Criminal Law
LA Criminal Defense Blog 
Commentary, News, and Tips About Criminal Law
Post Frequency: 1.5/day Last Entry: October 05, 2009 at 07:26:31 Recent Entries: 396
By Steven Rodriguez
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Child Abuse - False Reports Do Happen, What You Should Do If Accused
Posted on October 05, 2009Today?s high profile cases of crimes against children have resulted in a hyper vigilance in the community against child abuse. Although this is a positive step in our society, it can create a state of heightened anxiety with resulting false accusations...
Megan’s Law - Protecting Children from Sexual Predators
Posted on September 25, 2009In California, Megan’s Law “requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency,” explains Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Megan’s Law also “makes it possible for people to get information about the identity and address of registered sex offenders,” the experienced lawyer noted...
Rape and Sex Crimes - Dugard Kidnapping Shocks Nation
Posted on September 23, 2009The discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard living in makeshift tents behind a home in Antioch, California 18 years after her abduction shocked the country. Snatched from a school bus stop near her South Lake Tahoe, CA home in 1991 when she was 11, Dugard had been held in isolation by a convicted sex offender who [...
Shoplifting - California Couple Confesses on Dr. Phil
Posted on September 21, 2009In what sounds like one of David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks, a California couple confessed on Dr. Phil that for the last 7 years they had been shoplifting toys and selling them on eBay. The couple, Matthew Eaton, 34, and his 26-year-old wife Laura, told a national TV audience they had made more than $1 [...
Murder - Swimsuit Model’s Murderer Found Dead
Posted on September 11, 2009The suspected murderer of swimsuit model Jasmine Fiore has been found dead, an apparent suicide. Charged with murdering his ex-wife, reality TV contestant Ryan Jenkins had fled to his native Canada. His ex-wife was found stuffed into a suitcase in a trash bin south of Los Angeles...
Probation Violations - What Happens If You Break the Rules?
Posted on September 09, 2009R&B heavyweight Chris Brown could have pulled a jail sentence for battering girlfriend Rihanna (see Monday’s post), but his criminal defense attorney convinced the L.A. judge to gave him a second chance. Essentially, that’s what probation is; the court is giving you a chance to change your behavior and live within the law...
Domestic Violence - Chris Brown Gets Probation, Physical Labor
Posted on September 07, 2009R&B singer Chris Brown was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of physical labor for the domestic violence beating of then girlfriend Rihanna last February. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg sternly warned the singer that he could do jail time if he violates the terms of his sentence...
Bench Warrant - Forget Your Court Date; Go to Jail
Posted on August 21, 2009Fail to appear for your court date or pay a fine and you could find yourself tracked down, handcuffed and carted off to jail. It could jeopardize your job if it happens in front of your boss and co-workers. It could embarrass you if it happens in front of your neighbors...
Rape - So You Think You Can Dance Star Charged with Rape
Posted on August 19, 2009Choreographer Alex Da Silva had better brush up on his fancy footwork, though that’s what seems to have gotten the So You Think You Can Dance tango king into trouble. Da Silva was arrested at his North Hollywood home yesterday on charges of rape and other sex crimes...
Fraud - Investor Cons Increasing
Posted on August 17, 2009Bernie Madoff isn’t the only con artist stealing millions from gullible investors. Investment scams have increased since the economy tanked. Investors are looking for a quick way to recoup losses and con artists are only too happy to relieve them of their cash...
Prostitution - Sex Trade Workers May be Victims of Human Trafficking
Posted on August 07, 2009The U.S. breathed a sigh of relief when journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were reunited with their families on a California runway after 5 months of imprisonment in North Korea. The women were arrested while pursing a story on human trafficking; but you do not have to travel halfway around the world to find young [...
Expungement - Clearing Record Improves Job Opportunities
Posted on August 05, 2009With California’s unemployment rate approaching 12%, jobs are hard to find these days. A criminal record drastically reduces your chances of being hired and limits your employment opportunities. Many employers will not hire people with a criminal record...
DUI - Supreme Court Demands Lab Techs Testify
Posted on August 03, 2009A new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to impact the prosecution of DUI (driving under the influence) and DWI (driving while intoxicated) cases in California and across the U.S. The Supreme Court ruled that when crime lab or breathalyzer reports are used to establish that a defendant was under the influence of [...
Manslaughter - Was Michael Jackson’s Death Manslaughter?
Posted on July 24, 2009Los Angeles police are investigating possible manslaughter charges against Michael Jackson’s personal physician. Investigators in Houston, Texas obtained search warrants and raided a medical clinic and storage unit used by Dr. Conrad Murray, searching for evidence to support manslaughter charges against the doctor...
Restraining Order - What to Do If You’re Served
Posted on July 22, 2009In cases of domestic violence and disagreement, one party can obtain a restraining order against the other. Restraining orders prevent contact between the parties, whether in person, by phone, via the internet or through a third party. Not only can a restraining order prevent you from seeing or speaking to your spouse, it can prevent [...
Restraining Order - When You Need to Feel Safe
Posted on July 20, 2009Restraining orders are court orders signed by a judge that prohibit one person from contacting, annoying or harassing another. There are two legal sides to restraining orders: people who need restraining orders to protect themselves or their families from threat and abuse, and people who are served with restraining orders and must defend themselves...
Stalking - Fear Mongers Among Us
Posted on July 10, 2009Stalkers deal in fear. Their obsessive harassment of celebrities regularly makes the news. Earlier this year, Georgia resident Brady Green was convicted of stalking, harassment, criminal trespass and attempted aggravated harassment for hounding supermodel Tyra Banks...
Hit and Run - Killer of Serviceman’s Family Finally Arraigned
Posted on July 08, 2009Nearly a year ago a serviceman, his wife and their young son were tragically killed in a hit and run accident in Riverside County, California, east of Los Angeles. Witnesses told police a speeding truck weaving in and out of traffic lost control on a curve and plowed headfirst into the Chevy Malibu driven by [...
DUI - BAT Mobiles Help Cops Combat Drunk Driving
Posted on July 06, 2009With the arrival of the summer holiday season, police started rolling out the BAT mobiles in May, preparing to combat drunk drivers and get them off the roads. BAT (Breath Alcohol Testing) mobiles are special mobile vans equipped with multiple intoxilizers, breath alcohol testing equipment, and technicians trained in their use...
Robbery - Los Angeles Pot Store Robbed
Posted on June 19, 2009A Los Angeles medical marijuana store was robbed late last night. Robbers wearing ski masks and waving guns barged into the Gourmet Green Room around 11 p.m. Thursday, June 18, demanding cash and pot. The three armed men made off with $15,000 in cash and an undisclosed amount of marijuana, escaping in a silver Cadillac [...
Rape - Man Uses Craigslist to Arrange Wife’s Rape
Posted on June 17, 2009Craigslist is under attack again. A North Carolina husband used the popular classified advertising website to find a rapist to act out his sexual fantasies on his unsuspecting wife. The husband arranged for a man he found on craigslist to rape his wife at knifepoint while he watched...
Vandalism - What Your Kids Need to Know About Graffiti
Posted on June 15, 2009School is out and with jobs in short supply this summer, more children and teens are hanging out with friends, milling around, looking for something to do. As they say, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground,” and the combination of peer pressure, long summer days and boredom are a perfect combination for decorating the neighborhood with [...
Theft - Economic Woes Lure Unlikely Crooks
Posted on June 05, 2009A respectable family man, father of four, church deacon, soccer coach and community volunteer put on a wig and mask, took his gun out of the nightstand and tried to rob a bank before surrendering to police. A music minister used a handgun to force tellers to clean out their cash drawers then led police [...
Internet Crime - Are Your Children at Risk?
Posted on June 03, 20091 in 5 tweens, children aged 8 to 12, have posted personal information about themselves on the Internet. 1 in 4 pre-teens have been contacted online by a stranger. 1 in 10 tweens have responded and chatted online with someone they didn’t know. Those are some of the disturbing findings of the Tween Internet Safety Survey sponsored by [...
Drug Offenses - Actor Sizemore Arrested on Drug Warrant
Posted on June 01, 2009Actor Tom Sizemore was arrested in Los Angeles late last week on an outstanding warrant related to a 2007 drug offense. The actor was apprehended with another man when L.A. police answered a domestic violence call. According to an unverified report on TMZ...
Rape - LAPD Clearing Rape Kit Backlog
Posted on May 20, 2009The Los Angeles Police Department reports that it has cleared nearly two-thirds of the backlogged rape test kits found in a 2008 city audit and expects to clear the remaining 4,500 by the summer of 2010. In a scandal that made the national news, a 2008 city audit of the LAPD discovered a backlog of [...
Murder - DNA Exposes Serial Killer
Posted on May 18, 2009Los Angeles police recently charged a 72-year-old insurance claims adjuster with the murder of two women in the 1970s and say he may have committed at least 30 rape/murders since the 1970s. Los Angeles’ most prolific serial killer, Floyd Thomas, a twice-convicted sexual offender, was exposed when a sample of his DNA was taken as part of [...
Kidnapping - Reward Offered for Abducted Boy
Posted on May 08, 2009Home invasion, robbery, kidnapping — the horrific story playing out in San Bernardino, California, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, has authorities asking the public for help. Between San Bernardino County and the FBI, a $50,000 reward is now being offered for information in the violent kidnapping of 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez...
Identity Theft - Criminal Defense Against ID Theft in California
Posted on May 06, 2009Identity theft is California’s fastest growing crime. Stealing another person’s identity or personal information and using it to commit fraud or access another person’s finances is a serious crime in California. A national wave of high-profile identity theft cases has prompted the Federal Trade Commission to tighten federal regulations governing the storage of online documents [...
Identity Theft - Feds Tighten Online Information Rules
Posted on May 04, 2009The Federal Trade Commission this month started enforcing new rules geared to fight identity theft, the fastest growing crime in the U.S. Tightening regulations that govern how online documents are stored and requiring verification of identification, both online and off, is expected to trim the number of identity-theft complaints...
Domestic Violence - What Happens to Abusers in California?
Posted on May 01, 2009Since the tragic death of her sister, Nicole Brown Simpson, wife of former football star and actor O.J. Simpson, Denise Brown has devoted her career to fighting domestic violence (see our April 29 post). As in the case of her sister, Brown says that domestic violence usually happens behind closed doors...
Murder in Hollywood
Posted on April 30, 2009Swedish musician David Jassy, 34, has been charged with murderin a Los Angeles Court stemming from an incident last November. Witnesses claimed that John Osnes, 55, was walking across a crosswalk at Selma Avenue and Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood sometime after midnight when Jassy?s rented SUV edged a little too close to him...
NFL Player Jimmy Smith Arrested for Drug Possession in Florida
Posted on April 29, 2009Former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith was arrested by police in Florida April 22nd for possession of both crack cocaine and marijuana. A Florida State Trooper pulled the five-time Pro Bowl player over just outside of Jacksonville to check the legality of window tinting on Smith?s 2009 Mercedes-Benz when he smelled a “strong odor of [...
Domestic Violence - California Activist Fights Against Domestic Violence
Posted on April 29, 2009Since her sister’s tragic death on June 12, 1994, Denise Brown has devoted her professional life to fighting domestic violence in California and across the U.S. The savage murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman at Nicole’s suburban Los Angeles home 15 years ago, the highly publicized murder trial of Nicole’s husband, [...
ID Thieves Prey on L.A. Jobless
Posted on April 27, 2009As if it isn’t bad enough to be laid off and scrambling to find a new job, identity thieves are making life more miserable for unsuspecting job-seekers. From fake job-search services to bogus help-wanted ads, identity thieves are targeting recently unemployed workers in Los Angeles, California and across the country with attempts to steal and [...
