Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

The United States Coast Guard based out of Newport Beach, California made a gigantic seizure of marijuana off the coast of Southern California this past week. Government sources claim that the pot is worth over $32 million. That could be a lot of medical marijuana. However, the Government asserts that the 9,987-pound seizure off the coast of San Diego was for illegal purposes and was not destined to stock the shelves of medical marijuana dispensaries in California.

This is considered the be the largest marijuana seizure in the history of the Coast Guard in Southern California. Because the marijuana was seized in Mexican waters, the United States does not have jurisdiction to file criminal charges. If our Government in fact does file the criminal charges, then there are numerous defenses in a case of this type and the pilot of the boat should be looking to hire a Los Angeles and Southern California Marijuana defense attorney.

Apparently, the Coast Guard was on routine patrol when they spotted a boat about 100 miles off the coast acting in a suspicious manner. The trained eyes of the Government noticed that the ship was traveling very slow, until the sun began to go down and then the vessel sped up. This caused the Coast Guard to think that something was a miss. The fact that the boat did not use lights made them think the boat was a drug runner. The Coast Guard then tried to stop the vessel based upon their suspicion. Often times, the Government incorrectly stop individuals with out reasonable suspicion. Without the assistance of a top notch Southern California Marijuana defense attorney, individuals who would normally go free, are wrongfully convicted. That is why it is so important for anyone arrested or under investigation for a marijuana crime to immediately hire a Los Angeles pre-filing criminal defense attorney to protect their rights.

Then the chase was on. For over 3 miles the Coast Guard attempted to stop the vessel like a scene from Miami Vice, the captain began to through bails of pot over board.

The Coast Guard was prevented from pursuing the vessel in Mexican waters so they passed the information on to their counter parts int he Mexican Navy. While the Mexican Navy did their thing, the Coast Guard went back and picked up 136 bails of pot.

Continue reading " Huge Shipment Of Marijuana Seized Off The Coast Of Southern California " »

Jennifer Garner, wife of Ben Affleck, went to court in Los Angeles to ask a judge for a restraining order against a stalker who has been following her for several years. The stalker, Steven Burky, 36, is a well known mental patient who has been a drifter for several years. The judge called his name in court, but neither he nor Garner were in Court.

After reading the declaration submitted in the court documents, the judge granted the request. Burky has been harassing Garner, the star of "Alias" since 2002. He believes that he is the victim of satanic rituals and abuses when he was a child. As he grew older he turned to religion and became a born again Christian.

Burky is known to have followed Garner throughout the United States trying to meet her, sent her love letters, and has even turned up on her front steps. He left her a letter that can be characterized in no other terms then creepy. He commented in the letter that Garner's maid opened the door and even gave him her lunch.

In the declaration, Garner stated that she is scared for her family's lives. As of today's date Burky has not been charged with any crime. The order was issued on November 7, 2008. Soon thereafter the police were in contact with Burky and since that date he has been under psychiatric evaluation.

The trial began today of a MySpace mom in Los Angeles Federal Court. The tragedy began when a 13 year-old girl in Missouri used to turn to the popular on line retreat as a form of escape and flirtation. The girl, Megan Meier, began to write to what she thought was a 16 year-old named Josh Evans. After developing a friendship online, the cyber encounters went sour.

After only a short time after the communications began, the nice pleasantries of online romance changes to mean comments about how "everyone hates you" and "the world would be a better place without you in it." Only minutes after those statements were made, the 16 year-old was found hanging in her home by her mother. She died the next day.

Josh Evans, as it turned out, never existed. Instead, the boy was dreamed up by Megan's former best friend and her mother, Lori Drew. Drew, 49, is currently on trial in Los Angeles Federal Court charged with conspiracy and using a computer without authorization.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has admitted to the County Board of Supervisors that they have failed to test over 5,600 rape kits with evidence of sexual assaults and other crimes. However, those same officials also state that they are not sure of the total number of kits that have gone untested. The reason they do not know the exact number is that smaller cities and towns contract with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to test their rape kits and they have not reported the number of their untested items. Recently, the LAPD admitted to the failure to test in excess of 7,000 rape kits that they have in their possession.

The real fear is that if the tests have not been completed within 10 years of the date of the crime, then the statute of limitations will expire. After ten years, if the criminal is caught, the State may not prosecute the rapist. Therefore, Sheriff's Department will give priority to the rape kits that are the oldest.

Many people do not know what are in the rape kits, to clarify the contents, I will explain what is often in these kits. As a former senior District Attorney now defending serious crimes, I have learned that these kits often times contain body fluids, finger nail scrapings, DNA and other items used to identify specific individuals.

Once these items are tested and the suspect is identified, then the evidence from the rape kits will be used in a court to prove the identity of the rapist.

