John James Nazarian
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the California private investigator, not to be confused with the past President of Rhode Island CollegeRhode Island CollegeRhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
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John J. Nazarian (born 1952), is an American private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
and security expert with offices in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Florida. Nazarian is best known as a celebrity guest commentator on crime- and divorce-related television programming, as well as making appearances in documentaries or docudramas in a reality or fictional setting.
Early years
John James Nazarian was born July 9, 1952, in Tewksbury, MassachusettsTewksbury, Massachusetts
Tewksbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,961 at the 2010 census.- History :Tewksbury was first settled in 1637 and was officially incorporated in 1734 from Billerica. Like Tewksbury Township, New Jersey, it is named after the town of Tewkesbury,...
. He moved to California at the age of 16. Nazarian graduated from William S. Hart High School in Newhall, California
Newhall, California
Newhall is the southernmost and oldest district of Santa Clarita, California. Prior to the 1987 consolidation of Valencia, Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, and other geographically proximate settlements into the conglomerate city of Santa Clarita, it was an independent but unincorporated town...
in 1971.
Nazarian entered the U.S. Navy right after high school for four years, leaving the service with an honorable discharge.
Nazarian attended the Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
and received an AA degree in Police Science in 1976, after being discharged from the Navy. Nazarian received training during his law enforcement career. He also holds two degrees, one in Administration of Justice, and one in Criminology.
Upon returning from the Navy, Nazarian worked as an apprentice embalmer at several different mortuaries in California. He also worked as a heavy-equipment operator, and owned a lawn-care business.
Law enforcement career
While still in high school, during his junior year in either 1969 or 1970, Nazarian began his career in law enforcement as a student worker / Sheriff's Explorer under the tutelage of Sgt. Bob Warford and Deputy Arthur E. Pelino, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, of the old Newhall Station.In late 70’s and early 80’s, Nazarian became a prison guard employed by the California Department of Corrections. He was assigned to the California Institution for Women
California Institution for Women
California Institution for Women is a female-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California.-Facilities:...
in Frontera, California, the home to several members of the Manson family, including Susan Atkins
Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins was a convicted American murderer who was a member of the "Manson family", led by Charles Manson. Manson and his followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969...
, Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel is an American convicted killer and a former member of Charles Manson's murderous commune, known as "the Family". During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as "Big Patty", "Yellow", and "Mary Ann Scott", but to The Family she was most...
and Leslie Van Houten
Leslie Van Houten
Leslie Louise Van Houten is a former member of Charles Manson's "Family" who was convicted of the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.-Life with Manson:...
. Nazarian was one of five people attending the September 9, 1981, marriage of Atkins.
Shortly after leaving the California Department of Corrections in the late 80’s, Nazarian went to work for the San Francisco Sheriff's Department
San Francisco Sheriff's Department
The San Francisco Sheriff's Department is the sheriff's department for the City and County of San Francisco. The department has 850 deputized personnel, and support staff....
as a deputy sheriff. Nazarian worked for the police department of Mendota, California, where he worked with juveniles.
Nazarian left law enforcement, saying it was because; "All my friends who came on the department with me died of AIDS. It was a big part of the reason I left San Francisco. I lost all my friends when I was in my 30s."
Private investigator
Nazarian got his start as a private investigator working for the San Francisco Court system working on court-appointed cases at the nominal rate of just $27 an hour. Nazarian opened his first office in San Francisco with the help of Seymour Jaron. Nazarian credits attorney Gary Lieberman of San Francisco, who suggested Nazarian become a private investigator.It did not take long for Nazarian to figure out the real money was in Beverly Hills. Following the money, John moved his office to Los Angeles. Armand Keosian provided Nazarian with an office with a view of a golf course in his Century City, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Suite on the Avenue of the Stars. This was critical to Nazarian’s success in the early days of his practice. Sorrell Trope, sometimes referred to as the "dean of L.A. divorce lawyers," stated he uses only Nazarian due to his reliability and honesty, proclaiming of Nazarian, "he's legitimate."
The basic retainer
Retainer
Retainer may refer to:* Retainer , a person, especially a soldier, in the service of a lord in the late Middle Ages** Retainer sacrifice, the sacrifice of a human servant* Retainer...
fee for Nazarian and his team is said to run between $10,000 and $20,000. Nazarian's normal rate is purportedly $400 per hour plus expenses.
Nazarian's firm has handled case work on behalf of a number of high-profile clients, including boxer Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
, actor Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
, writer Steven Bochco
Steven Bochco
Steven Ronald Bochco is a US television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue, as well as some notable flops such as Cop Rock....
