Andrew Z to get alcohol treatment

He will still have to pay the taxes. I wonder how much they will take out of his check from Cumulus whe he starts work this summer?

http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=13973881

Andrew Z must enter rehab to avoid jail time

Updated: Feb 04, 2011 6:32 PM EST

WOOD COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - A former Toledo radio host will not go to jail provided he completes an alcohol treatment program and probation successfully.

A Wood County judge told Andrew Z Friday that he could go to treatment rather that jail.

Zepada was charged with conspiracy to break in to his former restaurant in Perrysburg.

David Wright, another suspect in the case, was sentenced to prison for a year and ordered to pay a fine.

Wright was charged with breaking into the Levis Commons restaurant owned by Andrew Z.

Z will only avoid jail time, temporarily. He will not avoid paying the state sales tax. He will have to work out an acceptable payment plan with the state and he will have to stick to it. Otherwise he'll land back in court and could face jail time again. The state rarely lets go of you if you owe them. I've seen them refile judgements over and over again against people who were dead.

This thread brought to mind a question.
Recently Chalie Rangel got his hand slapped by Congress for ethics violations. One of the violations was that he "forgot" to claim rental income on his villa in the Dominican Republic....for 17 years. Did he pay taxes on that income?

Cant blame him for doing whatever he needed to do to avoid time. We all would have done the same, lets be honest.

Ryan, the "rest of us" lowly citizens would never be offered the chance at the deal that AZ got. He got this deal because he's "famous" which is total bullshit.

No, "WE" wouldn't have done the same. Some of us take responsibility for our actions. That's the problem today with people. No accountability or responsibility.

Holland - I never saw what taxes he avoided. It could be payroll taxes as well as sales tax. That could be quite a lot of money.
dell_diva - Honestly, do you think the judge thinks AZ is "famous"?

^Thats what I thought. And I am sorry HF, I am sure you are a real stand up guy - but if you could avoid jail time by completeing a different program you would. Lets not play saint here.

Lesseee...Andrew Z, Troy Neff, any other "famous" Toledo radio hosts going to rehab?

I suppose when you think about it, isn't it better to put the violent criminals in jail? Andrew Z should be punished, and they absolutely should have a plan to recoup the tax money from him. What good would be done by putting him in jail?
Was this a felony conviction? That in itself is a big punishment to any basically good person, to be a convicted felon.

JeepMaker: you are sounding soft, at least for a poster who normally is a strong law-and-order type. If a guy steals your car, but he does so in a non-violent manner (say, hot wires it at 3:00 am while you are asleep) but he is really, really remorseful, should that guy be eligible for intervention if he also drinks too much? Sorry - just had to yank your chain a bit: maybe you are really a bleeding-heart liberal deep inside. :-)

But I do agree that prisons should be the punishment of last resort, and we are wasting hundreds of billions of dollars each year housing drug addicts, con artists, and other non-violent perps who could be a lot more productive if they were not rotting in a $40,000 a year state cell. Andrew Z is infinitely more likley to repay the misappropriated sales tax if he is out working and getting his paychecks garnished. I also scratch my head at the drug war zealots who want every two-bit pothead locked up, but who later whine about how high their taxes are.

Oh, and with regard to Andrew Z: this has more to do with his ability to hire a talented attorney than his fame, plus the fact that his criminal record was relatively clean prior to this incident. Had Andrew Z been poor and forced to resort to a public defender, chances are a deal would have been struck between the attorney and the prosecutor long before the word "diversion" popped up, and off to a minimum-security facility our ex-weight loss czar would have gone.

There are a number of diversion programs for first-time offenders, but holland is right: if Andrew Z gets into further criminal trouble, there will be no more wrist-slaps. There are probably caveats on the agreement that tie his continued freedom to making restitution to the state, though of course the state will still be reluctant to incarcerate him if he falls a month or two behind on the restitution, since any money is better than no money these days.

Except for child support scofflaws - what is the logic behind locking up these delinquents? Let's see: the kids and their moms have not been receiving child support, meaning a likely higher burden on the state in terms of WIC and other forms of assistance. So we catch the delinquent daddy (or occasionally, delinquent mommy) and we throw the bum in the clink to the tune of $40,000 a year. Now we pay more in incarceration, more in welfare, and the bum rots in a jail cell. Why not put more effort in hounding/pressuring these bums and garnishing their wages (yes, I know that some go to great lengths to hide income, but that is another story) instead of making everyone suffer by sticking the delinquent parents in jail? Even worse, once the delinquent parents get out, they may be re-entering the work force as felons, making their ability to obtain gainful employment even more difficult, exacerbating the downward spiral for the delinquents and their children.

