Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

The developer of a public housing project is facing fraud charges in Los Angeles after an investigation prompted by the couple's pending divorce allegedly uncovered financial irregularities, the L.A. Times reported.

A federal criminal defense lawyer in Los Angeles must always handle allegations of complex white-collar financial crimes. The government frequently relies upon conspiracy, mail and wire fraud charges in such cases, which are significantly easier to prove than the underling allegations. Defendants must contact experienced legal help as early in the process as possible. Penalties for conviction often involve forfeiture, restitution and prison time.

The couple has since convinced a judge they no longer wish to divorce, which could remove the independent receiver who was appointed to oversee the company -- meanwhile a federal fraud investigation has been initiated. Last year, the receiver had notified the judge that he had discovered possible criminal activity in the low-income housing business. Allegations are that the company fraudulently collected low-income housing funds in excess of $134 million.

In the wake of the allegations, both Los Angeles and Glendale have filed lawsuits alleging that the company fraudulently received tens of millions of dollars in public funds. They also allegedly underreported their income to the IRS by an estimated $80 million.

Continue reading "Federal Fraud Investigation in Los Angeles Targets Low-Income Housing Owners" »

Bookmaking in Los Angeles may have moved to the relative anonymity of the World Wide Web, but the recent federal crackdown on online poker sites is a reminder that the Internet makes it no less illegal.

Whether its horses or dogs, or sports or cards or dice, the last two decades have seen an explosion of legitimate gambling outside Vegas. However, there remain very few places where sports betting or bookmaking is legal outside Sin City. Online companies operate under ambiguous legality -- often setting up offshore in locations where bookmaking is legal.

A Los Angeles bookmaking defense attorney must be familiar with both local and federal law and must have the knowledge and experience to defend a client against bookmaking charges, whether those charges involve old-fashioned pen and paper or a website located offshore.

Whether bookmaking for sports bets or operating an online gambling site of the type recently shut down by the feds, the penalties for arrest and conviction can be quite severe and typically include the seizure of millions in assets.

As the Los Angeles Times reported, U.S. gambling regulations are confusing, hypocritical and costly. April 15th's 52-page indictment of 11 defendants shut down three major online poker sites. The defendants are charged with bank fraud, money laundering and operating illegal gambling businesses.

Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars and Absolute Poker were all based overseas. The Times reports authority for the bust comes from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which was slipped into a must-have terrorism bill and rushed through Congress.

A look this week at Full Tilt Poker's website brings the bust home in a hurry. The site is stamped with the logos of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice. It notifies visitors that "This Domain Name has been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to an Arrest Warrant in Rem issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York."

The feds claim the companies got around banking laws by setting up fake online merchants to handle credit card billing from and to players.

Continue reading "Poker Crackdown Illustrates Risk of Illegal Gambling, Bookmaking Charges in Los Angeles" »

Police are looking for a driver who struck and killed a teen bicyclist in a Los Angeles hit-and-run accident, the L.A. Times reports.

An L.A. hit-and-run defense attorney should be consulted immediately in cases where a motorist fails to stop after being involved in an accident. Traffic cameras, business security cameras and other aspects of modern technology give authorities a good chance of finding you. Additionally, old fashion eyewitness reports, pleas by the police in the media and even body shops --which reports suspicious damage to authorities -- are often enlisted in identifying defendants.

In some cases a client may have just been scared. In other cases, you may not even be immediately aware that you struck a victim. In still other cases, lack of a driver's license or insurance may cause a driver to leave the scene of a crash. And driving under the influence is also sometimes a cause.

Each case is unique. Discussing your options with a defense attorney is the best course of action. Under California law, anyone involved in an accident is required to stop, and to provide their name, license number, vehicle identification number and insurance information. Failure to do so is a crime. And failure to stop for an accident that results in serious or fatal injuries can carry the threat of serious penalties -- including prison time.

In this case, authorities believe a gray Toyota Corolla struck a 16-year-old who was riding his bike on De Soto Avenue near Valerio Street at about 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

A misdemeanor hit-and-run charge typically involves property damage but no serious injury. Such charges can carry a penalty of up to six months in jail.

Felony hit-and-run in California is typically filed when an accident results in serious or fatal injuries, and can result in years behind bars, thousands of dollars in fines and the suspension of your driver's license.

Don't speak to authorities before you speak to your attorney. Consulting an experienced defense lawyer, and following his advice, is the best course of action to protect yourself in the wake of a hit-and-run accident.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Hit-and-Run Accident Kills Teen in Canoga Park" »

Several cases of animal cruelty in Los Angeles are in the news this week.

In many cases, these charges snare a defendant who is not experienced with the justice system. Combine that with the fact that California has some of the most comprehensive animal cruelty laws in the country, and a defendant can quickly find himself in serious trouble. Do not speak to authorities before you have consulted an animal cruelty defense lawyer in Los Angeles. You are not likely to talk yourself out of trouble. But what you do say could conflict with your future defense strategy. Exercise your right to remain silent and talk to a lawyer.

California's animal cruelty law (Penal Code 597) prohibits maliciously or intentionally harming an animal, which can include overwork or deprivation. Cases often prosecuted on the margins include declawing exotic animals, leaving an animal unattended (in the car or otherwise), transporting animals in unsuitable conditions, failure to provide reasonable care, and inadequate confinement. You can even be charged with animal cruelty for selling a dog under 8 weeks old. In some cases, animal cruelty can result in up to 3 years in prison. It can also count as a third strike, which can result in 25 years to life in prison.

