Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Crimes like Los Angeles Medicare, Medical, and Medicaid fraud are serious and scary for defendants. But the details often make for dry, complicated reading.

Readers interested in pulpy, tabloid-like Southern California medical crimes might be more galvanized by an amazing revelation in the trial of Michael Jackson’s erstwhile doctor, Conrad Murray.

According to a report from the UK paper, The Mirror, the transcript of a witness statement “revealed that the doctor [Conrad Murray] stood in front of a lifeless Jacko in the singer's bedroom and claimed: "He doesn’t have a problem. He is fine. He was practicing all night. I am just treating him for dehydration.""

Wow.

The paramedic (Senneff) was the first person on the scene after Jackson’s overdose who was not affiliated in some way with the King of Pop. He “believed the doctor lied to him about what drugs he had given Jacko.” During Murray’s Supreme Court trial here in Los Angeles, the paramedic's words will be parsed very carefully. Prosecutors hope that Senneff’s testimony “will show [that Murray] tried to cover his tracks after giving Jacko the anesthetic propofol.”

Murray allegedly denied to Senneff that Jackson had been taking any medication. In his panic, however, the doc admitted seconds later that he had given Jackson lorazepam for his sleeping troubles.

Two other disturbing snippets from Senneff's testimony:

1) Allegedly, Murray attempted to “clear bottles” from Jackson’s room. What might have been in those bottles? Crazy amounts of medication that the star should never have had access to?

2) Senneff found Murray doing CPR on Jackson on his bed, even after the 911 operators told the doctor to move the King of Pop to the floor for CPR.

Murray’s trial promises to be one of the most watched and commented on of the summer/fall. Michael Jackson’s larger-than-life celebrity profile – and the craziness of the allegations against Murray – will inspire unending chatter in the mainstream media and the blogosphere.

Beyond all the hype, however, the Jackson tragedy and Murray’s charges highlight the fact that there are a lot of people out there who need some kind of help (psychological, medical, legal, etc.) who either don’t have access to help or don’t know how to ask for it.

If you or someone you care about has been charged with a crime in Los Angeles, like Los Angeles insurance fraud, theft crimes in Burbank, or another white collar crime in Southern California, former Senior Deputy District Attorney Michael Kraut can help. Attorney Kraut is an experienced criminal defense lawyer with a great track record at jury trials, a Harvard Law School education, and a deep working understanding of how to build and execute great defenses.

Every week, dozens of stories about driving under the influence in Glendale (and the rest of the southland) get published and discussed in the blogosphere. And SoCal is sure home to some strange DUI stories. But last week, the most spectacular DUI story in the country came from Boise, Idaho, of all places, where police arrested 47-year-old Michelle Caves twice for driving under the influence… within a five-hour span!

Amazing stuff.

Here’s how it all went down, according to the local Boise new station, KBOI 2. Caves had dropped in at a retail store on Apple Street: “Employees told police that [she] smelled of alcohol, and stumbled and dropped items while walking around the store. They say they couldn’t stop Caves from getting in her car and driving away, or… get the license plate number of her car.”

The police then tracked down Caves, pulled her over, and gave her field sobriety tests (which she failed) as well as breathalyzer tests that pegged her at significantly more than four times over the legal limit for Boise (and Glendale) DUI of 0.08%. The police arrested her, booked her into a local jail, and secured her car.

Pretty normal stuff. But then…

Later that evening, “police got a call from a citizen reporting that a drunk driver had returned to her car and was going to drive home. Officers determined it was the same woman they had arrested earlier, and located the car around the corner from where it originally had been pulled over. Police say the car swerved into oncoming traffic and almost drove head on into the officer’s car.”

Lo and behold, it was Caves again. She got retested and her BAC was slightly lower this time – around 0.24% – but still high enough to be more than three times over the state’s legal limit.

After this second, embarrassing arrest, police “requested that Caves’ car be towed to a private, secured lot.”

Obviously, this story is something of an impressive oddity. But it does hold hidden lessons for defendants in Glendale DUI cases. One lesson is that drivers often make mistakes “after the fact” that can dreadfully complicate their legal situations. Of course, had Caves been arrested only once, she still would have been in trouble. But now she faces all sorts of extra headaches because she made bad decisions that compounded her earlier bad decisions.

In fact, it’s this cycle of bad decision-making that often creates the most long-term problems for people. Getting arrested for a Glendale DUI is already a major problem, but it’s the spiral of poor thinking upon poor thinking that creates huge problems.

Fortunately, you can stop that spiral by connecting with an experienced and Harvard Law School educated Glendale DUI defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group (450 North Brand Boulevard, Suite 600, Glendale, California 91203 Phone: (818) 507-9123). Attorney Michael Kraut served as Senior Deputy District Attorney for the city of Los Angeles for over 14 years, and he uses his relationships with prosecutors, knowledge of the system, strategic understanding of the law, and other resources to help clients build vigorous defenses.