</end rant>

I'm not playing saint. It's called being accountable. That is just how I was raised and how I live my life. Not worth arguing, but I know.

I don't care how "accountable" someone is, they will ALWAYS choose rehab over jail.

I agree with HistoryMike. If the State really wants their money, which is what they should want, then put the drunk in rehab and after the pink elephants go the way of the dodo bird kick him to the curb and let him find a job. The State gets its money, Andrew Z gets a job and the folks who staff rehab are gainfully employed. The State saves money on the prison time.

I just don't see a downside to this.

Hey what ever happened to the manager that AZ said stole all the money? Seems like he would be going after him full force.

manager ???
hahaahahahhahahahhahaha!
there was no manager that took money from AZ.
Fat Andy took the loot !

He is a California Scammer from the word "GO" !
He does not drink, so how does he have a "drinking problem" ?

I thought that I had seen it all in corruption laden Democratic Lucas County, but apparantly Republican Wood County also favors this type of "justice".

You get as much justice as you pay for.

So he lied?

The report that came out was, Andrews claim about stolen money was "unfounded" so the police were not able to verify and stopped the investigation. You see he can say anything... I know your shocked that Andrew would lie, but that's his MO...He said he had nothing to do with any of this, and the police were on a witch hunt... then he turned around and plead guilty.

are you kidding me, Molson ?

Did you believe Orenthal Simpson when he said that he was "100% not guilty" ?
AZ said he was "totally innocent".
same lie, different criminal.

why would anyone believe this scammer ?
He is up to his neck in lawsuits, and tried to put the hat on someone else.
anyone else.

Prisons are full of "innocent people".
Andrew Zepeda should be there too.

hopefully, the clinical assessment that will be done on AZ prior to treatment will indicate that he does NOT have an alcohol problem and he will be dismissed from treatment.

THEN he will have to go back to WCCPC and face the music for his criminal behavior......

Whatever he paid his lawyer it was worth it.
Reports said he must obtain employment and start paying the $ back. He might have to get a real job ?!?! On his Facebook postings he compared himself to Charlie Sheen and how CBS stood by Charlie, but Clear Channel abandoned him. I still have that bruise from falling out of my chair from laughing so hard.

So if the rumors are true that he is going to work for Cumulus, they don't care he is dishonest?

Andrew Z = 2 1/2 Men

CB - what does that mean ?

I know that his physical size and weight equals 2 1/2
normal men.....

But,...his manlessness and lack of taking responsibility for his own actions = 1/4 of a man.

^^^Is this guy ok? Does Andrew Z owe you money or something?

My guess for Andrew Z's new place of employment would a radio station lacking a morning show at this point. Maybe a newly started radio station. That plays alternative music...

Ok my guess is 100.7

guess again......and look up

"Honestly, do you think the judge thinks AZ is "famous"?"

Maybe not the judge, but Andrew Zepeda seems "famous" here based upon the number of message board threads that mention him, including two created by AZ.

Toledo Radio Changes - October 11, 2005 - 5 comments

Toledo Hockey Media Attention - July 14, 2008 - 0 comments

Is Andrew Z, the weight loss czar, still losing weight? - August 19, 2009 - 9 comments

Andrew Z Pizza Shop - September 14, 2009 - 30 comments

Andrew Z's Sportz Pizzeria - October 13, 2009 - 45 comments

Andrew Z Opening 3rd Restaurant - April 05, 2010 - 7 comments

Andrew Z Pizzaria Frustration - June 09, 2010 - 39 comments

Reason to eat out tonite! - June 10, 2010 - 1 comment

List of businesses participating in Andrew Z's Restaurants and Retailers for Relief for tornado victims - June 10, 2010 - 5 comments

Andrew Z response - June 16, 2010 - 57 comments

Andrew Z closed? - September 30, 2010 - 81 comments

Andrew Z - October 2, 2010 - 49 comments

Andrew Z part 2 - November 3, 2010 - 111 comments

It Only Gets More Strange For Andrew Z - December 10, 2010 - 66 comments

Andrew Z to get alcohol treatment - February 4, 2011 - 28 comments - current thread

A lot of people seem to really be bashing him for this ordeal. Not commenting on the trial but just his character and would like remind people that after the Tornado, he used his air time to setup a fund where a LOT of local businesses for one day gave a % of their income to tornado relieve of which his pizza shop was the first.

The day of the facebook, Kohls 100k (?) Toledo was in 20th place. But he spent A LOT of time that morning even asking local businesses to let facebook through the filter so people could vote from work, and for people at home to vote. By the end of the day we had won and Lake High school got the money.

