Disbarred Denver attorney Steve Bachar died from heart disease in his cell at the Rifle Correctional Center after complaining of shortness of breath for several days, according to a Garfield County Coroner’s Office autopsy report.
Bachar, 58, was pronounced dead at 7:50 a.m. March 15 after he became unresponsive in his cell and could not be resuscitated, according to the coroner’s office.
He was four months into a three-year prison sentence for defrauding an investor of $125,000 through his firm, Empowerment Capital. He pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft in September and was sentenced in Denver District Court in November.
The coroner’s office found that Bachar had been complaining of shortness of breath for several days before his death when he “suddenly became unresponsive in his jail cell” the morning of March 15.
His death was caused by the hardening and narrowing of a coronary artery from heart disease and was natural, according to the coroner’s office.
Bachar’s autopsy showed no drug use or injuries that contributed to his death, and he had “no significant known past medical history,” Garfield County officials wrote.
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Bachar told the judge at his sentencing that he was dealing with “significant health issues.”
While Bachar had a medical history, it did not include anything significant that would lead to a sudden death, Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire said in an email.
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