Ex-Nevada U.S. Attorney Semenza set to finish prison sentence Aug. 5
Former Nevada U.S. Attorney Lawrence Semenza II is to complete a federal prison term at a halfway house Aug. 5, and he’s already won permission to go to Europe while on supervised release.
U.S. District Judge James Mahan last week approved Semenza’s request to begin a three-week trip to Switzerland to visit family, just two days after his release from the halfway house in Las Vegas.
Semenza, 73, who once led the government’s prosecution of tax cheats in Nevada, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in January 2015 for failing to pay $290,009 in taxes. He was ordered to pay the money to the IRS as restitution and serve one year of supervised release after prison.
Semenza pleaded guilty in August to three misdemeanor charges of failing to file personal and corporate income tax returns from 2006 to 2010.
As U.S. attorney from 1975 to 1977, Semenza led the tax prosecution of notorious brothel boss Joe Conforte. At the time of his presidential appointment, Semenza was 32 and considered the youngest U.S. attorney in the country .
Following his days as a prosecutor, he had a long and successful career as a defense lawyer in Las Vegas, often sparring in court with members of the office he once ran.
At his January 2015 sentencing, Semenza apologized to Mahan and said his “heart and soul” had been broken. His lawyer at the time said he had spent countless hours providing free legal advice to clients and doing charitable work in the community.
“I just practiced law to my own detriment,” Semenza told Mahan. “I didn’t pay enough attention to it.”
Semenza sought to go to Switzerland a few weeks before his sentencing, but ran into opposition from federal prosecutors, who feared he might not come back to the United States. Mahan denied the request.
In court papers last week, Semenza’s new defense attorney and longtime friend, Leland Lutfy, said Semenza wanted to be in Switzerland next month for the 92nd birthday of his ailing father-in-law.
His wife’s sons, who live there, intended to pay for the trip, Lutfy said.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter.
