Catching Up With Jeff

Two years back, TAG blog noted the trial and tribulations of animation veteran Jeffrey J. Varab:

... Jeffrey Varab is an animator and director who started at Disney, did years with Don Bluth, used to work for Disney Feature Animation Florida, left there and worked on films such as “Eight Crazy Nights.” ... He set up an outfit, with backers, called Genesis, which animated a movie about a WWII vintage Willys Jeep named “Tugger,” “The Jeep 4 x 4 Who Wanted to Fly.” ....

Varab was arrested this week, charged wtih fraud in Osceola County. ...

Today a member asked us about him: So what's up with Jeff? How did his Florida kerfluffle work out?"

So we did a wee bit of poking around to find out what the hell happened. ...

And it seems as though Jeff's tribulations came to an end earlier this year. Because there is this:

01/30/2012 -- PLEA AGREEMENT ...

01/30/2012 -- DEFENDANT PLED - SET FOR SENTENCING SENTENCING SET FOR 03/23/12 AT 3:00PM IN COURTROOM 5F PLEA OF NOT GUILTY WITHDRAWN, PLED GUILTY TO COUNTS 2 THRU 13 AS CHARGED COUNT 1 TO BE NOLLE PROSEQUI AT SENTENCING PSI ORDERED DEFENDANT IS TO REMAIN ON BOND/RELEASE PENDING SENTENCING ORDER ON PLEA SET FOR SENTENCING

03/26/2012 -- SURCHARGE 5% (OF THE FINE AMT) COURT COSTS Charge #2: SALE OF AN UNREGISTERED SECURITY. FELONY FINE W/H ADJUDICATION Charge #2: SALE OF AN UNREGISTERED SECURITY. FELONY ADJ W/HELD SERVICE CHARGE Charge #2: SALE OF AN UNREGISTERED SECURITY. (etc.)

07/09/2012 -- ORDER ON MOTION TO ALLOW OUT OF COUNTRY TRAVEL - GRANTED

So if I'm reading the above correctly, Jeff withdrew his "not guilty" plea and did a deal on some of the charges, and the district attorney agreed not to pursue at least one of the counts ("nolle prosequi").

And some months later, Jeff's legal team (or maybe it was Jeff repping himself?) made a motion to the court for out-of-country travel, and the motion was granted.

So we make the assumption that Jeff has now traveled from our shores. Good luck Jeff.