Supreme Court Limits L.A. Police Vehicle Searches
Posted on April 24, 2009In a new ruling in an Arizona case, the U.S. Supreme Court has called a halt to what some justices called 28 years of unconstitutional police search and seizure practices in the U.S. In a 5-4 ruling, the court ruled that once a suspect has been handcuffed or placed in a police cruiser, police cannot [...
Paparazzi Laws
Posted on April 22, 2009If you are a member of the paparazzi in Los Angeles, chances are you will need a paparazzi lawyer to defend you from false accusations. The paparazzi lawyers at Stephen G. Rodriguez & Associates have worked with numerous paparazzi to defend against false claims and other charges...
Stopped by Police? What NOT to Do
Posted on April 22, 2009Here’s a tip on what not to do if you get stopped by police. Police were summoned to an Ohio restaurant on a complaint that an intoxicated man was annoying customers. Police responded and, despite the belligerent man’s insistence that he was OK to drive, convinced him to take a cab home...
Obsessive L.A. Fans Imperil Celebrities
Posted on April 20, 2009When fandom become obsession, celebrities get understandably frightened, police become suspicious and judges act. Last week a Los Angeles judge extended the temporary restraining order against Robert Michael O’Ryan for allegedly stalking 17-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson...
White Collar Crimes in California
Posted on April 20, 2009Los Angeles white collar crime attorneys will tell you, you do not have to use violent force to commit a crime. In fact, some of the most notorious criminals in history never physically hurt anyone?they got someone else to do it for them. There are a host of non-violent crimes that get people thrown in [...
What Is a Restraining Order?
Posted on April 17, 2009A restraining order is a court order that prevents a person from bothering, harming or contacting another person. Most often used in domestic violence cases, in California celebrities sometimes take out retraining orders against obsessive fans who may be stalking them...
Stalking in Los Angeles
Posted on April 16, 2009Actor Jamie Foxx made headlines again recently for being stalkedin Philadelphia where he is currently shooting his latest film. On three separate occasions in late March, 49 year-old Steven Taliver (also known as William Brown), tried to break into the Academy Award winner?s hotel room...
Drug Manufacturing & Sales in Los Angeles
Posted on April 16, 2009Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys who handle drug crimes very much understand the challenges certain types of Los Angeles drug crimes create. Possession has one set of penalties, sales has another and manufacturing has quite severe penalties. In Los Angeles, any drug crime defendant needs a qualified Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to help navigate [...
Rape, Murder of 8-Year-Old Shocks California Town
Posted on April 15, 2009In a case that defies understanding, 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby was charged yesterday with the kidnapping, rape and murder of her daughter’s 8-year-old playmate. Sandra Cantu’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase and dumped in a pond not far from her Stockton, California home...
Murder and Attempted Murder in Los Angeles
Posted on April 14, 2009Murder and attempted murder are obviously serious charges, and in Los Angeles they require criminal defense attorneys who understand the law and how best to defend you. Murder convictions in California can, and will, lead to a life sentence and possibly the death penalty for a severe enough crime...
Woody Harrelson Attacks Paparazzi
Posted on April 13, 2009TMZ, one of the leading paparazzi media outlets, had one of its photographers attacked by actor Woody Harrelson. The attack occured in New York’s Laguardia Airport. As the paparazzi asked Harelson questions, the actor shoved the camera into the photographer’s eye, causing it to temporarily stop recording...
California No. 1 in Auto Thefts
Posted on April 13, 2009California topped the charts again this year, first in the nation in car thefts. In the 2008 National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) report released today, vehicle thefts declined for the fifth straight year in the U.S., except in California and a few other states...
Chris Brown Pleads Not Guilty in Rihanna Abuse Case
Posted on April 10, 2009Back in Los Angeles court this week, R&B star Chris Brown pleaded not guilty to the charge that he physically abused his off-and-on girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. Arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court, neither the 19-year-old Brown nor his attorney spoke to the press...
Another Deadly Southern California Hit-and-Run
Posted on April 09, 2009Hit and run cases in southern California are fairly common because it’s such a car culture. However, Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys know how deadly a hit and run case can be, and how severe the punishment is for those convicted of hit and run...
Los Angeles Jewelry Theft Ring Arrested on East Coast
Posted on April 08, 2009Members of a Los Angeles-based jewelry theft ring were arrested and jailed in New Jersey Monday. Six men, all with California addresses, were arrested for the robbery of an Indiana jewelry merchant after a nationwide manhunt that radiated from the scene of the crime in central Ohio...
Complex Hit-and-Run Accident in Los Angeles
Posted on April 06, 2009Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys know that it is difficult enough to defend hit-and-run cases without having to deal with other charges, such as vehicular manslaughter. However, one particular case in Los Angeles demonstrates how difficult a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer’s job can be when dealing with a hit-and-run...
Woman Charged in Deadly LA Hit and Run
Posted on April 06, 2009Los Angeles police have arrested a woman and charged her with the hit and run death of a University of Southern California student and injury of a second student. Last week, Claudia Cabrera, 30, was arrested by LAPD on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter...
Father Takes Daughter on Convenience Store Robbery
Posted on April 03, 2009It’s a sad comment on our distressing times. A California man pulled a gun out of his pocket and robbed a Washington convenience store. Videotape of the robbery shows the troubled man, Robert Webb, 42, talking to the frightened clerk, trying to explain...
How to Curb Gang Violence in Los Angeles
Posted on April 01, 2009In an area of Los Angeles plagued by gang violence, three more people died last Sunday. Two men and a woman were fatally shot in a small apartment on East Rosecrans Avenue in Compton. While the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has not yet determined a motive for the killings, press sources cited narcotics...
Drug Smuggling in Los Angeles
Posted on March 30, 2009According to a Los Angeles Times news article, federal agents seized roughly 640 pounds of marijuana from a private shipping boat about four nautical miles west of San Diego?s Mission Bay. Reports indicate that police arrested two men in their 20s, who are both reportedly American citizens, but have not disclosed any names...
Advantages of Plea Bargaining in Los Angeles
Posted on March 30, 2009TV lawyers are always taking their cases to trial. Those emotional courtroom scenes make for high drama and good TV. What TV doesn’t often show you are the long hours lawyers spend preparing for trial while their clients sit in limbo, often behind bars, awaiting the big day...
Using Excuse Defenses in California
Posted on March 27, 2009In America, an individual charged with a criminal act is entitled to be represented by a criminal defense attorney who can protect his legal rights and see that he receives a fair hearing or trial. In California, it is up to the prosecutor to prove every aspect of his case against a defendant...
What Criminal Defenses Are Used to Defend Against California Prosecution?
Posted on March 25, 2009America’s justice system is based on equal rights for all. The prosecution does not hold all the cards when an individual is charged with a crime. Criminal defense attorneys use a variety of defenses to protect the rights of the accused. In defending criminal charges in California, the most important thing to know, says expert [...
Felony Crimes in California
Posted on March 24, 2009Crimes in California are generally classified as either misdemeanors or felonies. Misdemeanors are typically considered less severe crimes and are punished accordingly. Most misdemeanors carry a punishment of fines, counseling or probation, but can also be punished by up to one year in a county jail...
Homicides Decrease in Los Angeles
Posted on March 23, 2009Homicides in Los Angeles County were down 15% during the first two months of 2009 compared to 2008, Los Angeles County law enforcement officials reported. The L.A. County coroner’s office reported 122 homicides in January and February of this year, compared to 144 in the first two months of 2008...
Developments in Vehicular Manslaughter
Posted on March 23, 2009body {margin:8px} .tr-field {font:normal x-small arial} In a state with as many drivers as California, being on freeways and roads can sometimes be dangerous. Car accidents can cause more than just damage to your car, they can cause injury to another person and, in the most extreme cases, death...
Kanye West vs. The Paparazzi
Posted on March 23, 2009body {margin:8px} .tr-field {font:normal x-small arial} Rapper and self-proclaimed “voice of his generation” Kanye West was charged with one count each of misdemeanor vandalism, grand theft and battery by the Los Angeles city attorney this week stemming from a scuffle with the paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport in September of 2008...
How Criminal Defense Attorneys Defend Murder Cases
Posted on March 20, 2009The penalties for murder or homicide conviction are so severe and life altering that every defendant deserves the very best defense the legal system can provide. Every week the press reports on men on women convicted of murder who are exonerated by new evidence or DNA tests after spending years behind bars...
Weapons and Pro Athletes
Posted on March 19, 2009Recently, almost every week seems to bring a news story about another pro athlete being charged with illegal possession of a firearm. In February, Marshawn Lynch of the Buffalo Bills football team was charged with felony possession of a firearm here in California...
Is Forensic Evidence Used in L.A. Murder Trials Valid?
Posted on March 18, 2009Most Americans have at least a passing understanding of legal procedure and forensic science. After all, the top-rated CSI and Law & Order television franchises have been around for awhile. Most people understand that law enforcement officers and prosecutors regularly rely on forensic evidence to convict felons and murders...
Lindsey Lohan Warrant Dropped…How Does That Happen?
Posted on March 16, 2009Having a warrantout for your arrest, or ordering your appearance in court, is a serious matter. Police in Los Angeles can go to great lengths to get you to comply. There are, however, qualified Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys who know how to work with the courts to get warrants dropped...
Why Is Strong Murder Defense Necessary in Los Angeles?
Posted on March 16, 2009Murder is a heinous crime. Most horrible is First Degree Murder where the killing is planned and deliberate. When First Degree Murder is charged in Los Angeles County or anywhere in California, it means that one individual has specifically targeted, plotted, planned and executed the killing of another individual...
Murder vs. Manslaughter
Posted on March 14, 2009One question Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys face on a regular basis is the difference in Los Angeles between murder and manslaughter. To the average person, killing someone may seem like, well, killing someone. Initially, there is very little room for a reinterpretation of that act...
Are All Homicides in Los Angeles County Murder?
Posted on March 13, 2009Since the first of the year there have been 140 homicides in Los Angeles County. Most of those killed have been between the ages of 15 and 50, black or Hispanic men and killed by gunshot. Not all homicides committed in Los Angeles County are considered murders, explains expert criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez...
What Happens If You Violate Probation in L.A. County?
Posted on March 11, 2009In Los Angeles County, probation gives defendants a chance to turn their lives around while providing some support and guidance to help them succeed. (See our March 9 post on how the probation process works in Los Angeles County.) But once you’re back on your home turf, hanging with your old friends, it can be [...
Celebrity Domestic Violence
Posted on March 11, 2009In Los Angeles, a common legal problem people have is with domestic violence, and Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys defend countless people who face domestic violence crimes. Domestic violence and abuse can happen in any relationship. There is no greater example of this than the well-publicized recent case of R&B singer Chris Brown and pop [...
Grand Theft Auto: More Than Just a Video Game
Posted on March 10, 2009The video game “Grand Theft Auto” makes the world of car jacking and car theft seem almost fun, but in reality the consequences for being arrested for such an offense is anything but fun. Motor vehicle theft, sometimes referred to as grand theft auto by the media and police departments in the US, is the [...
How Does Probation Work in Los Angeles County?
Posted on March 09, 2009If you are convicted of a criminal offense in Los Angeles County, you may be granted probation by the court or you may be required to serve a period of probation as part of your sentence after completing jail time. Probation allows the defendant provisional freedom on the condition of promised good behavior...
Solutions for California’s Crowded Correctional System
Posted on March 06, 2009The overcrowding in California’s correctional system was brought into harsh light by the revelation that 1 in every 36 Californians is either in prison, in jail, on parole or on probation. The disturbing statistics were released as part of a state-by-state study of the nation’s correctional systems by the highly respected, independent, non-profit Pew Center [...
