Terry Bryant maintains his not guilty plea to felony theft. (CBC screenshot)
The man accused of stealing actress Frances McDormand’s Oscar has made his first court appearance weeks after he pled not guilty to grand theft.
Terry Bryant, who The Daily Mail reported claims to be a producer and editor for A&E Networks, faces up to three years in prison for his charges.
“We intend to contest these charges in court, and that’s where the case will be resolved,” Bryant’s lawyer Daniel Brookman told the New York Daily News Wednesday, March 28.
Bryant refused to answer questions as he walked with his Rabbi Naomi Levy out of Los Angeles Superior Court.
The 47-year-old was stopped by a photographer at an Oscars after-party on Sunday, March 4 where he picked up the Oscar McDormand won for her performance in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.” Once he scooped it up, he paraded it around the party and on a Facebook Live video saying, “Look at it, I got this, it’s mine!”
After security was called, Bryant was arrested and held on $20,000 bail and the statue was reunited with McDormand that night.
Brookman has previously characterized his client’s actions as a prank and told reporters, “there’s a big difference between holding an Oscar and what he’s charged with. I don’t think his character matches these charges.”
Page Six reported that Bryant had been found eligible for early disposition, which allows parties to settle a case without having to contest the issues in a trial. While Bryant remains charged with grand theft, his attorney said the non-guilty plea still stands.
Brookman told the publication this is “not a prison case” and by the next hearing on May 1, he expects a deal.
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