I'm not excusing him for what's going on but I'm not going to run him into the mud either.

He did a lot for the community and the more I think about it there is the Christmas gift for kids thing, and probably a lot of others I don't know.

There was also that time a local womans home burned down (near Christmas?) or some holiday and she and her kid was homeless. He organized and used air time to get a lot of volunteers and also businesses and was able to get her a home built.

Wish I had more details on that one because I thought it was amazing.

How does a guy that "doesn't drink" get off with alcohol treatment vs. what a regular off the street guy?

W.T.F.

Seriously.

Remember the name, folks. Judge Alan Mayberry. Do NOT vote for this guy. Ever.

I see your point coffee.
I don't really think he ever had an alcohol problem. I never heard of him missing work, slurring his words on radio, or even being seen out in town drunk. Often, when you hear someone is an alcoholic, there are signs. Especially someone in the public eye so much as he was.
I think everyone has a good side and a bad side. I think that the more limits that are removed from people's lives, the worse they get. I think very few people are able to control/limit themselves if nothing else does. Fame, fortune, and power are all lures into a dark world of coruption. Andrew Z walked that walk and was lured into it. He went too far and he got caught. Another sad ending.

"His Toledo attorney, Beau Harvey, said he asked the court to determine if Mr. Zepeda qualified for intervention in lieu of conviction even though his client is "really not much of a social drinker."

http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20101211/NEWS02/12100421

I would like to know why intervention is even a possibility for someone who has no documented history (that I am aware of) of alcohol abuse. First time bar owner under business pressure? Get real, take responsibility for your actions. Alcoholics pass out in the street and abuse their spouses, not break into buildings and "forget" to pay taxes.

If you live in Wood county you should be calling for this guy's head.

Also call for the noggin' of Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson.

The "deal" that could keep 'mastermind' Andrew Zepeda from going to prison for a B&E could not happen without his consent.

Some prosecutor.....that is protecting the citizens of Wood County!

I would never vote for Prosecutor Paul Dobson OR Judge Alan Mayberry. They remind me of the Keystone Cops - letting the criminal make a fool of the criminal justice system !

I'm not sure if this applies, but my experience with courts is that, if it can be "dealt" with without having to go to trial, the D.A.'s office is more than willing to deal. The courts are so over-loaded that it's mostly a wheel and deal type environment.

I am not second guessing the judge. He has more insight to what is appropriate and not. What I am questioning is the dishonesty that AZ showed when cornered. There is a major character flaw there.

"Remember the name, folks. Judge Alan Mayberry. Do NOT vote for this guy. Ever."

I'm surprised by Mayberry's deal. He used to be the Wood County prosecutor. He's obviously mellowed. Just goes to show that celebrities, even local ones, get deals when they break the law.

i'm completely disgusted with this whole situation. you do the crime, you should do the time. and he didn't do the crime of alcoholism so doing the time of rehab does not make sense.

I can tell you that those guys in Wood County are hardly pushovers. Unlike Toledo Municipal Court and even Lucas County Common Pleas, they are not extremely overloaded by cases. A DUI that can be knocked down to reckless operation in Toledo is a full on DUI down there. I think they figured that he can't pay the sales tax back if he is in the can and the guy who actually did the burglary was sentenced to prison. Andrew Z is hardly going to go commit a violent armed robbery if he isn't locked away. Treatment is fine with me, saves the taxpayer money.

Ryan said:

"guess again......and look up"

What are you referring to?

Maybe part of the deal with rehab was that Andrew had to pay back to the taxes. Maybe he already has the tax money and they used that as a bargaining chip.

If I had to make the decision, I'd rather give a liar and embezzler a rehab punishment, than to turn a violent criminal loose for the room.
I'm sure the judge and D.A. consider prison/jail space when making such decisions.

I encourage anyone that is charged with ANYTHING in Wood County to seek "treatment in lieu of conviction."

See how far you get.

Then sue Wood County in Federal Court for 'disparate treatment'.

He is going to Star 105.5 slowsol.

I think he is finished in Toledo area.

Nope it's 105.5 NoSheet.

see how long he lasts.

Still waiting on his show.....

Still laughable that he avoids prosecution due to his 'disease' of alcoholism. I hope I can use that excuse if I ever get in trouble with the law...haha.

Mr Fisher Andrew Z is just being "American" thats all.

"I'm poor"
"I got no job"
"Daddy didn't love me"
"Mommy has lots of boy friends"
"The Devil made me do it"

No one takes responsibility for anything and our legal system has adopted rules for it. At one time we where a nation of laws, now we are a nation of "feelings".

He is just living the American Dream that plays out in our court system every day, no reason to be surprised.