Los Angeles Prostitution and Solicitation Penalties
Posted on February 26, 2009Prostitution and solicitation are embarrassing crimes to be charged with, and only skilled Los Angeles prostitution defense attorneys know how to battle in court on behalf of their clients. Recently, law enforcement in Los Angeles has taken a different angle in prosecuting and punishing those individuals charged with solicitation...
Does California’s Three Strikes Law Really Reduce Crime?
Posted on February 25, 2009Battling statistics are being used — in New Zealand of all places — to debate California’s Three Strikes Law and whether it has actually reduced the crime rate. Why? Because the small island nation near Australia is considering implementing a Three Strikes Law...
Outrageous Penalties in Child Pornography Case
Posted on February 24, 2009When a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer defends a client who is accused of child molestation or child pornography, the case usually involves jail time, counseling, fines, probation, sex offense registration and other criminal penalties. But new developments in sexual offenses are causing Los Angeles sex offense lawyers to have to look at the possible [...
Will Bad Economy Send L.A. Crime Rates Soaring?
Posted on February 23, 2009When the economy goes down, crime rates go up. That’s the general consensus, but reality is more complicated, according to law enforcement officers, economists and criminologists. A poor economy may cause Los Angeles crime rates to ratchet up a notch or two in some categories, but a wholesale crime surge is seen as unlikely...
What Is California’s Proposition 36?
Posted on February 20, 2009California’s Proposition 36 is an alternative sentencing option available to what California law terms “nonviolent drug possession” offenders, explains expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Proposition 36, California’s Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, allows certain nonviolent drug offenders in Los Angeles and throughout the state to receive substance abuse treatment instead of [...
Attempted Murder
Posted on February 20, 2009Few crimes have consequences as serious as attempted murder. Attempted murder is just short of possibly the most serious crime of all: murder. Attempted murder is most easily defined as actions that intended to cause the death of another human being. It is worth noting here that evidence of planning to commit murder is not [...
Vehicular Manslaughter
Posted on February 19, 2009Being charged with vehicular manslaughter can be a terrifying experience. Simply defined, vehicular manslaughter, or vehicular homicide, is driving negligently, speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or reckless driving which results in the death of another human being...
What Does a Los Angeles Bail Bondsman Do?
Posted on February 18, 2009If you are arrested for a crime in Los Angeles, you may be required to post bail if you want to be released from jail while awaiting your court appearance. (See our Feb. 16 post for an explanation of bail and how to post bail in Los Angeles.) When a Los Angeles defendant lacks the cash resources [...
Cars and Crimes
Posted on February 17, 2009Southern California, and Los Angeles specifically, is known as a car culture. As such, there are more car-related crimes in Los Angeles than almost anywhere else in the nation. Car crimes can include everything from DUI to vehicular manslaughter, and most serious car crimes occur during special events such as holidays, parties, etc...
How Do I Post Bail in Los Angeles?
Posted on February 16, 2009If you commit a crime and are arrested in Los Angeles or anywhere in California and are not released on your own recognizance, you will have to post bail or stay in jail until your trial. Bail is cash or a cash equivalent that must be paid to the court and is held by the court [...
Does Megan’s Law Work?
Posted on February 13, 2009A new federally-funded study on sex offenses concludes that Megan’s Law hasn’t deterred repeat sexual offenders and that costs associated with implementing the law may not be justified. Conducted in New Jersey, the state that initiated the now nationwide Megan’s Law campaign, the study found that while Megan’s Law has made it easier to find [...
Drug Possession Penalties and Prop. 36
Posted on February 13, 2009Fighting a drug-related crime is a complex series of events that requires the skilled guidance of an experienced criminal defense attorney. In Los Angeles, the possession, use or transport of drugs or controlled substances without a prescription is illegal and can vary from a misdemeanor offense to a felony...
Is Vandalism a Crime in Los Angeles?
Posted on February 11, 2009In a word, yes. “If it doesn’t belong to you and you deface, destroy or damage it without the owner’s permission, you have committed the crime of vandalism,” says expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Under California law, vandalism includes defacing property with graffiti, damaging property, or destroying the real or personal property [...
Juvenile Crimes in Los Angeles
Posted on February 10, 2009Many people wrongly assume that crimes committed by minors are less serious than crimes committed by adults. Law enforcement officials, however, take crimes committed by minors very seriously and minors committing crimes are often subject to similar punishments as adults as a consequence...
Sex Offense and Heavy Handed Sentences
Posted on February 09, 2009Being convicted of a sex crime carries penalties that are, in some ways, more severe than that of any crime short of murder. While nobody debates the seriousness of sex crimes, the punishments and penalties for these crimes can border on inhumane. Los Angeles sex offense lawyers regularly defend people who have already been convicted [...
How Can I Avoid Going to Jail in California?
Posted on February 09, 2009California recognizes that there are options to packing people into overcrowded state prisons. Not all crimes deserve a jail sentence and not all criminals deserve to go to jail. California has developed a number of alternative sentencing options to deliver appropriate punishment without jail time...
Why Hire a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney?
Posted on February 06, 2009California prisons are full of people who made poor choices. Deciding to commit a crime is often just the first in a series of fateful decisions. Individuals charged with a felony or misdemeanor often compound their problems by choosing an attorney who is unfamiliar with the local court system or by choosing an attorney who [...
Violent Assault in Tarzana
Posted on February 05, 2009A violent assault in Tarzana at a strip club shocked the community and highlights the seriousness of assault charges. Police were searching for two people accused of an assault, setting on fire and critically injuring an exotic night club dancer. The incident occurred at or near the Babes & Beer nightclub...
LA Crime Spree Worries Silver Lake, Echo Park Residents
Posted on February 04, 2009Residents of the Silver Lake and Echo Park areas of Los Angeles, California are up in arms about a recent string of assaults and robberies in their neighborhoods. Over the past two months, 10 robberies have occurred in the area, all at night or in the early morning hours...
DUI Worst Case Scenerio
Posted on February 04, 2009Having an experienced and qualified Los Angeles DUI defense attorney by your side may not seem important. Most DUI cases handle seemingly small matters, such as fines, license suspensions and probation. However, as most Los Angeles DUI lawyers will tell you, these matters aren’t small at all, and other issues surrounding DUI cases can be [...
Expungement Can Give Teens New Lease on Life
Posted on February 02, 2009My niece will turn 18 soon and her parents are looking at having her juvenile record expunged. Like many teens, she ran into a little trouble with the law a couple of years back. When she started at a new high school she began hanging with a new group of kids who were more interested [...
A Personal Story of Domestic Violence
Posted on January 30, 2009Last year, there were 43,911 domestic violence arrests in California. Domestic violence occurs in one in three families in the U.S. Last week, one of those families was my sister’s. She was fixing dinner when her husband called. He asked what she was doing, said he’d be home soon...
Stephen Rodriguez Top LA Criminal Defense Attorney
Posted on January 28, 2009When your future is at stake, you need a defense attorney, who has the trial experience to plead your case with aggressive representation, that person is Stephen G. Rodriguez, Attorney at Law. Mr. Rodriguez and his law firm is based in Los Angeles, California, but provides legal representation for clients throughout California...
Paparazzi to Blame For All Celebrity Mishaps?
Posted on January 27, 2009Paparazzi have come under fire of late because of their aggressive tactics, but also because the people they take photographs of have incredible amounts of money to throw at attorneys. Los Angeles paparazzi lawyers know that defending a member of the paparazzi can be an uphill battle because the paparazzi don’t garner much sympathy in [...
Gang Arrests Intensifying
Posted on January 27, 2009Los Angeles is known for many things: palm trees, the Lakers, USC football and great burger joints. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is also known for its gangs, and police throughout the city are trying to do their best to single out alleged gang members and make as many arrests as possible...
More Tips for Protecting Your Child from Sexual Predators
Posted on January 26, 2009Megan’s Law was created in the face of tragedy after 7-year-old Megan Kanka of New Jersey was brutally raped and killed by a neighbor who was a known child molester. Megan’s parents had no knowledge of the man’s background and no reason to be on the alert or warn their daughter — until it was [...
Tips for Protecting Your Child from Sexual Predators
Posted on January 23, 2009To protect our children from the violence of sexual predators, every state in the U. S. now has a Megan’s Law in place, including California. California’s Megan’s Law requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agency...
Los Angeles Bel-Air Burglar Behind Bars
Posted on January 21, 2009The “Bel-Air Burglar” is finally behind bars. After a three-year investigation, Los Angeles, California police announced they have arrested one of two men believed to be responsible for a multi-million dollar crime wave in L.A.’s toniest neighborhoods...
Asset Seizure Utilized by Los Angeles City Council
Posted on January 20, 2009One legal tool authorities use to fight crime is asset seizure and asset forfeiture. Federal and California forfeiture laws allow the government/law enforcement to seize personal property and assets believed to be connected to criminal activity. This can be a highly controversial action, because it may affect more than the alleged criminals...
Major Pot Bust in Van Nuys
Posted on January 20, 2009Of all the drugs outlawed by the state of California, Marijuana is the most contentious. While state actions have legalized medical marijuana, Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys still defend countless individuals for sales, possession, use and distribution of the drug...
Why Accept a Plea Bargain in LA County?
Posted on January 19, 2009Plea bargains have become a standard procedure in criminal cases. “Most people who are charged with committing a crime will have to decide whether to go to trial or accept a plea bargain,” says Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez...
California’s Prop 36 Gives Drug Abusers a Chance
Posted on January 16, 2009California’s Proposition 36 gives nonviolent drug offenders a chance to get off drugs, put their lives back together and become productive members of society. Instead of going to jail for nonviolent drug possession, Proposition 36 allows offenders to receive substance abuse treatment and gives them a chance to turn their lives around...
Sexual Offense: Why The Media Gets It Wrong
Posted on January 15, 2009Every Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will point to the Constitution as the first place a United States citizen’s rights are located. However, some individuals in the media want to punish people using cruel and unusual punishment. The attitude that some individuals bring to sex crimes and sexual offense is not just over-the-top, but dangerous [...
Deadly Sexual Offense
Posted on January 14, 2009Sexual offense laws are constantly changing, in part because technology allows different types of access to sexual interaction and in part because deviants find new ways around sexual laws. When a Los Angeles sex offense attorney is brought on to defend someone charged with a sex crime, their job is usually an uphill climb...
L.A. Bail Bond Should Be Defendant’s Last Resort
Posted on January 14, 2009In courtroom dramas you hear attorneys arguing with each other about bail. The prosecutor argues for a high dollar figure; the defendant’s attorney, for a low figure or none at all. The judge bangs the gavel and says, “Bail is set at . . ...
What Is a Plea Bargain?
Posted on January 12, 2009Plea bargains are a staple of every cop and courtroom show on TV. “Copping a plea” seems to be the script writer’s favorite trick for getting the goods on the ultimate bad guy. You’re familiar with the scene: the tough cop or prosecutor leans on the minor crook, promising him a lighter sentence if he gives [...
Weapons Offenses in Los Angeles
Posted on January 12, 2009Los Angeles is one of many cities that seeks to limit the number of weapons in and around its borders. Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys who defend people in weapons crime cases know that the laws are heavily in favor of the prosecution. In a week when a boy was shot and killed in North [...
Using California’s Megan’s Law to Track Sex Offenders
Posted on January 09, 2009Megan Kanka was a typical 7-year-old, full of fun and life and excitement for the surprises that came with each new day. On July 29, 1994, she spent the morning riding her bike in the summer sunshine. She was excited when her neighbor offered to show her his new puppy...
Hit and Run Suspect Arrested
Posted on January 07, 2009Los Angeles hit-and-run crimes are often overwhelming, because they happen quickly and can be overlooked by the accused. Individuals drive fast, in fact most people break the speed limit laws on a regular basis, and so every person in Los Angeles is at risk of committing a hit-and-run crime...
