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…
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.…
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…
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…
After a highly publicized trial, former Santa Barbara police officer Brian Sawicki, has been acquitted by jury on charges of lewd conduct in Southern California and illegal electronic peeping. Sawicki was convicted of two misdemeanor counts – resisting evidence and destroying evidence – however, the jury found him not guilty…
You’ve recently been arrested for petty theft or grand theft in Los Angeles. Not only are you sweating the potential legal ramifications — you don’t want to go jail or pay thousands of dollars in fines and restitution — but you’re also concerned that your case might be “one of…
On October 16th, 31-year-old Okechukwu Ofoegbu pled guilty to charges that he had tried to bilk Medicare out of over $1.7 million. His arrest, prosecution, and guilty charge showcase the seriousness with which the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has been cracking down on crimes like Los Angeles healthcare fraud. Back…
Could a conviction for petty theft in Los Angeles (e.g. for shoplifting some t-shirts or clothes) ultimately land you a 30-year prison conviction and $1.1 million bail? If that scenario sounds far-fetched, think again. It’s a reality for 56-years-old Jonathan Kirby, who was charged last week with breaking into rapper…
If you’ve recently been investigated or arrested for Medicare or MediCal fraud in Southern California, prepare for serious challenges. According to a recent NPR report, the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. “Obamacare”) has empowered federal investigators to identify and prosecute fraud like never before. Peter Budetti, an anti-fraud manager at the…
Whether you were hit with Los Angeles lewd conduct charges for engaging in explicit sexual behavior in a bathroom (like the men charged earlier this summer at Manhattan Beach) or you were arrested for a sex crime on a public beach in Venice or Santa Monica, you’re probably pretty scared…