, television executive Les Moonves, and actress Pauley Perrette
Pauley Perrette
Pauley Perrette is an American actress, best known for playing Abby Sciuto[p] on the U.S. TV series NCIS, a role that has made her the most popular actress on U.S. primetime television. She is also a published writer, a singer and civil rights advocate.-Early life:Perrette was born in New Orleans...
in her case against ex-husband, Coyote Shivers
Coyote Shivers
Francis Coyote Shivers is a musician and actor.-Music and acting:Shivers produced the first single for the band Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. The B-side to that single, "Having an Average Weekend", became the theme to the television show The Kids in the Hall...
, to whom she was married for three years. She has been granted restraining orders against him since leaving him. Nazarian's client Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson
Rebecca Andrea Thompson is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series Falcon Crest, Babylon 5, JAG, 24, Heroes and NYPD Blue.-Early life:...
, star of NYPD Blue and 24 was involved in another high profile stalking case. Nazarian was asked to use his San Francisco Police connections to help in the murder case of Gary Murphy
Nazarian was interviewed about the "Gypsy Murders on CBS News and in the San Francisco Magnazine. The disagreement between two private investigators, one being Nazarian was covered in the book by Jack Olsen.
Nazarian was in high demand during the Anthony Pellicano
Anthony Pellicano
Anthony Pellicano is a former high-profile Los Angeles private investigator who recently served a sentence of three and a half years in federal prison for illegal possession of explosives, firearms and homemade grenades, and who was arrested on February 4, 2006, on unlawful wiretapping and...
trial because many consider that Nazarian is the only other high profile P. I. that has become rich and a celebrity in his own right by doing what he does. His insight on the fall from grace of Pellicano; the California Lawyers Magazine felt the case had such significance that the magazine did a full spread on the "Pellicano Affect" and featured Nazarian including a two-page photo spread of Nazarian. Nazarian also appeared in the German Magazine Der Spiegel discussing the guilty plea of John McTiernan a client of Pellicano in which he was photographed by Robert Gallagher
Robert Gallagher
His commercial clients include Reebok, Canon, Mazda, Merrill Lynch and Vivendi Universal and he has also photographed advertising campaigns for Pepsi and Gatorade....
as part of the six picture slide show which is part of the article.
Nazarian has been interviewed by numerous publications on high profile cases or clients including Courtney Love
Others interviews in Print Media include the Britney Spears Divorce Nazarian was interviewed about his views in connection to the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel Smith. In 2009, Nazarian was asked his take a year after the Tiger Woods scandal on Woods and other high profile athletes who found themselves involved in allegations of cheating on spouses.
Since 1997 Nazarian has been sought for articles that addresses the use of private investigators in divorce and other high profile court cases. With one article that dealt exclusively with Nazarian's views in the L. A. Times.
Nazarian has been primary in helping with the investigation of the case of the teen text murder of Mike Yepremyan in North Hollywood California in 2009. Nazarian has continued to work on what is known as the teen text murder through the arrests of the two alleged shooters of Mike Yepremyan in July 2011 and the indictments by a L. A. County grand jury in September 2011 of two for the alleged murder and two for conspiracy to committ murder.
Television career
In 2004 Nazarian portrayed himself in two episodes of Discovery Channel'sDiscovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
American P.I., in which he walked through his take on both the O.J. Simpson and Son of Sam murder cases.
Nazarian also appeared in the movie Fracture as a Private Investigator named Dick.
John J. Nazarian covered the Anthony Pellicano trial in 2008 in the California federal court. He was interview on the NBC Today Show about the death of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
investigation. and has made numerous appearances in regards to the Ronni Chasen
Ronni Chasen
Ronni Sue Chasen was an American publicist, who once represented such actors as Michael Douglas, as well as musicians such as Hans Zimmer and Mark Isham, among others...
murder.
Nazarian has appeared on the TV Show Extra. In the article name the Pellicano Effect the California Lawyer Magnazine discussed this appearance in regards to Olivia Newton John's boyfriend’s disappearance. Nazarian was interviewed by Rita Cosby in regards to the Extra investigation about Patrick McDermott. Nazarian was later interviewed by Nancy Grace when McDermott was found.
Nazarian has also been interviewed for the French TV magazine "66 Minutes," the French version of the CBS television "news magazine," 60 Minutes.
Personal life
John J. Nazarian and his family live in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles. Nazarian recently welcomed his first grandchild into the family. Nazarian welcomed his second grandson on October 9, 2011.Nazarian and his oldest son Mike have joint legal custody and guardianship of two god children.
Nazarian started an online talk radio show on August 21, 2011.
External links
- Nazarian and Associates official website, www.nazarianandassociates.com/
- Desperate Exes official website, www.desperateexes.com/
- Straight Talk with John J Nazarian official website, www.straighttalkwithjohnjnazarian.com/