Police Consider Domestic Violence Calls Hazardous Duty
Posted on January 07, 2009Answering domestic violence calls are among the most hazardous of their duties, say Los Angeles police officers. The volatile emotions unleashed when families are at war with each other escalate the risk of serious — and sometimes deadly — violence...
Embezzlement: An Inside Job
Posted on January 06, 2009Simply put, embezzlement or employee theft is stealing from your employer. Embezzlement is considered a white collar crime. It?s the type of crime that has to involve someone with inside knowledge of someone?s finances, because it usually involves moving money around in different accounts which need passwords and so forth...
Why You Need a Lawyer in Your Corner
Posted on January 05, 2009“I’m a bright, capable and creative-enough guy. I’m someone accustomed to being useful to society,” the man lamented to an Ohio newspaper columnist. Once a successful physician, husband and father, this man was scouring the want ads, hoping to find a job...
Odd Federal Murder Law
Posted on January 05, 2009Federal laws can be a challenge to navigate, because their penalties are stiff and they have the money, authority and strength of the United States government behind them. Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys who represent those accused of Federal crimes know how hard it can be to defend people in these cases...
Lesbian Rape Called Hate Crime by Police
Posted on January 02, 2009Some have said that like the Civil Rights movement of the last half century, the battle against homosexual prejudice will be at the center of this generation’s fight for social justice. If recent events are any indication, it will be another long, hard fight...
Be Safe Tonight; Drinking and Driving Don?t Mix
Posted on December 31, 2008New Year’s Eve is a tradition party night. Despite the poor economy, Americans are still planning to party hearty. Restaurants and hotels report that New Year’s Eve reservations haven’t suffered from the poor economy. It seems like most people just want to put 2008 behind them and forget, for one night, all the problems they [...
Robbery in Los Angeles
Posted on December 31, 2008Robbery crimes in California are rampant, in part because of the current economic crisis and in part because of the level of wealth in homes around Los Angeles. Rich neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Malibu are not too far away from lower class neighborhoods...
Be Safe Tonight; Drinking and Driving Don???t Mix
Posted on December 31, 2008New Year’s Eve is a tradition party night. Despite the poor economy, Americans are still planning to party hearty. Restaurants and hotels report that New Year’s Eve reservations haven’t suffered from the poor economy. It seems like most people just want to put 2008 behind them and forget, for one night, all the problems they [...
Teens Can Pay Heavy Price for Pranks Gone Wrong
Posted on December 29, 2008Kids are home from school with time on their hands. They get to joshing around and come up with some crazy idea that they think is hysterical. A prank is born. On the surface these teenage antics seem harmless enough, but every year silly pranks get people killed...
Christmas Eve Tragedy Strikes L.A. Community
Posted on December 26, 2008It’s a horrific tragedy. That it occurred on Christmas Eve in the midst of a joyous family celebration makes it even more tragic. Stung by a bitter divorce, on Christmas Eve Bruce Pardo dressed in a Santa suit and drove to his former in-laws’ home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Covina, 22 miles east of Los Angeles...
Old Scams Find New Victims
Posted on December 24, 2008During hard economic times cons and scam artists seem to crawl out of the woodwork. Police are warning the public about two old scams that have resurfaced to claim new victims. Both scams have been occurring in public parking lots with con men approaching victims and asking for money...
California Governor Proposes Increasing Alcohol Tax
Posted on December 22, 2008Spiking your holiday eggnog could be getting a little pricier. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proposed raising California’s alcohol tax by a nickel a drink. Cash-strapped states are scrambling to find ways to raise funds to avoid cutting critical services to residents...
California AG Pulls Plug on Alcoholic Energy Drinks
Posted on December 19, 2008Just as thousands of Americans are poised to hit the highways this weekend, California Attorney General Edmund Brown has announced an agreement with MillerCoors to stop “the growing and widespread use” of caffeine-spiked alcoholic beverages...
Inaccuracies Plague Sex Offender Registries
Posted on December 17, 2008Sex offender registries are often inaccurate and incomplete, federal investigators found during a recent audit. Due to incompatibility between some state registries and the FBI’s national registry, 22% of state-identified sex offenders go unreported to the national data base...
Drug Charges and Consequences
Posted on December 17, 2008California has some of the harshest sentencing guidelines for drug offenses in the United States. Having illegal drugs on your person or in your house or car is defined as possession and you can go to jail for it. Crimes involving illegal drugs or controlled substances in Los Angeles can be any of the following: ? [...
Child Abuse and Fraud
Posted on December 16, 2008Child abuse as a crime carries serious consequences, and it also serious affects the children involved. The State of California created child welfare programs to try and deal with both the crime and the consequences to the children involved. A recent bunch of arrests have netted people accused of defrauding child welfare services of a [...
New Stats Show Crime Is Down in Los Angeles
Posted on December 15, 2008Amidst the economic doom and gloom, there’s good news for folks who live in the City of Angels. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton announced last week that crime in the city of Los Angeles has declined by 3% with gang-related crime dropping 11% since this time last year...
Vehicular Manslaughter and the Oscars
Posted on December 15, 2008Screenplay writer Roger Avary is charged with gross vehicular manslaughter and two additional felony counts in connection with a fatal crash. The author of the screenplays for “Pulp Fiction” and the recent major release “Beowulf” was driving drunk when he killed a passenger and injured his wife in a rural Ojai car crash...
Actor Macaulay Culkin’s Sister Dies in L.A. Traffic Accident
Posted on December 12, 2008Tragedy has again struck the family of well-known actor Macaulay Culkin, child star of the Home Alone films. His 29-year-old sister Dakota Culkin died tragically yesterday from massive head injuries sustained after she was hit by a car in Los Angeles...
Innocent Convicted By Child Abuse Index
Posted on December 11, 2008The state of California has a Child Abuse Central Index, a database containing 819,000 names from which even a judgment of innocence isn’t enough to secure removal. Unlike the better-known database created by Megan’s Law, which registers and tracks 63,000 named sex offenders, the child abuse index is neither actively managed by the state nor periodically purged of [...
Los Angeles Trades Guns for Food
Posted on December 10, 2008Los Angeles residents have turned in a record number of guns this year in the area’s annual Gifts for Guns exchange. Residents hard hit by the economy and unemployment are pulling firearms out from under their beds and the backs of closets and turning them in for food and other necessary staples...
Don Cornelius and Spousal Abuse
Posted on December 10, 2008Don Cornelius, the 72-year-old creator of the show “Soul Train,” entered a not-guilty plea in a Los Angeles courtroom this past week regarding five misdemeanor counts. The counts included spousal battery, assault with a deadly weapon and dissuading a witness from making a police report...
Drug Related Asset Seizure
Posted on December 09, 2008Federal and state law enforcement officials often utilize asset seizure and forfeiture in drug matters. U.S. Marshals utilize asset seizure and forfeiture to enforce the law, improve law enforcement cooperation and enhance law enforcement through revenue...
Famous Director Fighting Rape Charge
Posted on December 08, 2008Three decades ago, Oscar winning director Roman Polanski was charged with statutory rape, accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. The sex crimes case, one of Hollywood’s most notorious and titillating ever, spawned a generation of tabloid media and accusations of perverse justice...
Protect Your Holiday Purchases: Tips for L.A. Shoppers
Posted on December 08, 2008After a long day spent Christmas shopping, the SUV was filled with holiday goodies: a plasma screen TV for dad, something sparkly for mom, an Xbox for their son, and an iPod for their daughter. The couple parked in front of a nice restaurant, locked up and went inside to celebrate with dinner and a few [...
California Teen Tortured With Baseball Bat
Posted on December 05, 2008In one of the heinous cases of child abuse, a Tracy, California couple has been accused of kidnapping and torturing a teen-aged boy. Frightened, dirty, disoriented and clad only in boxer shorts, the 16-year-old stumbled into a local gym begging for help, the chain used to imprison him still locked to his ankle...
‘Angie’s List’ for Hookers Shut Down in L.A.
Posted on December 03, 2008It was like an ‘Angie’s List’ for hookers. Before legal authorities pulled the plug this week, a Columbus, Ohio man was operating a prostitution site on Craigslist, the popular free Internet classified ads website. On a website created by Christopher Johnson, customers were able to post reviews about hookers they had hired through Craigslist ads...
We Thought You May Want to Check Out These Blogs
Posted on December 03, 2008We’ve set up a blog meme today to share some other great blogs with you that you may find interesting reading. Feel free to click in to check them out or leave your favorite blog for us to review and add in the future by clicking the comment link below this post...
Super Bowl Champ Charged With Weapons Possession
Posted on December 02, 2008One of the stars of New York Giants’ Super Bowl team was arrested and charged with gun possession and released after posting $100,000 bail. He was not required to enter a plea yesterday and is due back in court March 31. Plaxico Burress allegedly carried a gun with him into a night club where he accidentally [...
Do-It-Yourself Law Can Lead to Disaster
Posted on December 01, 2008Our troubled economy has everybody pinching pennies. In an effort to save money, people are cutting corners everywhere they can. They’re either going without or trying to do it themselves. And while you might be able to struggle through a simple plumbing problem with the help of a do-it-yourself book and a few visits to Home [...
Internet Crimes: Even the Defense Department Is At Risk
Posted on December 01, 2008With more houses, apartments and offices getting Internet ready, Internet crimes are on the rise. Not just the number of crimes, but the complexity of them. For example, senior military leaders took the exceptional step of briefing President Bush this week on a severe and widespread Internet attack on Defense Department computers that may have [...
Retailers Are Cracking Down on Shoplifters
Posted on November 28, 2008Today is “Black Friday,” the make or break day for most retailers. Good sales today mean staying “in the black;” that is, on the profit side of the balance sheet. Poor sales mean a ledger full of red ink and possible bankruptcy...
Drug Offenders May Qualify for Alternative Sentencing
Posted on November 26, 2008Most drug crimes in California are aggressively prosecuted as felonies and carry stiff sentences, often including mandated prison time. California’s tough Three Strikes Law can result in even more onerous sentences. As we discussed in our November 24 post, a number of things determine how drug offenses are charged and prosecuted, including the type and [...
How Criminal Defense Attorneys Defend Drug Crimes
Posted on November 24, 2008In California, most drug crimes are charged and prosecuted as felonies (see our Nov. 21 post). Conviction carries stiff legal penalties, often including prison time, high fines, confiscation of assets, loss of driver’s license and registration as a narcotics offender...
Supreme Court to Rule on Using Cell Phones to Buy Drugs
Posted on November 21, 2008In what could become a new legal hurdle for those accused of drug crimes, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving the use of a cell phone to purchase drugs. The ultimate court of appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether someone who uses his own cell phone to buy [...
L.A. councilman seeks to protect celebrities from paparazzi
Posted on November 20, 2008Paparazzi and celebrities go together like the beach and seagulls, lots of people like the beach, but seagulls aren’t so great.?? A city councilman in Los Angeles is trying to pass new laws to both protect celebrities from having their rights violated, and make places like school zones safer for the general public...
Appeals Court Overturns Rape Verdict, Frees Man After 12 Years in Prison
Posted on November 19, 2008As we have previously discussed (see our Nov. 3 and Nov. 5 posts), the appellate process exists to correct judicial errors and ensure that criminal defendants receive justice. An excellent example of how an appeal can right a wrong is the recent case reported in the Dallas Morning News...
Suge Knight Faces Serious Charges
Posted on November 19, 2008The Clark County Nevada district attorney’s office is seeking charges against Marion “Suge” Knight in the alleged beating of his girlfriend in August. A criminal complaint being processed Tuesday in Las Vegas Justice Court charges Knight with two counts of felony drug possession and one count of misdemeanor battery...
