A man convicted of multiple prostitution-related offences has lost an appeal to get out of a 20-year prison sentence, according to court documents from the B.C. Court of Appeal.
Reza Moazami was convicted of 26 charges relating to sexual assault and prostituting of underage victims between 14 and 19 years of age.
He also tried to bribe a victim not to testify against him, thereby breaching a court order not to communicate with his victims. He was found guilty of obstruction of justice for that act.
Taking into account time served, he was given 20 years in prison under both convictions.
Moazami asked the B.C. Court of Appeal for a conditional release, saying his mother could act as a surety to prevent him from committing more crime.
But the judge said last time his mother did that, it didn’t work. In fact, he was running a prostitution business from his mother’s apartment at the time.
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“Most troubling is the fact that Mr. Moazami operated his prostitution business from his mother’s apartment while she was his surety. She was out of the country for part of that time, which made it impossible for her to monitor his compliance with his bail conditions,” read court documents.
The judge said Moazami has a history of non-compliance with court orders, and electronic monitoring devices wouldn’t limit his ability to commit crimes within the geographical area he would be restricted to.
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Moazami is appealing his convictions. Court documents show the crux of his legal argument rests on alleged misconduct by ex-Vancouver police detective James Fisher, who was the lead investigator on the prostitution case.
Moazami is arguing that Fisher’s alleged misconduct prejudiced his right to a fair trial, or undermined the integrity of the judicial process.
Moazami also says he’s been provided with information from the case against Fisher that prove Fisher’s actions extended to sexual misconduct with at least six victims and another witness, other serious misconduct with 10 out of 11 victims and another witness, and inappropriate conduct with a key witness in another prostitution trial against convicted pimp Michael Bannon.
Moazami intends to apply to have this material admitted as evidence on his appeals.
On Tuesday, two women who testified against Moazami filed lawsuits against Fisher for allegedly kissing and groping them while acting as the lead investigator.
None of these allegations against Fisher have been proven in court.
Fisher was sentenced to 20 months in prison last August for kissing two women who were witnesses in Bannon’s trial. Fisher pleaded guilty to breach of trust and sexual exploitation.
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