Alessandro (Sandro) Lisi, with his lawyer, Seth Weinstein, is escorted out of Old City Hall Court in Toronto on Nov. 1, 2013.PETER POWER/The Globe and Mail
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's friend Alessandro Lisi is no longer fighting his conviction for threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend.
Defence lawyer Courtney Keystone told the Ontario Superior Court on Wednesday that Mr. Lisi was abandoning his appeal. Mr. Lisi's conviction last year for threatening death was part of a broader set of allegations levelled against him by Toronto police in September, 2011.
At that time, he faced six criminal charges, including assault, harassment and forcible confinement –– alleged acts targeting an ex-girlfriend. An Ontario Court judge gave Mr. Lisi credit for four days of pre-trial custody and a suspended sentence for threatening death. The other charges were dismissed.
Mr. Lisi's other legal troubles are ongoing. He was Mr. Ford's driver when he was charged in October with extortion and several drug-related charges. Mr. Lisi, 35, is accused of making threats in an alleged bid to retrieve a video of the mayor reportedly smoking crack cocaine.
Toronto police have the video, but it has not been made public. The investigation that led to the recent charges against Mr. Lisi – Project Brazen 2 – is ongoing. Mr. Lisi's drug case is schedule to return to court Thursday, while his extortion case is set for court next week.