Famous Fashion Designer Found Guilty of Rape
Posted on November 18, 2008A Beverly Hills fashion designer, once touted as a future star of the catwalks, was found guilty of sexually assaulting seven girls and young women, capping a two-month trial that offered a sordid portrait of the fashion world. During this jury trial, the jury was made up of six men and six women, the deliberation lasted for seven days [...
In Appeals, You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
Posted on November 17, 2008Once again, the appellate court has ruled, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” In Satchmed Plaza Owners v. UWMC Hospital Corp. (2008 DJDAR 16123), the 4th District, Division 3 Court of Appeal reaffirmed that accepting the benefits of a judgment invalidates your right to appeal that judgment...
Tragic End of Paula Abdul Stalker
Posted on November 17, 2008Paula Abdul, former pop music queen and current American Idol judge, was the focus of an obsessed stalker who was found dead outside of her home. The stalker had been a contestant on American Idol and was judged harshly by the panel, including Abdul...
Obama Win Shoots Up Gun Sales
Posted on November 14, 2008Fears that President-elect Obama will push for more restrictive gun laws after his inauguration in January have sent gun sales shooting through the roof. Recently released FBI statistics show a significant increase in gun purchases since the election earlier this month...
Watts Police Shooting Leads to Arrest
Posted on November 13, 2008A Watts man was arrested for attempted murder, charged with shooting a police officer. The man barricaded himself in a home in Watts for several hours after allegedly shooting an officer who survived because he was wearing a bullet-resistant vest. The accused was booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer, authorities said...
Britney Spears’ ‘Paparazzies’ Target Paparazzi Excess
Posted on November 12, 2008Britney Spears is turning the tables on the league of paparazzi that haunt celebrities. Fed up with the increasingly aggressive tactics of the paparazzi who seem to dog her every step, the pop diva has started handing out weekly awards dubbed “Paparazzies” on her website Britneyspears...
Gang Related Shooting in Van Nuys
Posted on November 12, 2008In Los Angeles, gang activity is on the rise. For example, in Van Nuys a man was wounded in a shooting in an apparent gang-related hit. Allegedly, a car pulled up in front of the wounded man and someone inside yelled a gang slur and then shot him. In such a situation as this, various charges [...
Iraq War Bleeds Into Civilian Life
Posted on November 11, 2008Within the last few years, veterans of the War in Iraq have returned, and criminal defense attorneys in Los Angeles and Southern California have begun to handle matters involving those veterans. In one such tragic case, the father of an Iraq war veteran accused of beating his girlfriend to death has been charged with threatening [...
Assault on a High School Football Coach
Posted on November 10, 2008An Eagle Rock High School football coach allegedly was assaulted by a disgruntled former player who graduated last year, officials said Friday. It was the latest episode in a series of conflicts related to the firing of the previous head coach.The coach was bending down to pick up a ball when a young man struck him from [...
Craigslist Cracks Down on Prostitution Ads
Posted on November 10, 2008Under fire from law enforcement officials in 40 states, Craigslist agreed to crack down on prostitution ads on its community websites. Advertisers of “erotic services” will now be required to provide a working telephone number and pay a fee using a valid credit card in order to post an ad on the popular internet classified [...
LAPD Officer Indicted for Trading Sex for Arrest
Posted on November 07, 2008It’s appalling when the very people charged with protecting society abuse their powers and cause harm to the people they are assigned to protect. Some would argue that it happens every day in Washington, but it’s an unusual occurrence when the perpetrator is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department...
Weapons Charges for Popular Comedian
Posted on November 07, 2008Comedian Katt Williams has been arrested on weapons charges in midtown Manhattan after police say they pulled him over for driving a car without license plates. The 35-year-old performer was released on bail Thursday in time to make it for his show at Carnegie Hall...
California Propositions and the Law
Posted on November 05, 2008After going to the polls to make major decisions about California’s laws, here is an update of how this election will affect the legal world of the state. Proposition 5, which would have allocated $460 million a year to treat perpetrators of nonviolent drug-related crimes, was defeated...
What Kinds of Court Mistakes Can Be Appealed?
Posted on November 05, 2008As we noted in our November 3 post, courts do sometimes make mistakes. Criminal defendants have a constitutional right to appeal their conviction. Through the appellate process, a higher court — the Court of Appeals — reviews court proceedings and sentences...
Keanu Reeves and the Paparazzi
Posted on November 04, 2008A member of the paparazzi claimed that Keanu Reeves, the star of “The Matrix,” “Speed” and “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, struck him with his Porsche in March 2007, causing him to fall and injure his left wrist...
Appeals Can Overturn Criminal Convictions
Posted on November 03, 2008The American justice system isn’t perfect. Sometimes errors are made during the court process that can result in unfair criminal convictions. The California criminal appeals process can correct court errors and overturn wrongful criminal convictions...
Can Gaming Lead to Crime?
Posted on October 31, 2008Rockstar Games’ release of the popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV set sales records earlier this year, easily topping first week sales of Halo 3, which had pulled in $300 million during the first seven days of its release. Variety called the international launch of Grand Theft Auto IV last April the most lucrative game [...
FBI Breaks Up Nationwide Child Prostitution Rings
Posted on October 29, 2008In the dramatic break-up of a major national sex trafficking ring this week, 47 children aged 13 to 17 were rescued. All but one were female. The FBI coordinated the arrests of more than 600 adults in 29 U.S. cities to break up 12 major prostitution rings that forced children into prostitution...
California Cracks Down on Gangs
Posted on October 28, 2008Throughout California, federal and state authorities have been attempting for years to combat gang activity and membership. Gang activity can be quite varied, involving everything from tagging (graffiti) to murder and drug trafficking. Combating gangs is difficult in part because communities often live in fear of being targeted by gangs if they interfere...
Voter Fraud Mars Presidential Election
Posted on October 27, 2008With the election countdown in its final days, charges of voter fraud are heating up, particularly in key swing-vote states in America’s heartland. Fictitious voter registrations in Ohio, an absentee ballot mailed to a goldfish in Illinois and campaign workers voting illegally in Indiana have topped Midwestern headlines in the final weeks of what has become an increasingly contentious [...
Lynyrd Skynyrd Member Charged With DUI
Posted on October 27, 2008Lynyard Skynyrd is one of the quintessential bands from the 1970’s, made legendary when members of their original band died in a terrible plane crash. Gary Rossington, one of the founding members of the band was arrested on DUI charges last month in Milton, Ga...
Update on Proposition 9
Posted on October 24, 2008Many Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys are up in arms over the chaos that an upcoming state proposition could cause if voters choose to pass it. Proposition 9 would alter the state Constitution to require that crime victims be notified and consulted on developments in their cases...
Former LA Rams Tony Zendejas to Stand Trial for Rape
Posted on October 24, 2008In an emotionally charged courtroom filled with his family and friends, former Los Angeles Rams kicker Tony Zendejas was recently ordered to stand trail on four counts of felony rape and sodomy at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing. The unnamed victim testified that Zendejas gave her two drugged drinks when she and friends visited his [...
The LAPD and Solicitation
Posted on October 22, 2008Solicitation, also known as Solicitation for Prostitution, is the act of directing or asking someone to exchange money for sexual activity, as defined under Section 647(b) of the California Penal Code. A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly trying to force women he met while on duty to have sex with him, law [...
Craigslist Ad Lures Decoys to Robbery Site
Posted on October 22, 2008It was like that scene in the 1999 movie The Thomas Crown Affair where dozens of identical bowler-topped, trenchcoat-wearing, briefcase-carrying decoys confuse art museum security guards while the master crook walks out with a priceless painting. Only this time the setting was the small-town streets of Monroe, Washington, just northeast of Seattle...
Will Economic Troubles Increase Crime Rate?
Posted on October 20, 2008Financial desperation often leads to desperate acts. In California, an unemployed money manager lost a fortune and killed his family in a tragic murder-suicide. In Ohio, a 90-year-old widow shot herself as deputies arrived to evict her from her home of 38 years...
Disturbing Crime at UCLA
Posted on October 20, 2008A former member of UCLA’s staff pleaded guilty last week to a disturbing theft crime involving donated body parts. The former chief of UCLA’s cadaver program pleaded guilty Friday for his role in selling donated body parts to medical, drug and research companies in a scheme that netted up to $1 million...
Which Prevents More Drug Crimes, Treatment or Jail?
Posted on October 17, 2008Incarceration appears to be a more effective deterrent to drug crime than treatment, according to a study of Proposition 36 recently released by UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior...
Dealing With Police Errors
Posted on October 17, 2008Every Los Angeles criminal defense attorney has faced police errors, either in the not following proper procedure, fudging paper work or some other mistake that enables the attorney to help his/her client beat the charges. Not every error is done with malice, but Los Angeles criminal attorneys with a keen eye for detail can be [...
Expungement and Record Sealing: The Importance of Criminal Defense Attorneys
Posted on October 15, 2008Criminal charges usually carry more than just jail time; they carry consequences that far outlive jail time. This makes the possibility of the expungement of past offenses an important step for many people. For example, California regulators have announced emergency measures to investigate the criminal backgrounds of all registered nurses in the state, days after [...
A Tale of Two Lawyers
Posted on October 15, 2008Recently I blogged about my nephew’s frightening experience with the court system. A couple of beers with his high school friends before going off to college turned into a nightmare when he was stopped for DUI by a no-nonsense Virginia cop. (See our Oct...
Sex Crimes in Los Angeles
Posted on October 13, 2008One of the most serious crimes on the books is a sexual offense, because of the impact to the victim and the convicted. Sexual crimes and child sexual abuse are among the most devastating of crimes. Through their criminal acts, sex crime and child sexual abuse offenders can inflict severe physical, emotional, and psychological trauma on [...
What Is a Criminal Appeal?
Posted on October 13, 2008After Alan Shore makes his weekly impassioned speech to the jury on Boston Legal, somewhere between the foreman’s reading of the always favorable verdict and the tears and hugs of the newly freed defendant, the plaintiff’s angry lawyer usually shouts, “Your Honor, We will appeal!” So what is an appeal and how does it work? Essentially, [...
Jail or College? A Skilled Attorney Made All the Difference
Posted on October 10, 2008If it weren’t for the experience and skill of his attorney, my 18-year-old nephew could be sitting behind bars instead of in a college classroom today. My nephew’s not a bad kid; in fact, he’s a great kid. But like most barely 18-year-olds he doesn’t always make great choices...
Fatal DUI in California
Posted on October 09, 2008A tour bus carrying people to a Casino in Northern California crashed, killing eight people and sending dozens to area hospitals. Patrol officers believe the bus owner was Daniel Cobb, 68, who died in the crash. The accident happened in early October...
Stalking a Los Angeles Laker
Posted on October 08, 2008An El Segundo woman has been charged with stalking Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton. The woman was arrested after she pulled up to his car and pretended to fire gunshots at him with her hand. She pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of stalking...
Drug Abuse May Have Contributed to Fatal Bus Crash
Posted on October 08, 2008Drugs may have contributed to Sunday’s tragic bus crash that killed 8 people and injured 30 en route to a Sacramento gambling casino. The 52-year-old driver of the charter bus, Quintin Watts, was arrested in his hospital bed earlier this week on the suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs...
Murder and Marijuana
Posted on October 06, 2008Marijuana clinics in California are controversial, as the State of California has legalized medical marijuana and the federal government has not. There are multiple cases of federal law enforcement authorities arresting employees at marijuana clinics which the state of California recognizes as legal...
AG Brown Goes After Prescription Drug Addicts
Posted on October 06, 2008Prescription drug abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that 20% to 30% of California’s drug abusers are addicted to prescription drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 48 million Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons...
