Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2005 | 7:33 a.m.
Las Vegas' history is enriched by all the wise guys who have lived here. Bugsy Siegel, Tony Spilotro, Sam Giancana, Sid Soffer, Moe ....
Sid Soffer?
Sid is a skinny, white-haired, whiskered 73-year-old, who's on the lam from California. Ten years ago, when his attorney called him at his Newport Beach restaurant and told him he was a wanted man, Sid grabbed some cash, walked out the door 20 minutes before the cops came knocking and fled to the safety of Las Vegas.
He's been here ever since, in full view of Orange County law enforcement, but out of its reach because he was convicted only of a misdemeanor.
Still, he'll be in a heap of trouble if he's caught sneaking back into California. An Orange County judge signed a no-bail warrant for his arrest for having skipped out of state without serving his county jail sentence. (Sid has successfully ventured into Needles four times to register his vehicles. California has porous borders.)
Sid's crime hardly compares to racketeering or bookmaking or money laundering, let alone things involving kneecaps.
He was convicted of converting a garage and playroom into a couple of apartment units. He said a previous owner did the conversions, and that he assumed it was a legal triplex. But a judge ruled that no matter when the illegal conversion occurred, Sid was, as the current owner, responsible for it.
Sid's response was to run to Las Vegas, and while he may be avoiding jail, he hasn't exactly been living the life of Riley for the past 10 years.
He lives in a tired double-wide mobile home in a hardscrabble North Las Vegas trailer park called Pair a Dice. For a good meal he'll put on a clean white T-shirt and drive a few blocks to Main Street Station, where he favors the lunch buffet's fresh fruit.
But he spends most of his time researching law. He's now trying to build the argument that Costa Mesa illegally adopted its building code. It's an arcane argument, but he remains hopeful a judge may ultimately agree with him. I doubt it, but if it keeps Sid engaged, that's good.
Costa Mesa officials long ago grew weary of Sid and his pestering phone calls and faxes from across the desert. They say they've thrown away the files on Sid because now he's a problem for the courts, not for City Hall.
For a while, Sid kept himself busy by running a pizza joint over by Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway. He said he closed it because he had to focus more on his legal research than on pepperoni and double cheese. He still pays rent on the empty storefront, though -- to the consternation of the owner, who'd rather fill the space with a real business.
But the empty storefront plays a part in Sid's grand scheme. He holds to a notion that Costa Mesa officials will admit their error and apologize. He'll then return triumphantly to Costa Mesa -- in a limousine, no less -- and be reimbursed for the costs of his failed Las Vegas pizza parlor.
He's one wise guy, Sid.
archive