-The L.A. Times reports a Santa Ana shop owner was charged with felony cruelty for allegedly tormenting his pit bull with a machete.

-ABC7 reports a 38-year-old Fontana man is charged with animal cruelty for allegedly kicking and killing his pet Yorkie after it urinated on the carpet. He was jailed on $25,000 cash bail.

-The Pasadena Star-News reports police are investigating the death of four cats in El Monte.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Charges require Aggressive and Experienced Defense " »

A 31-year-old mother is facing drug charges and charges of child endangerment in Los Angeles after authorities say they found six bags of heroin in her 14-year-old's pants, according to the L.A. Times.

Child abuse defense lawyers in Los Angeles understand the challenges of representing parents facing drug charges, substance abuse allegations or other issues resulting in a child abuse grievance hearing.

The case here is two-fold. Certainly the charge of heroin possession will need to be aggressively defended against. But as problematic are the allegations of child abuse. Once child welfare authorities are involved in your family's affairs, it can be difficult or impossible to rid yourselves of them. And it can take years. The bureaucracy can be a nightmare and your rights are always best protected by consulting an experienced attorney.

In this case, the drugs were found in the boy's pants during a traffic stop. An experienced defense attorney in Los Angeles will certainly challenge the probable cause for conducting a search of the child. Police contend the mother admitted to hiding the drugs in her son's pants. The boy, and his 11-year-old brother, were released into the custody of child protective services.

Police contend she told them she was transporting the drugs "this one time" to help pay the rent. She was charged with possession of heroin for sale, transporting heroin, child endangerment and inducing a child to transport heroin. Authorities allege there is evidence she had been selling the heroin, which will also be challenged by a defense attorney. Allegations of selling heroin are more serious than possession.

In other news, eight suspects have been arrested in San Bernardino County, after a raid turned up $90,000 in cash and two pounds of drugs, including cocaine and heroin. The group is accused of being gang-affiliated drug dealers connected to narcotic sales in Los Angeles, Victorville, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Indio, according to a report in the Mercury News.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Child Abuse Charges Stem from Heroin Bust " »

A man facing federal fraud charges in Los Angeles has been ordered to live in a shelter after posting $1 million bond, Bloomberg News reported.

Federal defense attorneys in Los Angeles have seen a significant increase in the number of fraud charges being pursued against real estate agents, mortgage brokers, attorneys, investment advisers and other professionals. Federal cases can be particularly serious because of the use of mail fraud and wire fraud charges, which are often easier to prove and carry substantial penalties.

In this case, the 48-year-old defendant, who is accused in a $200 million fraud scheme, was ordered to live in a halfway house after being released from jail by a federal magistrate in Los Angeles. He was place on electronic monitoring and ordered to live at the Volunteers of America shelter.

He is accused, along with two business partners, of 12 felony counts, including securities fraud. They are accused of defrauding about 5,000 investors in Akron-Ohio based Fair Finance Co. out of at least $200 million.

Many of these cases have surfaced since the beginning of the economic downturn. In some instances, the defendants are guilty of nothing more than losing money and/or making bad investments when the real estate or stock market exploded. Neither is a crime.

He had requested permission to leave the halfway house but was returned there after a federal magistrate was dissatisfied with the financial accounting he brought to the court. He was ordered to return to the halfway house for seven days or until he could provide more details.

Continue reading "Man ordered to Stay at Shelter after Facing Federal Fraud Charges in Los Angeles" »

A family of three is facing immigration fraud charges in Los Angeles after authorities say they charged up to $60,000 to arrange fake marriages for illegal immigrants, according to the L.A. Times.

Like charges of credit card fraud and identity theft, these can be complex cases -- prosecutors may also be prone to overcharging defendants based on the number of occurrences. And the allegations, even if true, may not even constitute a crime. Speaking to an experienced fraud defense lawyer in Los Angeles at the earliest stages of such cases is the best bet to protect your rights.

Authorities say the couple, ages 61 and 56, owned an immigration consulting business that worked primarily with Indian nationals who sought marriage certificates and work visas. They, along with their 30-year-old daughter, were arrested on federal criminal charges for suspicion of immigration fraud. They live in Yorba Linda.

Officials launched their investigation in September 2009 after noticing what they claim were suspicious visa applications -- including some that had the same spouses and marriage witnesses.

The Associated Press reports the couple charged up to $60,000 for marriages for foreigners who came to the country on visas, primarily from India. They are accused of recruiting low income U.S. citizens, who were often homeless or drug addicts, to enter into the marriages.

Continue reading "Couple Facing Federal Fraud Charges in Los Angeles -- Allegedly Arranged fake Marriages for Immigrants " »

A 21-year-old Covina man allegedly responsible for a drunk driving accident in Los Angeles is facing criminal charges following the St. Patrick's Day crash, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.

Serious traffic charges require an experienced L.A. Criminal Defense lawyer, including charges of DUI, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges in Los Angeles.

As we reported last month on our Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog, St. Patrick's Day has turned into one of the biggest party days of the year in the United States.

In this case, police say the driver crashed into a tree and a brick wall. His 19-year-old driver died at the scene. He is facing a murder charge, a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license. Officials were not able to administer a field sobriety test but report a blood test showed he was driving over the legal limit.

In a separate case, the Examiner reports a Los Angeles man is facing charges in connection with the hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a San Diego teenager.

He was taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol and accused of driving the vehicle that struck and killed an 18-year-old victim walking on I-805 in the area of North Park.

Continue reading "DUI Charges, Hit-and-Run Charges in Los Angeles require Aggressive Defense" »