Hit and Run Can Lead to Loss of License
Posted on October 03, 2008Hit and run (see yesterday’s post) is a good way to get tagged as a “negligent operator” by the California DMV. Traffic convictions can cause violation points to be counted against your driver’s license. Every time you accumulate a violation point on your driving record, you get one step closer to having your driving privileges [...
NY Mets Pitcher Caught in Fatal Hit and Run
Posted on October 02, 2008Troubled Mets relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos struck and killed two women in a hit-and-run accident in the Dominican Republic, cops told a local paper. Burgos, 24, who missed the entire season with an elbow injury, was driving a 2009 Hummer that hit the two women near his north coast hometown of Nagua...
Internet Sites May Be Pedaling Prostitution, Not Companionship
Posted on October 01, 2008Many people don’t think much about flirting in internet chat rooms on companionship sites, but take it to the next level and you could wind up charged with prostitution, solicitation or pandering (pimping). The lack of actual face time typical of internet liaisons seems to be an invitation to lie — about height, weight, interests, marital [...
Identity Thieves Targeting Children
Posted on September 29, 2008With the prevalence of identity theft, adults have become wary about providing personal information over the phone, on the internet and at stores. But few worry about someone stealing their children’s identity. Children don’t carry ID or have bank accounts or credit cards or jobs...
Will Criminals Receive Due Process If Marsy’s Law Passes?
Posted on September 26, 2008Victims’ rights are a hot political issue in California this election. Proponents of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law and the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, say it will give crime victims the same rights as accused and convicted criminals (see our Sept...
Fire Arm Laws
Posted on September 25, 2008There are a variety of weapons charges, some seem strange, but law enforcement take those charges very seriously. One such weapon charge is being arrested for using an imitation fire arm. California Penal Code 417.2 covers imitation fire arms, and these charges come with serious consequences...
Embezzlement, A Growing Crime
Posted on September 24, 2008America’s economy is in a state of flux, and many investigations have begun into the seemingly underhanded financial deals that have gone on, particularly in the mortgage industry. While the media has been paying attention to Wall Street, Los Angeles criminal attorneys know that smaller embezzlement infractions have happened in smaller towns as well...
Marsy’s Law Would Give Crime Victims Equal Rights
Posted on September 24, 2008Crime victims advocates, law enforcement leaders and numerous politicians have united in support of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law. If approved by voters on the November ballot, the ”Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008″ will provide crime victims with the same constitutional rights as accused and convicted criminals...
California Leads National Decrease in Drunk Driving Stats
Posted on September 22, 2008California posted the greatest decrease in drunken driving deaths last year according to data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationwide alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased by 4% from 2006 with fatality rates falling in 32 states...
Los Angeles Shootings Raise Concerns
Posted on September 20, 2008Recent events in Los Angeles have raised concerns both in regard to the safety of certain areas of Los Angeles and the ease with which people are able to get weapons and use them for assault. On September 19th, a 12-year-old girl and a 19-year-old former student were shot and wounded at a high school in an [...
Does Incarceration in Coalinga Violate Inmates Rights?
Posted on September 19, 2008It looks like hundreds of shopping malls scattered across California. There’s a barbershop, post office, library, dentist’s office and cafe. If it weren’t for the Orwellian khaki uniforms and armed guards, it could be a mall in any town in California...
Texting May Have Caused L.A. Train Wreck that Killed 25
Posted on September 17, 2008Authorities now suspect that the train collision that killed 25 Los Angeles commuters last week was caused by the engineer’s inattention while he was using his cell phone to text message friends. Federal investigators have determined that there were no obstructions on the track and that signals were working properly...
Legalized Prostitution in California?
Posted on September 15, 2008San Francisco, one of America’s leading cities in terms of pushing the legal envelope, has a proposition on its most recent ballot that would decriminalize prostitution - by prohibiting the city from arresting prostitutes ? which will allegedly make it easier for sex workers to report violence to the police and improve public health...
Kayne West Arrested in Wrestling Match with Paparazzi
Posted on September 15, 2008In an altercation with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport, Kayne West was arrested on a charge of vandalism late last week. According to news reports, West and his manager, Don Crowley, smashed a paparazzo’s camera into the airport floor...
Red Light Districts Could Go Legit Under San Fran’s Prop K
Posted on September 12, 2008In November, San Francisco residents could give Red Light districts the green light if they approve Proposition K. Being heralded as the legalization of prostitution, Prop K would decriminalize prostitution and change the way the city enforces prostitution laws...
OJ Simpson, Robbery and You
Posted on September 10, 2008O.J. Simpson, who is famous as an athlete, commentator, actor and criminal defendant found himself in court again recently as a defendant in a robbery case. The judge in O.J. Simpson’s armed robbery trial rejected a request from his attorneys to ask potential jurors if they consider the football great a murderer and asked potential [...
Los Angeles Considers Anti-Graffiti Law
Posted on September 10, 2008Some youths consider graffiti a rite of passage. They’re enticed by the thrill of sneaking around in the middle of the night to leave their mark where all can see. Victims of their vandalism, however, are more than annoyed by the time and expense required to remove these questionable “works of art” which often convey [...
Asset Forfeiture and Seizure, How It Works
Posted on September 08, 2008Asset forfeiture is a term used to describe the confiscation of assets, by the State, which are either (a) the proceeds of crime or (b) the instrumentalities of crime. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was used to facilitate crime, for example cars used to transport illegal narcotics...
Singer R. Kelly Acquitted of Sex Crimes
Posted on June 13, 2008Jurors weren’t 100% sure that the man in the child pornography video was R&B superstar R. Kelly. Kelly was acquitted of child pornography charges today in a case that dragged slowly through the court system, repeatedly snaring headlines. Kelly and his alleged under-aged partner both steadfastly denied that they were the people depicted in the explicit pornographic [...
Hon. Alex Kozinski and the Challenge for Judges
Posted on June 12, 2008Hon. Alex Kozinski, the 9th Circuit Court Chief Judge, has recently found himself in some serious trouble. He posted some sexual content on the Internet, photos and videos, which were discovered by the prosecuting attorney. The case was an obscenity trial in Los Angeles federal court and seeing as how the judge had many images and [...
Child Abuse and California Law
Posted on June 12, 2008In 2006, according to a report by the California Department of Social Services, 140 children died in the state as a result of abuse or neglect. In fact, there were over 450,000 reported cases of abuse in California that year. In 2005, 3.3 million cases of abuse were reported to Child Protective Services throughout the [...
Internet Providers Fight Child Porn
Posted on June 11, 2008The nation’s biggest internet providers have agreed to fight online child pornography by shutting down websites and limiting access to internet bulletin boards. The agreement follows an 8-month investigation of internet pornography by the New York attorney general...
Police Corruption, Muddying the Legal Waters
Posted on June 10, 2008The State of California, as well as the City of Los Angeles, have a number of laws in place governing everything from DUI standards to weapons charges. However, there’s a major problem that arises from time to time that ruins not only the system, but the public’s trust in that system...
Broadcom Founder Indicted on Drug Charge
Posted on June 09, 2008The co-founder of Broadcom, one of Southern California’s largest technology firms, has been indicted for using and distributing illegal drugs in his home. Henry Nicholas and Broadcom’s former CFO William Ruehle were also indicted in an alleged stock option back-dating scheme...
AG’s Plan Aims to Curb Prescription Drug Abuse
Posted on June 06, 2008This week California Attorney General Edmund Brown announced a plan to curb prescription drug abuse. Prescription drugs are the most abused drugs in America, particularly among teens, young adults, women and seniors. Brown’s plan would make patients’ prescription drug histories available to doctors and pharmacies on an internet data base...
Hit and Run: A Crime in LA and the NFL
Posted on June 04, 2008Former UC Berkeley star and current Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was involved in a hit-and-run early Saturday morning, May 31st. A vehicle registered to Lynch struck a woman at 3:30 am in Buffalo, NY, however it is unclear whether or not Lynch was driving the automobile...
Oldest Parental Kidnapping Case Finally Resolved
Posted on June 04, 2008The oldest parental kidnapping case in the country was finally resolved a year ago. In 1993, Mary Jane Byrd fled with her 4-year-old daughter shortly after a Washington D.C. judge ordered that the girl’s father be allowed visitation rights. The father, Charles Dodd, was subsequently awarded full custody of his daughter, but it took U...
Marijuana: A Growing Problem in California
Posted on June 02, 2008California has an odd drug culture, as the state government and the federal government have slightly different attitudes towards drug law and enforcement of the law. One major area of concern for both the state and the federal governments is the growing of Marijuana, since it poses not only a problem in terms of distribution, [...
Domestic Violence Carries Stiff Penalties
Posted on June 02, 2008It wasn’t that long ago that our country looked the other way in matters of spousal abuse and domestic violence. Today, numerous laws have been enacted to protect the rights of wives and husbands from being abused by their spouses. Domestic violence is considered a unique crime in California that carries severe consequences for those [...
Murder Cases: A Difficult Situation
Posted on May 30, 2008Murder is, obviously, a serious issue; and the search for a suspect and/or suspects, is a major issue during a murder investigation. If a crime scene is left for too long, the case becomes increasingly difficult to investigate and it becomes quit difficult to prove guilt of the accused...
What Is the Difference Between Burglary and Robbery?
Posted on May 30, 2008Burglary and robbery are often confused. While both involve theft, under the law they are quite different and carry different penalties. Burglary is the act of entering a building with the intent to steal property or commit another felony. The actual theft or felony does not have to actually be committed; entry with intent to commit a theft or [...
Vehicular Manslaughter: A Serious Crime in Los Angeles
Posted on May 29, 2008Vehicular manslaughter is a difficult case to prove, in Los Angeles and the rest of the country. The major factor in proving such a case, is proving gross misconduct or negligence. For example, there was a terrible tragedy near Beverly Hills where a man was killed during a crash...
New Parking Ticket Law Protects Drivers
Posted on May 28, 2008In the grand scheme of things, parking tickets would seem to be a fairly minor annoyance. But in parking-challenged Los Angeles and other California cities, tickets can mount up and quickly move from the realm of little problem to big trouble. The parking ticket issue has gotten more than a bit murky in California...
Gay Marriage Ruling: How Will It Impact Criminal Law
Posted on May 27, 2008Recently, the California Supreme Court ruled that denying marriage to same-sex couples was against the constitution of the State of California, thus legalizing gay marriage throughout the state (at least for now). While this will have great repercussions on the law in general, especially civil law, there are a great many areas in criminal law [...
Memorial Day Brings Increase in DUI Arrests
Posted on May 27, 2008The police were out in force this Memorial Day watching for drunk drivers. In what has become a modern-day tradition, state police and local law enforcement beef up their forces for the annual Memorial Day onslaught. As millions of Americans hit the highways for the Memorial Day weekend and the traditional beginning of the summer [...
How Prison Overcrowding Could Help You
Posted on May 23, 2008The state of California has a massive prison overcrowding problem, due in part to the nation’s “war on drugs” and the state’s Three Strike laws. Laws and policies such as these can often put non-violent offenders in jail for long periods of time, even as their crimes would barely warrant parole in other states...
Is Paparazzi Case a Fraud?
Posted on May 23, 2008In our May 2 blog post we talked about paparazzi Glen Gurniak who filed a hit and run suit against rocker Benji Madden and passenger Paris Hilton for allegedly driving over his foot before speeding away. The incident was widely reported in national and LA entertainment news and blog sites...
Warrants: What They Are and What They Mean
Posted on May 21, 2008In California, both arrest warrants and bench warrants are orders from a court or judge. Arrest warrants and bench warrants can be Federal or State issued and are executed by a law enforcement officer. A warrant refers to a specific type of authorization...
