A federal magistrate yesterday chastised a lawyer for TV bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman and his wife, Beth, after the Chapmans urged fans to write and call the judge to ask him to release Chapman's bond.

The bond had already been released, but U.S. Magistrate Barry Kurren said in court yesterday that he was bombarded by e-mails and phone calls from Chapman's fans who believed that the reality show star's bail would remain in effect.

"This is where I have some confusion and unhappiness," Kurren told Chapman's lawyer, Brook Hart. "Tell your clients not to contact the court or suggest that their fans contact the court."

Duane Chapman and his two associates, Tim Chapman and son Leland Chapman, had been free on $300,000 bail after being arrested in September by U.S. marshals in Honolulu and jailed on an extradition warrant requested by Mexico. In 2003, the men allegedly broke Mexican law by taking now-convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster into custody.

The charges in Mexico against Chapman and his associates were dropped last week, but immediately appealed by Mexican officials.

Kurren on Aug. 15 agreed to release the three on their own recognizance. The only thing they needed was a written statement for the bail bondsman.

"When I left the conference on Aug. 15, I thought everything was settled," Kurren said in court yesterday.

U.S. Attorney Ronald Johnson said that after the conference, he saw Chapman — with a different attorney at his side — on television urging people to write to him, Kurren and others related to the case.

"Clearly there is some line of communication that is not occurring between Mr. Hart and the other lawyer who is egging him (Duane Chapman) on," Johnson said.

In a written statement last week, the Chapmans also asked that fans send letters of support to the president and secretary of state.

Hart said the confusion arose when the bondsman asked for a written statement saying that Chapman would not have to pay $30,000 to renew the bond.

He also defended Chapman for asking his fans to be responsible and appropriate in their messages. Now that the bond issue has been settled, "There is less reason for any kind of behavior like that," Hart said.