Lawyer Lassoed

[December 17th, 2003] Flamboyant Portland defense lawyer Randy Ray Richardson was indicted Dec. 12 for allegedly bribing a witness. But his trademark smile was still in evidence, and even in defeat, Richardson did it his way.

His attorneys had agreed for him to turn himself in Friday afternoon. But instead, he spent the weekend as a fugitive, then was arrested downtown on Monday at Southwest 3rd Avenue and Madison Street carrying $50,000 in cash--just enough to make bail.

Richardson, a former Multnomah County prosecutor, didn't need his money: The jail is crowded enough that a nonviolent professional doesn't merit a bed. But jail staff did take a mug shot--one in which he looks almost as confident as he did a year ago, when he was arrested on suspicion of hitting his girlfriend ("Randy Richardson was a hotshot criminal defense lawyer. Now he needs one," WW, May 28, 2003).

The indictment includes the charge of witness-tampering in the attempted-murder case that sparked the probe. It also folds in another witness-tampering charge in the case of Ali Houdroge, who accused Richardson of sleeping with his ex-wife ("Cooling the 'Hotshot,'" WW, Sept. 17, 2003). And finally, it accuses Richardson of stealing from his clients.

At press time Richardson had not entered a plea--but he is expected to try to beat his former employer in court.