Timeliness Counts When Filing Legal Appeal
Posted on May 21, 2008Time is definitely not on your side when filing a legal appeal. The filing deadlines for appeals are jurisdictional and set in stone. They cannot be extended by consent of the parties involved, nor can they be extended by the court. In California, if your appeals attorney misses an appeal deadline, you pay the consequences...
California Puts Brakes on Expungement
Posted on May 20, 2008In a law that went into effect on January 1, 2008, California put the brakes on expungement in cases involving hit and run, reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The new law no longer guarantees those convicted of such vehicle violations the right to expungement following successful completion of probation...
Tips on Staying Out of Harm’s Way
Posted on May 19, 2008There have been a number of reports of late detailing how police officers have shot and killed, or otherwise harmed people who were not necessarily intending on harming anyone. In Long Beach, the community is furious at the killing of a man who suffered from schizophrenia, but who neighbors claimed was otherwise harmless...
New Law Will Help Rape Victims
Posted on May 16, 2008Rape victims are finally catching a break. A new federal mandate that goes into effect in 2009 will allow rape victims to undergo a forensic rape exam in a local emergency room without going to the police. The evidence will be sealed and kept on file in case they decide to press charges...
Burglary, How the Global Economy Drives It
Posted on May 16, 2008It’s no secret that America’s economy is in a recession. What is odd is how the global economy is affecting local criminal activity. For example, one American dollar used to be worth two British pounds (UK currency) which meant your dollar was twice as strong as their was; however that has changed and our current [...
Los Angeles, Where Violence is On the Rise
Posted on May 14, 2008West Hollywood, known more for its gay bars and hip night-life than for its crime witnessed a terrible tragedy on March 9. An aging Kazakhstani man was stabbed and lay in the street bleeding for an hour before finally passing away. Weapons crimes, murder and attempted murder are on the rise in Los Angeles, and [...
New Cell Phone Law May Catch Drivers By Surprise
Posted on May 14, 2008You don’t have to be a criminal to need a lawyer. As our society becomes increasingly complex, more aspects of our lives are being regulated. The chance that you’ll run afoul of the law at some point in your life is rising. New laws are created every day, and many of them regulate everyday activities...
California Mom to Be Extradited to Michigan
Posted on May 13, 2008A respected Carmel Valley mother sits in prison awaiting extradition to Michigan. In what must seem like another lifetime, she was sentenced to serve 10 to 20 years in prison for selling heroin in Saginaw, Michigan. Eight months into her sentence, she escaped over a barbed wire fence...
Sex Offenders as Teachers: Educators Betraying Trust
Posted on May 12, 2008There is an unfortunately long history of teachers who take advantage of their male or female students, and commit either rape, statutory rape or some other sexual offense. There is also an unfortunate history of students making bogus claims against teachers because they have a grudge over a grade or some other lame excuse...
Three Strikes and You’re Out!
Posted on May 09, 2008In California, it’s three strikes and you’re out! The California Three Strikes Law gives you three chances to shape up. Slip up three times and you could spend your life in jail, even if that third offense is relatively minor. Determined to get tough on crime, California passed the harsh Three Strikes Law to keep violent [...
Burglary On the Rise: How to Cope
Posted on May 08, 2008In the last year, burglary rates have jumped as much as 20% in some parts of the San Fernando Valley, and 6% overall in the Valley. Due in part to the crumbling economy, everything from air conditioners to plasma televisions have been reported stolen throughout the Valley...
More Drug Arrests at San Diego State
Posted on May 07, 2008Fallout from the undercover drug sting at San Diego State University continues. More than 128 people have now been arrested for suspected drug crimes, most of them students. Six fraternities have been suspended and are under investigation. “Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling [...
Drug Sting Nets Students at San Diego State University
Posted on May 06, 200896 people were arrested, including 75 students, during a drug ring investigation at San Diego State University. The drug investigation began over a year ago after the death of a girl from cocaine overdose, and during the investigation 130 drug buys were made...
Woman Steals Thousands in Identity Theft Fraud
Posted on May 05, 2008A 27-year-old Utah woman has been charged with defrauding people of thousands of dollars in California, Utah and Oregon. She bilked her own mother-in-law out of thousands of dollars in unauthorized credit card charges and illegally obtained loans. She swindled a California man out of $14,343 through fraudulent wire transfers to a bank account...
Gang Violence: A Target for Law Enforcement
Posted on May 05, 2008The last few months have seen a huge rise in the attention put on gang violence in Los Angeles. Racial issues, weapons, drug offenses and more are all a part of what law enforcement faces when it comes to gangs. Police have begun focusing on how to deal with gang violence, and are cracking down [...
Paparazzi Files Hit and Run Suit
Posted on May 02, 2008Generally it’s the celebrities who are filing suit against the paparazzi. Last week paparazzi Glen Gurniak turned the tables when he filed a hit and run suit against rocker Benji Madden and passenger Paris Hilton for allegedly driving over his foot before speeding away...
OnStar Helps Prevent Auto Theft
Posted on April 30, 2008New technology is expected to help California police put the brakes on auto theft. Beginning with 2009 models, GM cars and trucks equipped with OnStar technology will have a new feature called Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. When an owner reports their vehicle as stolen, OnStar will send a signal to the vehicle that will alert police [...
Tips on On How to Avoid Being Another CSI Drug Arrest
Posted on April 30, 2008CSI star Gary Dourdan was busted by police for possession of a variety of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. Drug charges can be serious, and can lead to fines, license suspensions, jail time and even count as a strike under California’s three strike rules...
Teachers Face License Suspension for Sex Crimes
Posted on April 29, 2008Closing what Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena) called a loophole, the California Senate last week voted unanimously to automatically suspend a teacher’s license if their license had been revoked in another state for sexual misconduct. Previously teachers were allowed to remain in the classroom while the California Teacher Credentialing Commission investigated, a process that can take [...
Hall of Famer Guilty of Statutory Rape?
Posted on April 28, 2008Roger Clemens, potential Hall of Fame pitcher (even with steroid allegations) was accused of having an affair with country music singer Mindy McReady.?? Besides the fact that Clemens is married and a father, there is nothing illegal about that, except for the fact that McReady was allegedly 15-years-old when the relationship began...
Expungement Can Clear Your Public Record
Posted on April 26, 2008If you are falsely convicted of a crime and later exonerated, as in the case of James Ochoa who was chronicled in yesterday’s post, you will want to make sure your criminal record is expunged. Expungement is the legal process of erasing all eligible felony and misdemeanor charges from the public record...
Child + Cigarette + Car = Crime
Posted on April 24, 2008California is the third state to make it a crime to smoke in your car when a minor is a passenger. Championed by Senator Jenny Oropeza, a cancer survivor, the law was passed as a cancer-prevention measure to protect children from second-hand smoke. It went into effect on January 1, 2008...
The Stress of Convictions Can Lead to Mistakes
Posted on April 24, 2008A Buena Park man was recently awarded over $30,000 for being convicted of a serious crime he didn’t commit. James Ochoa was convicted of a felony, car-jacking, by very controversial methods, and spent 10-months in jail. It was only on appeal that he was able to deal with the false conviction and become reunited with his wife and [...
Sex Offenders Living at Day Care Homes
Posted on April 22, 2008It’s every working parent’s worst nightmare. You leave your child with a person you trust to cherish and care for them as you would only to find they may have sexually abused your child. That’s the horror some California parents faced who sent their children to several different Los Angeles area day care homes...
“Black Widows” Found Guilty
Posted on April 21, 2008Los Angeles has recently seen one of the most remarkable and horrendous murder cases ever. Dubbed the “Black Widow” case, two women, one 75-years-old (Olga Rutterschmidt) and one 77-years-old (Helen Golay), were charged with killing homeless people and collecting insurance policies they took out on these people...
Celebrities and Shoplifing: What Models, Actresses and Petty Thieves Have in Common
Posted on April 21, 2008Theft and petty crime are a major issue in America. Over the last decade, NASA by itself has lost $94 million in office items that disappeared! Even celebrities have been caught in petty theft, with both Winona Ryder and Bai Ling getting arrested for taking things which were not necessarily theirs...
Weapons Laws Subject to Judicial Interpretation
Posted on April 19, 2008Your home may be your castle, but in California that doesn’t necessarily give you the right to shoot at an intruder. Weapons laws are complex and place significant emphasis on certain judgmental issues, including the perceived seriousness of the threat, the degree of force necessary to meet the threat, and the assumed actions of a [...
The Filth and the Fury: Sex Offenders From Both Perspectives
Posted on April 17, 2008Sex Offender laws are serious in California. A law on the books known as Megan’s Law states that sex offenders, on top of jail time, fines and probation, have to register with the state and their local communities as sex offenders. There has been a great deal of news lately over the Pope’s recent comments [...
Nanny’s Sexual Harassment Suit Badgers Rob Lowe
Posted on April 16, 2008In a “he said, she said” nightmare, Rob Lowe’s nanny Jessica Gibson has filed a sexual harassment suit alleging that the actor repeatedly exposed himself and inappropriately touched both himself and her during the seven years she sporadically worked for the actor and his wife...
Tax Evasion Gone Wild
Posted on April 15, 2008First Wesley Snipes, now this! Joe Francis, creator of the Girls Gone Wild Videos and DVD’s was brought up on tax evasion charges a while back and now they have moved his hearing to Los Angeles. Francis is being charged with not reporting his income properly, which allowed him to pay less taxes...
Assembly Considers Tougher Penalties for Child Abuse
Posted on April 14, 2008A 16-year-old Fresno County girl was arrested today for child abuse. Her severely injured 4-month-old step-sister was rushed to Children’s Hospital of Central California with multiple broken bones and head injuries. A 22-year-old Redding father was charged with cruelty to a child likely to cause great bodily injury...
Identity Theft: Tips to Protect Yourself
Posted on April 14, 2008Identity theft is a scary reality that the entire country faces, and places like Los Angeles where people use credit and debit cards, the Internet and other electronic modes of communication quite often, it’s a serious issue. This isn’t a crime that wealth can protect you from, as the wealthy and those with good credit [...
Priest Guilty of Stalking Conan O’Brien
Posted on April 11, 2008A Roman Catholic priest accused of stalking Conan O’Brien apologized during his New York court hearing during which he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The Rev. David Ajemian of the Archdiocese of Boston was arrested last November at NBC’s New York City studios during a taping of O’Brien’s late night television show...
How Drinking Grounded this (Anaheim) Angel
Posted on April 11, 2008Major League Baseball player, and former member of the Anaheim Angels’ 2002 World Series championship team, Scott Spiezio pleaded guilty to hit and run and DUI charges stemming from an incident that took place on December 30 when he drove through a fence...
Battle for Los Angeles: How to Deal with Weapons Charges
Posted on April 10, 2008Weapons are a serious issue in and around Los Angeles, with everything from guns, knives and even brass knuckles playing a part in a variety of crimes. Not only does this up jail time for other felonies, but possession of a weapon can bring with it criminal charges in and of itself...
Mischa Barton Avoids Jail in Drunk Driving Plea Deal
Posted on April 10, 2008Actress Mischa Barton has decided to accept a plea deal in her drunk driving case that will keep her out of jail, according to People magazine. The former OC star will plead no contest at her Thursday arraignment and agree to serve a 3-year unsupervised probation term...
Ignition Lock May Be Forced on First-Time Drunk Drivers
Posted on April 08, 2008If Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-LA) have their way, anyone convicted of driving drunk in California — including first-time offenders — will have to install an alcohol ignition interlock on their vehicle...
Paparazzi Ditch Britney for Miley
Posted on April 01, 2008You can tell who’s hot in Hollywood by the number of paparazzi following in their wake. Apparently Britney is out and Miley is in. Only 6 paparazzi were following popwreck Britney Spears last week, while a hoard of 30 jostled for snaps of Miley Cyrus, star of Disney’s popular TV show Hannah Montana...