Continue reading " Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Admits That More Than 5,600 Rape Kits Have Not Been Tested " »

A very well respected Newport-Mesa sports coach who lives in Costa Mesa will not be charged with DUI after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Costa Mesa after he was driving home from Los Angeles.

Laurence Draluck, 48, the Newport Harbor High School girls’ soccer coach, was pulled over in Orange County after he was driving erratic. Prosecutors declined to file the case stating that there was a lack of evidence. Most likely he was was represented by hiring a pre-filing DUI defense attorney who made sure that they were aggressive about pointing out the lack of evidence. Clearly, money not wasted by me Draluck. Had he been convicted of a DUI he very well could have lost his job.

Continue reading " Newport Harbor Coach Will Not Be Charged With DUI After Being Arrested After Returning From Los Angeles " »

Fox News' own sports commentator, Josh Booty, was arrested in Los Angeles for a DUI. He was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol in the Los Angeles area. He was then transported to the station for booking. During the booking process, Booty became angry. Officers attempted to subdue him by due to his size he was able to resist them. Soon thereafter, he was tasered two times. After the taser was used, he calmed down and the booking process completed.

Booty, 32, was well known as both a standout baseball player where he played for 5 seasons for the Florida Marlins. He then enrolled at LSU and was a star football player. After college he was drafted to play for the NFL Seattle Seahawks and then traded to the Cleveland Browns.

A civil suit has been filed in Los Angeles by the passengers of the SUV that Lindsay Lohan drove the night she was arrested for DUI and drug possession back on July 24, 2007. The story began when Lohan's assistant and the famous star had an argument. The assistant fled and Lohan jumped into an SUV that had other passengers in the vehicle. As Lohan sped through the streets of Los Angeles giving chase in the SUV, she blew street signs and stop lights. The suit alleges that the passengers were "crying for their lives" and are now suing the star for the fear that they felt.

Lohan, who pled guilty after her arrest, has completed a rehabilitation program in Utah. Additionally, she seems to have gotten her life back together, began dating her current girl friend, DJ Samantha Ronson, and is currently working on her new album. The Southern California DUI defense attorney did an excellent job of helping his client get back on her feet.

Critics of those who filed suit ask why the men did not just get out of the SUV during the times when the stopped. The men are seeking $50,000 in damages.

A homeless encampment in the City of Long Beach was rocked this past weekend when 5 bodies were found murdered. The victims all were homeless people who lived or frequented underneath a busy freeway were shot to death.

One of the major problems is that the first heavy rain of the season may have washed away important evidence from the killings of the three men and two women. The area is not one of the best neighborhoods in the city. Often the area is used for narcotics sales.

Once arrested the suspect(s) will face murder charges and most likely the special circumstances of multiple murder, making the punishment potentially the death penalty. The person or persons who might have committed this crime should hire a Los Angeles Violent Crimes defense attorney. Early retention of an attorney is a must when facing these types of charges. There may viable defenses and witnesses. The longer the delay in hiring an attorney, the greater the chance the evidence will be lost or vanish.

The California Attorney General filed criminal white collar crime charges against 8 people in the Southern California county of San Bernardino. The charges include theft crimes of money laundering, conspiracy, and grand theft stemming out of Redlands, California.

The charges arose out of a scam that has plagued the mortgage industry after so many people in the City of Redlands had trouble making their house payments. Most of the victims responded to a flier which claimed to be able to help lower house payments for those who have been affected by the recent problems in the economy. The company promised to help home owners so that they would not fall into default and loose their properties in foreclosure.

Those individuals charged in the 39 count complaint most likely knew that they were under investigation. Had they hired a San Bernardino County defense attorney familiar with the officials in Redlands, it is possible that the money could have been returned to the victims and no charges would have been filed in return for full restitution. Or in the alternative, the charges would have been minimal any quite possibly no custody time would be imposed. Now all 8 people are facing decades in prison.

The home owners responded to a flier by a fake company called First Gov, also called Foreclosure Prevention Services. Some paid as much as $6,000 to the fake company to assist them in negotiating with the banks to lower their payments. The victims waited but nothing was ever done to assist them and those charged just stole the money.

Continue reading " California Attorney General Charges 8 People in White Collar Crimes in San Bernardino " »

The City of Glendora as well as other Southern California cities will receive the brunt of more then $7 million of grant money from the State to eradicate DUI. Glendora will receive over $1.5 million to add DUI checkpoints as other operations to stop driving while intoxicated in the Southland.

Two dozen stations managed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will receive millions as well for the same purpose.

If you, or a loved one, is stopped at a DUI checkpoint or stopped for investigation of DUI then contact a Los Angeles and Southern California DUI defense attorney who practices in Glendora to help you.