In county of 5,336 lawyers, one made headlines
By Times Staff Writer
Published January 13, 2008
The ex-American Idol hopeful, pregnant and jailed for violating her probation, got a break when a Tampa judge sent her to drug rehab instead of prison. Fitzgibbons said the treatment will save her life.
The suspended University of South Florida student, fighting federal explosives charges, tried to fire Fitzgibbons. He said the attorney accepted $750,000 just to push for a guilty plea. "Pure fantasy," Fitzgibbons said.
One judge scolded Sierra for talking to reporters and another went easy on teacher-turned-sex offender Lafave, accused of getting too friendly with a teenage co-worker. Fitzgibbons said, "It was a busy week."
John Fitzgibbons juggled court hearings last week for famous clients. A look at his calendar:
10
Jessica Sierra (again) and Debra Lafave
9
Ahmed Mohamed
7
Jessica Sierra