Point Reyes Light - October 21, 1999

Fugitive Abrams turns himself in

A federal fugitive who managed the Motel Inverness until recently, John Abrams alias Yancy, surrendered to authorities in the District of Columbia Monday.

Sheriff's Lt. Dennis McQueeny, head of the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force, on Wednesday said Abrams turned himself in and is now in federal prison and awaiting trial.

Lt. McQueeny said Abrams gave himself up as federal marshals were closing in on him. They knew he was in the area, McQueeny added.

Abrams also faces a probation-violation hearing in Virginia where he had been arrested drug charges.

In 1991, Abrams walked away from a minimum-security prison in Washington two weeks before he was scheduled to be paroled, his former attorney, Michael Marowitz, said in July.

As a fugitive, Abrams never entered a drug-treatment program, which was a condition of his probation in Virginia. Formerly a cocaine user, Abrams had previously been arrested on drug and forgery charges in several states.

Using various aliases, the fugitive made it to West Marin where owner Andrew Lipnosky hired him to manage and renovate his motel, as well as to enforce leases at his more than 250 housing units Lipnosky owns in the East Bay.

However, in 1991, Abrams was arrested by San Rafael Police on grand-theft charges after he stole computer software from a department store. The arrest led to his being placed in a diversion program that included such classes as theft awareness.

In 1997, Berkeley Police arrested Abrams on battery charges after he allegedly squeezed one tenant so hard in a fit of anger that he broke some of the man's ribs. Charges against him were dropped following a settlement with the victim.

Attorney Marowitz in July insisted Abrams "stopped using cocaine in 1991...[and] has been clean since then. He's a man who came to Inverness to rebuild his life and largely accomplished that. He was trying to do right."

This week Marowitz repeated, "He'd like to return as quickly as possible...to Inverness."

In July and August, Marowitz repeatedly said Abrams was on the verge of turning himself in; the only delay, the attorney said, was caused by lining up testimonials of his accomplishments in West Marin, which he could give to criminal justice officials in Washington.

Indeed, several West Marin acquaintances of Abrams did write such testimonials.

However, changing circumstances changed his surrender plans, said Marowitz this week but declined to elaborate. He added that an East Coast attorney now represents Abrams.

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