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Who Are the New Attorneys for Accused Arsonist Bobby Salazar?
David Taub Website photo 2024
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 23 seconds ago on
October 1, 2025

Bobby Salazar enters federal court in Fresno on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, for a hearing. He has hired a new legal team. (GV Wire/Jahz Tello)

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The Fresno restaurant owner accused of paying a biker club member to torch one of his eateries has hired several new lawyers, court records show.

A federal judge on Monday let Bobby Salazar, 63, remain free on a $1 million bond after meeting two conditions: securing the bond through property and hiring private attorneys. Since his arrest on Aug. 26, a federal public defender had represented Salazar.

Murdoch Walker
Murdoch Walker II

Atlanta-based attorney Murdoch Walker II, his colleague Serguel Mawuko Akiti, and Irvine-based Michael Khouri will now defend Salazar.

Akiti declined to comment.

Salazar is accused of two counts of arson after his eponymous Blackstone Avenue restaurant in Fresno burned in 2024. He received a nearly $1 million insurance settlement.

Prosecutors also added a charge for possessing an illegal gun found at his home during a search warrant.

Salazar faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 for the commercial arson charges, plus 10 years for a second count of arson in furtherance of a felony. The gun charge could bring five years in prison.

Walking into the courtroom, Salazar told GV Wire he is innocent.

He is scheduled for an Oct. 9 preliminary examination, but prosecutors indicated it may be delayed to allow Salazar’s new attorneys to get familiar with the case.

Attorney Backgrounds

Serguel Akiti
Serguel Akiti

Although Walker and Akiti are registered in several federal court jurisdictions, their application  — known as pro hac vice — to practice in the Eastern District of California is pending. Khouri will serve as Salazar’s attorney of record for now.

According to Walker’s online biography, he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the Charleston (South Carolina) School of Law. He started as an investigator for the New York County District Attorney’s Office, in South Carolina for state agencies, and for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Walker recently defended a New Hampshire man accused of making online threats against a high school. Kyle Hendrickson received a 37-month sentence last year. Walker also represented John Johnson, a militia leader sentenced to one year for pointing a gun at police in the wake of the Breonna Taylor killing in Louisville, Kentucky.

Michael Khouri

On his website, Khouri lists himself as an “expert in professional licensing defense and the defense of Medicare/Medi-Cal audits.”

Recent cases of note for Khouri include defending a nurse who lost his license after his patient — and girlfriend — actress Stevie Ryan died; an Iowa chiropractor accused of Medicare fraud; and two Pennsylvania doctors accused of insurance fraud.

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David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

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