Local News in Brief : Minkow Motions Denied

A Los Angeles federal judge refused Monday to disqualify himself from the racketeering trial of former carpet cleaning whiz kid Barry Minkow, rejecting a defense attorney’s claim that he had been prejudiced by confidential information.

U.S. District Judge Dickran Tevrizian refused to step down from the case, which stems from the July, 1987, collapse of Reseda-based ZZZZ Best, the firm Minkow founded in his parents’ garage when he was 15 and built into a hot Wall Street property.

Tevrizian also rejected bids by Minkow’s attorneys to disqualify the two federal prosecutors in the case, James Asperger and Gordon Greenberg, and the FBI case agent, Richard (Buck) Saddler.

Minkow’s attorney, David Kenner, argued unsuccessfully that the judge, prosecutors and FBI agent should be replaced because they were familiar with testimony Minkow gave under a grant of immunity before a grand jury investigating the late Jack Catain Jr., a reputed mobster who had loaned money to Minkow.