Pellicano Trial: Lil’ Abner Nicherie

John J. Nazarian
April 7, 2008

Lil AbnerThe old expression when it rains it pours was alive and well in Judge Dale Fischer’s court room today! Again Desperateexes.com is as relevant in this trial as I ever thought it could be. I have never seen so many desperate women in my life! Divorce is tough, and it is very important to have a team in place. But some of these very wealthy women were badly represented — and badly mistreated — by their lawyers!

Today we have Ms. Sarit Shafir, and it is my opinion that she had the money to get herself in trouble. She attracted two grifters in the form of two brothers, Abner and Daniel Nicherie, who as she tells the court befriended her, and what are people in the throes of divorce looking for? Friends! I am one of the best friends money can buy, and I admit that it is a part of what I do. When I get involved in a client’s life, I am getting paid and well, and I have to be a friend at times too, and it is not easy! Not only is it not easy, it is dangerous as many of my clients through the years were, let’s just say a “little unstable.” But here comes Mr. Abner Nicherie and he can smell money — money that he and his brother will become in charge of, and things get even worse from there!

Ms. Shafir claims that it was Abner who hired Pellicano…I missed how that happened, but it did. We get to hear the usual about listening to wiretapped phone calls, and all the rest. This woman also has not been arrested and was not charged! But on the other hand, she is as much a victim here as any of the others. She was wealthy at one time, and I am sure she will survive! She and her husband Ami made a fortune with phone sex and phone astrology and were involved in “J-Date” an online Jewish dating service. And it would appear that Mr. Nicherie and company saw an opportunity and jumped on it, quite literally — he became romantically involved with Mrs. Shafir (one of the attractions apparently being they both speak Hebrew…but a Hebrew-speaking clown is still a clown!).

At some point she was represented by Trope and Trope, so you know that she had money to burn! And was in front of my friend, Ken Black — that is Superior Court Judge Ken Black, who is now retired. Now I am 100% sure that neither Trope and Trope nor Judge Black would ever have any dealings with Mr. Pellicano. But then she fell under the spell of the “Brothers Grim,” and it was no fairy tale.

One of Mrs. Shafirs funnier comments when asked about Abner Nicherie was, I could not peel him off of me. Oh please, all you would have to do is what I do with my dog, I throw a bone and he chases it…in this case all you had to do was drive to a very high bridge, throw a bundle of $100s out the window of the car and I am sure he would have “peeled himself off” to chase the bundle! She went on to tell the court. they controlled my life! Again easy, tell them you were broke and they would have disappeared, but that was not likely as by then they had complete control!

Nicherie is a guy who paid Pellicano a small fortune ($150,000) to go after Mrs. Shafirs husband and tape his calls with his girlfriend, but wouldn’t pay for parking so he had his driver (Mrs. Shafir!) take him instead. Are you telling me that the Pelican does not validate?! Perhaps he could sell another diamond to provide that service. Excuse me, I am sure that was Mrs. Shafirs money that he gave to the P.I. to the Stars. Many of them are seeing stars as this trial continues!

Mrs. Shafir was vulnerable and was taken advantage of by these two clowns (not to mention the Pelican)…but where is the money now?