Disbarred Denver attorney Bachar skips sentencing for felony theft

Disbarred Denver attorney Steve Bachar skipped his sentencing hearing in his felony theft case Friday and is now wanted on a warrant, court records show.

Bachar, 57, was due to be sentenced for defrauding an investor in his business of $125,000.

It was not clear Monday why Bachar, who was out on a $25,000 bond, did not show up to be sentenced in Denver District Court. A call to his cellphone went straight to voicemail Monday and he did not return a message left seeking comment.

Bachar pleaded guilty in November to one count of felony theft and a second count of misdemeanor theft as part of a plea agreement in which he received a deferred judgment on the felony charge — that is, the felony will be wiped from his record if he meets court-set conditions for the next two years.

Bachar would have received probation on the misdemeanor count as part of the plea deal. But any violation of the terms of the deferred judgment triggers harsher penalties, and if such a violation is found, Bachar faces between two and 12 years in prison.

Bachar’s failure to appear Friday should not affect the terms of his deferred judgment because it hasn’t yet been finalized, said Carolyn Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors expec t Bachar to appear in court Friday to address his warrant, then proceed to sentencing on Friday as well.

Bachar, who served in the White House under President Bill Clinton and in the Treasury Department before he moved to Denver, was criminally charged a year after he was sued in two separate lawsuits and accused of mishandling nearly $2 million in funds intended for personal protective equipment during the pandemic.

He was ordered to pay $4.5 million in those civil cases, which are not connected to the criminal case against him.

He was disbarred in June, at which time authorities noted he had not paid any of the civil damages.