A San Francisco public defender may face sanctions after painting a domestic abuse victim as a ‘Fatal Attraction’-style woman ‘obsessed’ with her abuser and even took jurors out for drinks to gain their sympathy.
Jordana Cahen was hospitalized and needed surgery after her abusive boyfriend, Antonio Gamero, attacked her in 2022, breaking her nose, fracturing her eye socket and leaving her with cuts and bruises all over her body.
Gamero was convicted of torture, domestic violence, assault and false imprisonment and is currently serving a sentence of seven years to life in prison.
Cahen has now said that Deputy Public Defender Ilona Yanez attempted to shift the blame for the attack onto her during the trial, telling ABC7, “I was constantly bombarded with the question of why you stayed and why you didn’t leave.”
Court transcripts show that Yáñez told the jury: ‘She is obsessed with Antonio. So this is not the story of the poor, vulnerable, abused woman over and over again. This is more Fatal Attraction. ‘She this is a woman who couldn’t let him go.’
Now, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is considering seeking sanctions against Yanez, for what she called “very disturbing and inappropriate” behavior.
Antonio Gamero attacked Jordana Cahen in 2022, breaking her nose, eye socket and leaving her with cuts and bruises all over her body
She was hospitalized after the attack and needed surgery to correct the long-standing asymmetry in her face.
Now, deputy defender Ilona Yáñez could face sanctions for her conduct during the trial against Antonio Gamero
Yáñez took the jurors out for drinks and told them that Cahen was ‘obsessed’ with her abusive boyfriend
Jenkins is concerned about four incidents that could merit sanctions.
The day the judge dismissed the jury, Yanez bought drinks for several jurors at a bar near the courthouse. One juror said he was “not comfortable” with what “appeared to be victim blaming” on Yanez’s part.
Jurors said Yanez told them that because of their verdict, Gamero “would be facing a sentence of life in prison,” prompting three other jurors to write emails to the judge asking him to be lenient in the sentence.
One email, seen by ABC7, said: “Mr. Gamero deserves a second chance.”
Jenkins told ABC7, “When you buy them things, even a drink, to potentially persuade them to help you in your sentencing argument, that is also very disturbing and inappropriate.”
He added: ‘The conduct is inappropriate according to our ethical standards. We should not share information with jurors after conviction that they had no right to receive or consider during the trial itself.
But Ilona Yanez’s boss, Mano Raju, told ABC7: “It’s very common for lawyers to talk to jurors after a verdict to get feedback on the trial.
“The jurors asked her what Mr. Gamero’s sentence might be and she told them.”
The attack came out of nowhere after a nice dinner with his parents and grandmother.
Jordana Cahen with her abusive ex-boyfriend Antonio Gamero
Gamero is now serving between seven years and life in prison for the attack
In another incident, in her closing remarks on the day of sentencing, Yáñez burst into tears and sobbed so hard that it was difficult to understand her.
He cried throughout his comments and said, ‘his life is worth more (crying) than what we throw away every day.’
Judge Cordell said the “sobs and cries in court” raise “questions of competency.”
They added: “If you’re that entangled with the client, you can’t, you can’t adequately represent your client, you just can’t do it, you have to have boundaries, you have to draw that line.”
Raju’s office told ABC7: ‘Ms. Yanez served her client impeccably throughout this case, and criticizing her for showing emotion and caring about her client is offensive and sexist.’
She was left covered in bruises and cuts after the attack.
Police body camera footage shows the moment Cahen was found bleeding after the attack.
Bodycam footage showed Gamero lying to police after a teenage girl witnessed the attack and called 911.
Then another incident occurred when Cahen filed an $8,000 small claims lawsuit against Gamero for back rent and other money he owed.
Yanez got involved and started emailing Cahen about it.
Retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Ladoris Cordell said this was “inappropriate” because it “puts her in contact with the victim, who has been traumatized by the person she represents.”
He added: “You don’t want to cross those lines and those boundaries.”
In the final incident, Cahen said Yanez cold called her at work, even though she said she only wanted to communicate via email.
Cahen said Yanez “tried to make me feel bad for him” by saying he had a “screwed childhood” and had “asked for forgiveness.”
David Yosifon, a legal ethics expert at Santa Clara University School of Law, told ABC7 that this was “unethical” and a “violation” as it “directly contravened the victim’s expressed wishes regarding to be contacted.”
Now Jordana is raising awareness to help other women in abusive relationships and draw attention to how she says Yánez treated her.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is concerned about how Yanez treated Jordana and is considering whether sanctions should be imposed against him.
Despite his methods, Yáñez missed the opportunity to get him a lower sentence than the one he ended up with.
She rejected a plea deal under which he would have received six years in prison and instead was given seven years to life.
Now, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is determining what to do next and whether sanctions should be imposed against Yanez.
She told ABC7: “It’s something we’re taking very seriously about what our next steps may be.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Yáñez for comment.