Pasquale Rotella Agrees to No-Jail Deal Receiving 3-Year Probation and Fine

Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Today the district attorney’s office was forced to offer a plea deal, after prosecutors admitted for the second time to making “very embarrassing” procedural blunders in the high-profile case that saw Insomniac’s Pasquale Rotella, L.A. Memorial Coliseum event manager Todd DeStefano and fellow promoter Reza Gerami all charged in an alleged bribery-and-embezzlement scheme dating back to the days of EDC LA.

As the LA Times reported, “Pasquale Rotella, who was indicted in 2012 on multiple felony counts, pleaded no contest Thursday afternoon to a single misdemeanor conflict-of-interest count and has agreed to pay $150,000 and serve three years of probation. Reza Gerami will accept a similar deal on Friday and pay restitution of $30,000, his lawyer, Larry M. Bakman, said.”

Settlements will also take place for DeStefano, meaning that all three will avoid having to stand trial next month as originally scheduled.

When referencing the costly and repeated blunders on behalf of prosecutors, Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy stated, “You guys are just tripping over your feet and falling on your faces.”

Gary Jay Kaufman, Rotella’s attorney, issued the following statement in response to Thursday’s dismissal:

“I am so pleased that all of the charges in the grand jury indictment against Mr. Rotella have now been dismissed.  We have maintained from day one that Mr. Rotella is innocent, and today’s dismissal finally confirms this.  I am elated for Mr. Rotella and his family.”

Mr. Rotella issued his own statement as follows:

“I always knew the charges were politically motivated and publicity driven. While it’s taken too long to finally put this behind me, I can now focus my energy where it belongs: my family and my company.  Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this.”

H/T: LA Times