Continue reading " Now Here's a Glendale DUI You Don’t See Every Day…Woman Busted for DUI Twice in Five Hours! " »

Getting arrested for driving under the influence in Beverly Hills is zero fun.

Contrary to popular perceptions, drivers who violate California Vehicle Code Section 23152(a) or 23152(b) are often acutely remorseful, scared, and dismayed by their actions, even hours after an arrest. And while some DUI defendants certainly “fit the stereotype” many people have, the reality is that defendants are diverse and come from all over the community.

One common thread among Beverly Hills DUI defendants is fear.

Defendants worry about job security, family, the possibility of jail time, the possibility of a license suspension, the logistical inconvenience of having to attend weeks or months of alcohol school, the embarrassment of facing strict probation terms, and so on. And these punishments are very real possibilities, by the way, even if you committed a small, misdemeanor Beverly Hills DUI, and it was your first offense.

But certain choices you make now – after the fact, while you are more rational – can radically change the course of your life. Your decision to work with a reputable, creditable Harvard Law School educated Beverly Hills DUI criminal defense attorney, for instance, might lead to a better outcome than you currently believe is possible.

It is also helpful to look at public DUI news events to see how they play out. As a case in point, consider the San Francisco Forty-Niners’ Braylon Edwards. The wide receiver pled guilty to a DUI in July and got fined $50,000. Under ordinary circumstances, he might have been suspended from playing in the NFL, which could have derailed his career and led to a professional catastrophe. And sports analysts who examined similar cases involving Kenny Britt, Aqib Talib, and Terrelle Pryor, thought Edwards’ situation could have gone either way.

He could have been suspended, but he got lucky.

This goes to show that your case is not entirely within your control. Edwards could have done everything the same but been suspended and he wouldn’t have had any say in the matter.

The important takeaway here is that Beverly Hills DUI defendants need to figure out what they can control and what they can’t control. And then they need to focus on what they can control, such as their choice of attorney. Beverly Hills DUI attorney Michael Kraut, of the Kraut Law Group (9107 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450, Beverly Hills, California 90210 Phone: (310) 550-6935), can put together a powerful and solid defense plan for you, irrespective of the circumstances and complexity of your legal challenges.

Continue reading " Hope after Beverly Hills DUI Arrest? Redemption is Possible – Just Ask the 49-ers’ Braylon Edwards " »

Were you or a close family member or friend recently arrested and charged with Los Angeles healthcare fraud? If so, you are not alone.

According to recently released government statistics – thanks to the Obama administration’s efforts, federal healthcare fraud prosecutions spiked more than 85% in 2011 over 2010. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) statistics show that the federal government has prosecuted over 900 people so far this year for healthcare fraud. In all of fiscal year 2010, only 731 people were prosecuted across the U.S. The TRAC data suggest that prosecutions have spiked more than 70% from just half a decade ago.

A spokesman for the Justice Department, Alisa Finelli, confirmed the TRAC data analysis: “the trend certainly looks accurate and on track with our data.” Over the past 12 months, the Justice Department has brought out the heavy ammunition to nail executives, nurses, doctors, and other caregivers (e.g. chiropractors, dentists, etc.) for defrauding programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Here are some fraud arrest highlights from 2011:

• 111 people arrested after a Medicare fraud tax force found that they had fraudulently billed Medicare for over $225 million;
• The government paid $300 million to whistleblowers in 2010;
• In January, the FBI went after 533 people in Puerto Rico who worked with doctors to send bogus injury claims to an American family life insurance company – ultimately soaking the company for $7 million. (Courtesy USA Today article "Healthcare fraud prosecutions on pace to rise 85%," sourced August, 29, 2011).
• August 2010 bust of 73 members and coconspirators with the Armenian mafia, who allegedly bilked federal government programs out of over $163 million.

Southern California white-color crimes – be they Los Angeles insurance fraud, Burbank identity theft, Beverly Hills credit card fraud, you name it – carry extremely substantial penalties. Not only could you face many years in prison, forced remuneration, and punitive damages, but you could also face the destruction of your professional reputation, the suspension of your medical license, and long-term indirect catastrophes for your personal life and finances.

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group provides aggressive, compassionate, and systematic defenses for Southern California white-collar criminal defendants. Attorney Kraut is a former prosecutor who has tremendous experience and success defending people who have been charged with complex and serious white-collar crime charges.

Attorney Kraut actually served as a prosecutor for nearly 15 years, during which time he accumulated a deep understanding of how prosecutors work – and he can use this knowledge and his contacts to help you devise a sensible defense strategy.