worth of heroin inside a greeting card on Dec. 28, 2012 at the North County Correctional Facility. He was originally charged with six offenses, including bringing a firearm into a jail.
Beecher, who posted bail following his arrest, was immediately taken into custody after sentencing, the District Attorney’s Office said in a release.
Beecher’s co-defendant and former client, Jesus Antonio Duenas, is scheduled for trial in the case Feb. 26. Duenas’ girlfriend at the time, Jessica Paredes, “ironed and flattened” packages of heroin to fit inside the greeting card envelope and then gave Beecher the greeting card containing 36.09 grams of heroin, according to the complaint.
Paredes pled no contest last year to conspiracy and was sentenced to the two years she had already served.
The 63-year-old attorney, who did bankruptcy and civil litigation work in addition to criminal defense, was admitted to the State Bar in 1988 after graduating from University of West Los Angeles School of Law, which he attended at night.
He previously worked as a credit manager for manufacturing companies and held licenses as a real estate salesperson and an armed security guard, and an NRA certification as a firearms safety instructor.
He ran for the Superior Court in 2006. He finished last of seven candidates, polling 4.3 percent of the vote for a seat that was eventually won in the general election by David Stuart, who remains on the court.
State Bar records show that Beecher was placed on probation, with 60 days of actual suspension, for “commingling, failure to deposit entrusted funds, failure to report sanctions, failure to refund unearned fees and….writing trust account checks against insufficient funds.”
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