Soffer says he’s coming home

Noaki Schwartz

Sid Soffer was run out of Costa Mesa five years ago, his restaurant was

closed last month, someone crunched his Cadillac last week, and as if

that wasn’t enough, he just sat down on a mirror.

Despite his seemingly endless run of bad luck, Soffer insists it’s all

about to change when he comes back home to Newport-Mesa next month.

“I don’t give up “ Soffer said from his Las Vegas home. “I think it’s

part of my nature.”

Soffer, who has been living on the lam since 1995, has been flipping

through law books while juggling his pizza business in Vegas and Sid’s

Steakhouse in Newport Beach. Through the help of Chapman law students,

whose class assignment was to research Soffer’s case, he says he’s

finally discovered how to return home.

“I’ve already been in jail twice and didn’t break any law,” Soffer said.

“The original trial was erroneous.”

Five years ago, Soffer fought with the city of Costa Mesa over building

code violations at several of his properties. He was convicted but failed

to show up for his sentencing date, prompting Orange County Superior

Court Judge Susanne Shaw to issue a $250,000 bench warrant for his

arrest.

Soffer fled to the bright lights of Vegas, prompting Shaw to issue a

warrant for the misdemeanor offense. However, the state of Nevada would

not extradite Soffer because the law applies only to felonies.

Through his research over the years, Soffer said he found, among other

things, that the statute of limitations on the misdemeanor has expired.

Because he’s had to concentrate on his big day, Soffer said he decided to

close both of his restaurants. Soffer had been overseeing his steakhouse

on Old Newport Boulevard via telephone and video camera.

However, the health department was on Soffer’s heels, insisting that

unless he remedied the 35 violations they found, Sid’s Steakhouse would

be forced to close.

“It had nothing to do with the health department,” Soffer countered. “I

was sick and tired of dumb staff. Trying to run Sid’s, the pizza place

and do my law work was too much.”

Soffer said the years away from Newport-Mesa have been hard, although he

sometimes wonders why he still wants to come back.

“I think it’s the principle,” he said. “My grandmother was pretty

strong-willed. The odds are good. I’ve got long life in my family.”