Perhaps you and your frat buddies at UCLA got arrested for petty theft in Los Angeles after a crazy off-campus Christmas party. Or maybe the cops caught you stealing small items from a mall to “re-gift” to friends and family members. In any case, you now face a misdemeanor charge…
Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog
$11 Million Guilty Verdict in Major Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Case
Last Monday, Charles Agbu, a 58-year pastor based in Carson, pled guilty to an $11 million Los Angeles Medicare fraud scam. The Department of Justice accused Agbu of masterminding the reimbursement fraud. Agbu faces the specter of a 20-year prison sentence on top of a fine of $500,000. He will…
Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Charges Lead to Spate of Lawsuits against L.A. Unified
Most Los Angeles lewd conduct charges, fortunately, are relatively “small scale.” They might involve one person committing an alleged sex crime against another or a few people. However, there are times when certain crimes lead to a kind of “mass harm” and draw the attention of both community and the…
Can New Antifraud Computer System Stop Medicare Fraud in Los Angeles and Beyond?
The Federal Government, under the Obama administration, has made a huge push to crack down on Medicare fraud in Los Angeles and beyond. We’ve covered many relevant stories over the past few years, citing probably dozens of examples of big time busts. We’ve also discussed some of the scary consequences…
Petty Thefts in Los Angeles Spike During Xmas. Santa (and the Police) Are Watching…
Statistical analyses of petty theft in Los Angeles paint a pretty grim holiday picture. According to the National Retail Federation, 95% of all retail stores (that’s 19 out of every 20 stores) falls victim to petty theft during the Yuletide season: that’s a spike of 30% over normal crime rates.…
Biggest Case of Medicare Fraud in the History of the World?
Blockbuster charges face DaVita Inc., one of the largest dialysis companies in United States, including charges of Medicare fraud in Los Angeles and beyond. DaVita is a $7 billion company that operates 2,000 dialysis clinics in the United States. The CEO alone receives $15 million annually, much of that paid…
Southland Attorney Hit with Lewd Conduct Charges — Arturo Gutierrez Allegedly Planned to Meet Under-Aged Girl at Seal Beach Pier
Southland Attorney Arturo Fernando Shaw Gutierrez was arrested in a sting operation last Saturday and charged with arranging to meet a minor for lewd acts and intent to commit lewd acts at the Seal Beach Pier. According to initial reports from the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, the parents…
Sex Crimes, Bankruptcy Fraud, Los Angeles Lewd Conduct and More: Not a Terrific Legacy for Former World Series Legend, Lenny Dykstra
49-year old ex-professional baseball player, Lenny Dykstra, was sentenced last week to half a year in federal prison in conjunction with bankruptcy fraud charges. Dykstra, the ex-Met and Phillie who went by the nickname “Nails” and who helped the New York Mets cap off their Cinderella 1986 season with astonishing…
Will You Be Sentenced to 25 Years in Jail for Your Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Charges (Like 50-Year Old Yuri Khandrius Might Be?)
Odds are that your Los Angeles Medicare fraud charges are slightly “less intense” than 50-year old Yuri Khandrius’ charges. The Brooklyn resident just pled guilty to a massive fraud scheme — a plan to pilfer over $71 million from Medicare’s coffers. Last Monday, Khandrius pled guilty before U.S. District Judge…
Proposition 36 Alert: Man Convicted of Los Angeles Petty Theft Released From Jail after 17 Years
Nearly two decades ago, Sergio Ayala got convicted on charges of Los Angeles petty theft: he stole a leaf blower worth $150. Since the former heroin addict already had two criminal convictions “under his belt,” he found himself whalloped by California’s Three Strikes rule and landed a sentence of 25…