Grand Theft Auto: This Ex-Laker was Not Just Playing a Video Game
Posted on April 01, 2008One of the country’s most popular games is Grand Theft Auto, a video game about a guy who steals a car and wreaks havoc on the streets. As entertaining as this might be, the reality is that grand theft auto is a serious crime and extremely dangerous...
False Accusations of Prostitution, Sex Crimes Destroy the Innocent
Posted on March 28, 2008A comment to our March 25 post, NY Prostitution Scandal Reveals Seamy Sex Politics, points out the power that sexual accusation has to destroy careers and personal credibility. Reader Tomas objected to our reference to former U.S. Senator Gary Hart saying, “He was never even accused of a criminal act (if there was a criminal act, [...
Murder: The Scary Truth, and How to Cope With It
Posted on March 28, 2008Murder in Los Angeles is a serious issue. Since, January 2007, there have been almost 400 murders in Los Angeles, centralized in the metro area, but every part of the city and county has suffered. The murder rate in Los Angeles is almost twice that of New York City, a city with twice as many people...
Fraud: A Felony That Comes In Many Forms
Posted on March 26, 2008A recent story in the LA Times claimed Sean “Diddy” Combs was responsible for an attack on Tupac Shakur that took place in 1994, however it was revealed that the source of the story, an individual named James Sabatino, was lying to them and was guilty of fraud...
Prostitution: What Triggers Infidelity?
Posted on March 26, 2008Why do powerful men like recently disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer turn to prostitution for sex? The answer is more complicated than boredom in the marital bed, says best-selling author Dave Zinczenko, editor of upscale magazine Men’s Health...
Rape: Tips to Deal with the Tragedy and Reality
Posted on March 25, 2008Rape is a nightmare, something no woman should have to go through. Rape also has two sides, and there are dangers on both sides. Women have unfortunately lied about rape claims and ruined the lives of some men, and some men have done their best to lie about accusations made as well...
NY Prostitution Scandal Reveals Seamy Sex Politics
Posted on March 24, 2008Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer apparently isn’t the only politician in New York’s capital who believes sex is part of the job benefits package. His political suicide in the recent call-girl prostitution scandal has thrown a spotlight on the seamier side of politics where sex greases palms as often as money...
The Pellicano Case: Privacy Rights On Trial
Posted on March 19, 2008Former “Private Investigator to the Stars” Anthony Pellicano has been on trial or in jail for the last five or six years of his life. He was put in jail originally for possessing weapons (including practice hand grenades and enough explosives to take down a passenger jet) with authorities found while investigating him for a [...
Paparazzi vs. Celebrities: Who Wins, the Camera or Britney?
Posted on March 17, 2008The last five years or so has seen the rise of the 24-hour celebrity. Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and a few others are on our television sets, in our magazines, on our websites producing news almost non-stop. However, celebrities aren’t able to do this on their own, they need not just the news [...
Craigslist: A Haven for Sex Crimes?
Posted on March 13, 2008In 2006, a level 3 sex offender put out a babysitting ad on Craigslist in the state of Washington. Were it not for a neighbor who recognized the ad, this gentleman may have had access to children for long periods of time completely unattended. The anonymity of Craigslist provides major legal challenges for law enforcement, especially [...
Prostitution: The Lustful Fall of Elliot Spitzer (and others)
Posted on March 13, 2008By now, the entire world has heard of New York Governor Elliot Spitzer’s role in a prostitution ring, where he apparently was visiting with call girls whose rates were as high as $5,500 per visit over the course of 6 plus years. Now, no longer the governor of the nation’s third largest state, he awaits possible criminal [...
Tips on Dealing With Kidnapping Issues
Posted on March 11, 2008Kidnapping is a serious matter, carrying with it felony charges. According to California Penal Code Section 277, kidnapping is defined as the unwanted taking, enticing away, concealing or otherwise removing someone against their will, or the will of their parent/guardian, and is punishable by up to one year in a county jail and up to [...
Sexual Battery: A Horror for Women
Posted on March 10, 2008While many crimes affect men and women equally, sexual battery is a criminal activity that mainly affects women in a terribly haunting manner. Sexual battery cases can be extremely difficult to prosecute because many times it comes down to “he said/she said” in a court of law...
The Harm Battery Can Bring
Posted on March 08, 2008Battery: The unlawful and unwanted touching or striking of one person by another, with the intention of bringing about a harmful or offensive contact. Battery happens in all walks of life, in all classes, religions and races, and in all lines of work...
Three Strikes and Your Out (or rather “in” jail)
Posted on March 06, 2008One of California’s most controversial laws over the years is what is known as the “Three Strikes Law” which basically states that if an individual is convicted of multiple felonies (three to be exact) his/her sentence will be quite severe, potentially even leading to a life sentence (potentially up to 50 years in prison)...
Stalking: Dangerous Obsession
Posted on March 05, 2008In films and even songs, stalking can be made light of, or even perceived as a positive or complimentary thing. However, in real life stalking is a danger that could lead to incredible harm and a wide array of crimes. Stalking is defined by California Penal Code Section 646...
Sexual Harassment: An Evolving Creature
Posted on March 02, 2008Over the course of the 20th Century as women’s rights have improved in the United States, the issue of sexual harassment has grown increasingly prominent. Laws have been enacted to protect both men and women from unwanted sexual advances as well as any sort of sexual indiscretions...
Marijuana Laws in California: The Truth Behind the Smoke-screen
Posted on March 01, 2008Throughout California, and especially in Los Angeles, Marijuana laws are an ever changing area. Although California’s laws on pot are much more liberal than most other states, the penalties, restrictions and punishments can shift yearly, and sometimes even differ from city to city...
Assault, The Downside of Anger
Posted on February 29, 2008“Assault is either the threat or attempt to strike another, whether successful or not, where the target is aware of the danger.” Violence is an increasing issue throughout Los Angeles, and assault is one of the major areas where the law is constantly challenged...
Statutory Rape: A Minefield for Everyone
Posted on February 28, 2008Statutory rape is illegal sexual activity between two people when it would otherwise be legal if not for their age. Meaning, there’s a relation between two individuals, one of whom is under-age, and the relationship involves consensual sexual activity...
Freedom of the Press and Britney’s Latte: Will the First Amendment Let Her Drink Coffee in Peace?
Posted on February 25, 2008Britney Spears, the one whom no paparazzi can ignore, has a unique place in our culture. Due to her rather unbalanced life, her every move draws dozens of paparazzi photographers. And who can blame them? They can potentially get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for photographs of her doing something news worthy...
Domestic Violence: What Happens When Tempers Flair
Posted on February 20, 2008According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a woman is beaten every 15 seconds and domestic violence is the leading cause of injury for women between the ages of 15 and 44. However, it isn’t just women who are affected by this travesty, sixty-three percent of the young men between the ages of 11 and 20 who are serving time for homicide have killed their mother’s abuser...
Embezzlement: Destroying Corporations, Individuals, Governments and Churches
Posted on February 19, 2008Embezzlement is defined as “the fraudulent conversion of property of another by a person in lawful possession of that property”. America has had its share of famous embezzlers, including Robert Vesco, who in the 1970’s stole tens of millions after he took over Investors Overseas Services, a struggling mutual fund company...
Don’t Let an Accident Ruin Your Record
Posted on February 11, 2008Drivers experience bad luck from time to time, either allowing momentary distraction to cause an accident or finding an overanxious jogger late at night. However, hit and run accidents can cause major damage to ones driving record. They can be deadly, and lead to intense penalties...
Government Falters in Conviction of Snipes
Posted on February 05, 2008Wesley Snipes, star of the Blade trilogy and many other popular films, was the defendant in one of the most intriguing and provocative cases in history. Mr. Snipes reportedly made in the neighborhood of $38 million between 1998 and 2004, starring in a half dozen or so films...
California DUI Punishments
Posted on February 04, 2008What do jockey Patrick Valenzuela, actress Lindsey Lohan and Vice President Dick Cheney have in common? They all currently, or in the past, have DUI issues. The last few years have been riddled with DUI arrests and violations, and this year started off with a bang as well...
Fraud, A Blemmish on the White Collar of America
Posted on January 31, 2008Edwin H. Sutherland, who is one of the most influential criminologists of the first half of the twentieth century defined white collar crime as “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation...
The City of Lights and the Darkness of Domestic Violence
Posted on January 28, 2008LA just witnessed one of the worst instances of domestic violence and an abuse of the rules set in place to protect victims. Domestic violence is a very real situation, and at times the law is powerless to assist the victims. Restraining orders can be given by the courts, but as one victim claimed in the LA Times “paper can’t stop bullets...
Los Angeles Hate Crime Laws
Posted on January 27, 2008Hate Crimes: A Maze, A Web, A Quandary Hate crime statutes in California can be complicated. Wait, let’s rephrase that, hate crime statutes in California are a maze of tangled loopholes and agendas spread throughout the law. The laws, for the most part, are well intentioned and are designed to protect anyone from being discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or other factors...
Obscenity Laws and the Adult Industry
Posted on January 24, 2008Los Angeles has one of the strangest legalized industries in the nation; namely, the adult industry, which employs actors, directors, producers, editing people, administrative folks, talent scouts and much more. What is most strange about this industry is that a variety of obscenity laws, passed by both state and federal governments, Republican and Democrats as well, directly target this industry...
What does it mean for a witness to get immunity?
Posted on January 19, 2008The best witness for a prosecutor is an unbiased eye witness. For certain types of crime this is rare. A witness of value may be involved in the commission of the very crime a prosecutor wants to convict someone of. How can a prosecutor make a case with this type of witness when the witness may have to incriminate himself in order to be of any value? The right to not incriminate one?s self is enshrined in our constitution, so the prosecutor must offer incentive to get witnesses to testify...
Gangs In California
Posted on January 17, 2008California has long sought solutions to its gang problems, and has tried a number of different strategies. The most infamous of these is to serve injunctions against specific gangs, as Sacramento did against the ?Broderick Boys?, making it illegal for gang members to gather...
Conviction on Confession
Posted on January 14, 2008Martin Tankleff was just seventeen years old when he was convicted of the brutal murder of his parents in their Long Island, New York home. While no motive beyond adolescent angst was ever given, Marty was convicted based on a confession made to Long Island police after hours of interrogation and a malicious ruse where police told him that his father had awoken from a coma and named him as the attacker...
California DUI and Drug-related Traffic Offenses
Posted on January 11, 2008In California, there are fifty percent traffic accidents that result in fatality for individuals who drive drunk. These staggering numbers indicate the reason for so many frequent prosecuted offenses. California has increased its enforcement of Drug-related and DUI traffic violations...
Violent Crime Decrease and TV
Posted on January 08, 2008An editorial from one of our guest writers… Great news! Violent crime in the U.S. has decreased by almost 60% since 1993. As a former law student, I’m wondering why. First, I must say I’m a bit surprised that the decrease is so significant...
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Will my Criminal Record prevent me from naturalizing or getting a Green Card?
A Lawful Permanent Resident can apply for United States citizenship after 5 year...
My fiance's check is DD into a local credit union. Bank seems to have a pattern of "invisibly holding" charges from the debit card until just HOURS before his DD is processed (and this is after hours, of course). Over th
Have your fiance take the information you've collected and go into the bank...
Is it legal for me to tell a guy I am on the Pill so that I can get pregnant and get child support out of him?
Get real - you can't win by lieing. Child support is NOT for you it's ...
Favorite Law & Order spin-off?
I like Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent because they focus more on the p...
In criminal testimonry, what is the difference between transactional immunity and use immunity?
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