New Charges Filed Against Attorney Russell Takasugi

The 57-year-old son of Nao Takasugi — a late assemblyman and Oxnard mayor — will remain in jail pending sentencing early next year for embezzling from an estate and will probably get five years in prison, according to prosecutors.

But new charges involving the theft of money from another estate that were made public Wednesday mean Simi Valley attorney Russell Takasugi could get an additional five years or more, prosecutor Marc Leventhal said in an interview Thursday.

After learning there was an warrant for his arrest Wednesday, Takasugi turned himself in to authorities. He later discovered the district attorney had filed seven new felony charges, including grand theft, money laundering and multiple counts of forgery.

In October, Takasugi pleaded no contest to embezzling more than $500,000 from the estate of Oscar Muro. Muro died in August 2007 from pancreatic cancer at age 71. Takasugi has argued that he loaned himself money from Muro's estate.

Bank records filed in probate court show Takasugi spent lavishly on family members and at restaurants and stores, took vacations and bought a BMW.

Prosecutors have been looking at the latest charges since the Muro case was filed and have been compiling evidence since that time, Leventhal said, "and now is the time to proceed on those charges."

Takasugi faces up to 14 years in jail if convicted of the new charges.

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Simi Attorney Could Face Five More Years in New Estate Theft Case