[Editor's Note: This post has been edited to indicate that the defendant pled guilty to the charge of attempting to dissuade a witness, not the charge of bribing a witness as we had originally reported.]
Sean G. Erenstoft, a criminal attorney in Los Angeles County, will no longer be able to practice law in California after he attempted to dissuade a witness. The attorney is best known for once representing Nicholas Prugo, one of the key suspects in the famous Bling Ring case. With this ongoing case, several teenagers were charged with theft after allegedly breaking into the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Audrina Patridge and Lindsay Lohan.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Sean Erenstoft pleaded no contest on Wednesday to attempting to dissuade a witness. The charge stems from a separate case from the Bling Ring, in which the lawyer was accused of filing a civil case against the victim and then dropping the case in exchange for a favorable testimony at his client's sentencing.
Sean Erenstoft could have gone to prison for three years with a bribing a witness, but this Los Angeles criminal defense attorney obviously knows all the legal secrets. The man was originally charged with three felonies, but was able to establish a plea bargain and get two of the criminal charges dropped from the case. In order to avoid prison, the lawyer agreed that he will be barred for life from practicing law in California. However, he is able to apply for a reinstatement in five years. A judge also sentenced Sean Erenstoft to 100 hours of community service and the payment of more than $9,000 in restitution. Bling Ring suspect Nicholas Prugo, who now has a new Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, is next scheduled to appear in court on August 12.
Related Resources:
- Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Indicted For Allegedly Bribing Witness (FindLaw's Los Angeles Criminal Law Blog)
- Find a Criminal Attorney in Los Angeles (FindLaw)
- Do's and Don'ts - Being a Witness (FindLaw)
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