The businessman accused of stealing a friend’s identity can’t pay for his attorney and now the attorney who has represented Evan Montvel-Cohen has withdrawn from the case with the approval of District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood.
Attorney Curtis Van de Veld took on Montvel-Cohen’s case on a limited basis telling the court that Montvel-Cohen had not yet secured him as legal representation and payment was still to be arranged.
But following the initial hearing at the District Court of Guam, Montvel-Cohen suffered a heart attack and Montvel-Cohen has remained at the hospital.
“Defense counsel has conferred with defendant at the hospital on several instances and defendant cannot arrange to hire counsel due to inability to access persons or accounts to arrange payment to attorney for services. At the status hearing, government counsel objected to defendant being allowed access to a computer or telephone thereby causing defendant to be unable to arrange to employ counsel, continuing to state that the lack of access to financial accounts, renders Montvel-Cohen penniless and destitute for all practical purposes,” Van de Veld said.
Van de Veld’s motion to withdraw notes that the lack of access to his financial information prevents Montvel-Cohen from accurately completing the CJA Form 23 and filling out the form in error could result in further criminal prosecution.
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