Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

A confused burglar was arrested earlier this month when he broke into the wrong house, according to Sugar Scape. The suspicious man tried breaking into the house of Miley Cirus, but was caught in the neighbor's garden, or what he believed to be Miley Cirus' garden.

X17Online reports the confused stalker claimed that "he had a date with Miley." When police weren't convinced; they took him into custody with a $5,000 bail.

Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers know there are many issues in such cases. Proving this man intended to break into Cyrus' house, or that he was stalking her, is a far cry from proving he was standing in a garden on private property somewhere in Southern California.

Yet, as a defendant, you have to take such charges seriously. Our defense lawyers represent clients facing stalking charges in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, including Wildomar and Riverside County. Stalking charges are becoming more and more common, whether involving celebrities or a relationship gone bad. We reported on our Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog earlier this year about a stalker incident involving hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

Ivanka Trump's was also a victim of stalking. After facing stalking charges and a court-order to stay away from Donald Trump and other residents, the 28-year-old continued to contact Mrs. Trump. He is currently held without bail.

"I should stop bothering her, but I like her," said the young stalker to a detective on a plane ride to New York, according to a court document released Tuesday. The 28-year-old recently legally changed his name to Cloud Starchaser and stated his home address as "a volcano in Hawaii," when he was originally arrested last year on previous stalking charges.

In all seriousness, victims are often falsely accused of stalking. It is important to contact an attorney immediately if you find yourself to be a victim of false accusations.

Continue reading "Miley Cyrus 'Stalker' Arrested on Criminal Charges in Los Angeles" »

Detectives say DNA has linked a federal bank fraud defendant in Los Angeles to a violent home invasion inside a gated Southern California community, according to the Mercury News.

Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorneys know the popularity of shows like CSI give many the impression that DNA cases are open and shut. In fact, criminal defense lawyers and prosecutors alike must often re-educate the public at the beginning of jury trials about what to expect. Authorities do not use super computer to determine the year and make of a motorcycle based upon the sound of exhaust pipes captured on surveillance video.

There are no magic bullets. For the most part, DNA is reserved for very serious crimes like rape and murder. And the wait list for lab work is long. However, state and federal laws that require convicted felons to submit DNA samples to databases continue to lead to arrests in cold cases. As we reported last summer on our L.A. Criminal Defense Blog, the arrest of the Grim Sleeper is the latest high-profile example.

Detectives with the Asian Gang Team report the 45-year-old defendant was arrested for bank fraud back in October. DNA linked him to the August 2009 Diamond Bar home invasion in which a family was attacked, according to authorities. The mother reported waking to find her 7-year-old son bound and gagged with duct tape. Her 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son were also overpowered by the intruder. He fled after she stabbed him with a pair of scissors and pushed him down a flight of stairs.

The Los Angeles Times reports authorities obtained a DNA sample that matched the defendant, who lived in the same gated community at the time. He was arrested by the United States Postal Inspection Service in October 2010 on suspicion of bank fraud. He is currently in federal prison in Los Angeles where he awaits sentencing.

Continue reading "Defendant's DNA Linked to Home Invasion while Awaiting Sentencing on Federal Bank Fraud Charges" »