Defense attorney’s downtown law office ransacked

Kim Smith

Friday, April 13, 2001 | 10:32 a.m.

Defense attorney Thomas Pitaro had hoped to spend most of the last three days preparing Margaret Rudin's defense. But instead of talking to police about her murder trial, he spent most of Thursday discussing with them a break-in at his law office.

For the first time in weeks, Pitaro said he and his staff on Wednesday went home before 10 p.m. and it was on Wednesday evening that someone broke into his downtown office.

Pitaro said it appears as though the burglar made his way through an electrical shed on the roof, through air-conditioning vents and down through his ceiling.

The longtime attorney said he doesn't believe the break-in had anything to do with his high-profile client, whose trial is expected to end within the next week or two.

Unfortunately, the debris from the ceiling did fall onto his desk, which was covered in Rudin files, Pitaro said.

"It was a mess," Pitaro said.

The thing that hurts the most, Pitaro said, is that in addition to stealing TVs and VCRs, the burglar chose to steal some historical artifacts that are quite special to him.

One of the items stolen was a letter penned in 1765 by James Otis.

Otis once served England as an advocate general, but quit to represent Boston merchants who were upset that royal customs collectors were able to search their businesses whenever they wanted using "writs of assistance."

His legal arguments against the writs ultimately led to today's search warrants, which can only be obtained when authorities have "probable cause" to believe a crime has been committed.

John Adams said that Otis' stance marked the beginning of the American Revolution, Pitaro said.

The other items included a commemorative pistol celebrating Nevada's statehood and an autograph of John Quincy Adams.