Griesa makes deal with prosecutor; must register as sex offender

Former Marysville towing company manager Joseph Griesa will be sentenced Aug. 20 on charges a jury convicted him of last year, according to an agreement reached Tuesday with the Yuba County District Attorney's Office.

Griesa is facing a sentence that could range from probation and county jail time to four years in prison, attorneys on both sides said.

Jurors convicted Griesa of annoying or molesting a 17-year-old girl who worked for him as a dispatcher by sending her sexual text messages, and of concealing two young runaway girls from their parents. As a result, he must register as a sex offender, said Deputy District Attorney John Vacek.

Griesa, who paid the girl's salary in cash, was also convicted of tax fraud.

Remaining charges that left the jury deadlocked have been dismissed under the agreement, said Vacek. Griesa faced a retrial on the charges, which included indecent exposure, intimidating a victim, false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm.

As he left the courtroom, Griesa declined comment on the advice of his Sacramento attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld.

"We're closing a chapter in this case, but the last word is still to be heard," Rosenfeld said about the sentencing.

Visiting Judge Ersel Edwards, retired from Nevada County, said he will consider all sentencing options, including probation.

Rosenfeld failed last week to have Edwards recused from the case. His efforts to have the charges dismissed and to remove the entire District Attorney's Office from the case also failed.

Earler, Rosenfeld said prosecutors "duped" Griesa by promising him charges would be dropped in exchange for his cooperation in a separate case against two attorneys, Jesse Santana and David Vasquez, charged with trying to bribe the girl. But sworn testimony by deputy district attorneys did not result in evidence that they lied to Griesa, Rosenfeld said Tuesday.

Attorneys for Santana and Vasquez argued that a letter from Griesa's former attorney, Timothy Evans, telling Griesa that charges had "disappeared," was evidence of a deal with the District Attorney's Office.

"Somebody's lying," Rosenfeld said.

Now, Rosenfeld said, it appears that Evans "duped" Griesa, not the deputy district attorneys, whom he called ethical.

Rosenfeld and Vacek reached the agreement early Tuesday morning. In the courtroom, however, Griesa unexpectedly told the judge he wanted a trial on the remaining charges.

"You could be painting yourself into a corner," Edwards told Griesa. "I urge you to listen to your lawyer."

After a brief recess, Griesa accepted the deal.

"What do you get that's better than a dismissal?" Vacek said during the recess.

Rosenfeld said in an interview that a conviction on the remaining charges could have resulted in a very long prison term.

At the first trial, only one of 12 jurors declined to convict Griesa of the most serious charges, resulting in a hung jury.

Yuba City attorney Mike Trezza, who is representing the girl in a civil lawsuit against Griesa, said she was ready and willing to testify a second time.

"This isn't a case in which the key witness refuses to testify and/or cooperate, thus tying the district attorney's hands. She did not sign off on the prosecution's decision to drop the pending charges," Trezza said.

"Perhaps I am missing something, but it appears the district attorney dismissed the charges in exchange for ... nothing?" Trezza said.

CONTACT Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.