SFist coverage

tony serra

Latest reporting, analysis, and stories from SFist.

Latest stories

Reporting from across San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Derick Almena's Defense Attorney Tony Serra Explains Juror Removals In Ghost Ship Trial Deliberations

Derick Almena's Defense Attorney Tony Serra Explains Juror Removals In Ghost Ship Trial Deliberations

The always talkative and colorful Tony Serra, who served as lead defense attorney for Ghost Ship fire defendant Derick Almena, spoke to reporters outside the Alameda County courthouse Thursday and explained why several jurors were removed from deliberations by the judge two and a half weeks ago.

Jury Selection Complete, Opening Statements To Begin In Ghost Ship Trial

Jury Selection Complete, Opening Statements To Begin In Ghost Ship Trial

A jury of nine women and three men was finalized Monday in the trial of accused Ghost Ship fire suspects Derick Almena and Max Harris, and opening statements from the prosecution and defense are set to take place Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ghost Ship Proprietor Featured In SF Prison Art Show

Ghost Ship Proprietor Featured In SF Prison Art Show

The Prison Art Show is an annual function at the Pier 5 Law Offices featuring artwork from incarcerated men and women all over the country. But the 2017 Prison Art Show has a

Attorneys For Ghost Ship Proprietor Now Arguing That Fire Started Next Door

The trial-by-media for Ghost Ship proprietor Derick Almena predictably continues, now seven weeks since the deadly blaze tore through the live-work warehouse he designed and managed and took the lives

Attorneys For Ghost Ship's Derick Almena: 'He Should Not Be Made A Scapegoat'

Attorneys For Ghost Ship's Derick Almena: 'He Should Not Be Made A Scapegoat'

The legal team that will be representing Derick Ion Almena, the founder of Oakland's Ghost Ship collective and the man many say is responsible for the unsafe construction, wiring, and lack

Shrimp Boy's Attorneys Are Done, File Motion To Quit His Appeal Case

Shrimp Boy's Attorneys Are Done, File Motion To Quit His Appeal Case

Remember how powerhouse, old-school defense attorney Tony Serra spent half of last year painting Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow as a reformed gangster with no desire but to do good in

Shrimp Boy Described As 'Buddha-Like' As His Attorneys Vow To Appeal Verdict

Shrimp Boy Described As 'Buddha-Like' As His Attorneys Vow To Appeal Verdict

Following the guilty verdict two Fridays ago in the federal case against Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, former SF Appeal and SF Mag reporter Max Cherney sat down for a new jailhouse

Shrimp Boy Guilty On 162 Criminal Counts, Including Racketeering And Murder

The verdict came in this morning in the case of Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, after a nine-week trial that captured local headlines for months prior to its start, and the

Shrimp Boy Defense Attorney Tony Serra Calls Feds 'Sick People' In Closing Arguments

Shrimp Boy Defense Attorney Tony Serra Calls Feds 'Sick People' In Closing Arguments

The fate of Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, the alleged leader of the Ghee Kung Tong crime syndicate in SF's Chinatown accused of racketeering, murder, and many other things, now

As Witness Testimony Wraps, Shrimp Boy's Lawyers Allege Judicial Misconduct

As Witness Testimony Wraps, Shrimp Boy's Lawyers Allege Judicial Misconduct

The final defense witnesses are expected today in the trial of Raymond 'Shrimp Boy' Chow, in which he's charged with racketeering, money laundering, murder, and dozens of other offenses

Shrimp Boy Takes The Stand, Speaks Publicly For The First Time Since 2014

Shrimp Boy Takes The Stand, Speaks Publicly For The First Time Since 2014

Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow took the witness stand Monday in his racketeering trial that has also turned into an ersatz murder trial, serving as the first witness in his defense after

Shrimp Boy Update: Attorney Serra Tries To Discredit Federal Agent

Shrimp Boy Update: Attorney Serra Tries To Discredit Federal Agent

The latest from the trial of Raymond 'Shrimp Boy' Chow was yesterday's cross-examination of prosecution witness "David Jordan," an undercover federal agent whose real name we

Shrimp Boy's Defense Attorney Tony Serra Wants To Get Mayor Lee On Witness Stand

Shrimp Boy's Defense Attorney Tony Serra Wants To Get Mayor Lee On Witness Stand

What's sure to be the colorful trial of Raymond 'Shrimp Boy' Chow kicked off Monday with opening arguments, and already there is talk of mafia-style hits and steak

New York Times Mag Discovers Shrimp Boy, Adores His Anti-Government Attorney Tony Serra

New York Times Mag Discovers Shrimp Boy, Adores His Anti-Government Attorney Tony Serra

The New York Times Magazine this week delves deep into a profile of Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow which is also, in turn, a profile of his flamboyant, anti-government defense attorney

Shrimp Boy Gets A Flamboyant New Legal Team

In the latest twist involving disgraced state senator Leland Yee and his alleged gangster accomplice Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, the peaceful Facebook user and admitted criminal has brought in a new

Araujo Retrial Under Way

As we predicted in our earlier post, the defense is indeed switching strategies in the retrial. When we spoke with Bill DuBois, defendant Jose Merel's new attorney, back in January, he