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 of an under-aged girl alerted authorities after they noticed that their daughter had been having strange and sexual conversations with an adult man via Facebook. Authorities used clues from the girl’s Facebook account to bust Gutierrez. The criminal defense attorney had been allegedly posing as a young girl online. CBS LA reported that “Gutierrez had been unaware [that] he had been communicating via Facebook with the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force since November.” Authorities believe that he might have also engaged in other online communiqués with young women, although he has not yet been charged with additional crimes. He was held at the Seal Beach jail on a $50,000 bail.

A press release reported that “a search warrant was served at Gutierrez’s home in Ventura County immediately following his arrest.”

Being arrested for sex crime or lewd conduct charges can lead people to feel overwhelmed, isolated and scared. Depending on the charges, it can take a lot of work to avoid jail time or getting affixed permanently with the “sex offender” label, which can follow you for years and impact your professional career and future relationships.

Unfortunately for those charged with lewd conduct, you often can’t expect much empathy from others, even from friends. You may be characterized as the “bad guy” (or “bad girl”) and discussed in cartoonish terms in the press. You want people to understand that your situation is more complicated. You’d like to figure out what you can do, not only to make reparations to anyone you might have harmed, but also to get your life back on track.

The team at Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers in Los Angeles will listen to you and help you figure out your next steps. Attorney Kraut is an ex-prosecutor with a reputation for being aggressive and successful. He’s also well known for his empathy and ability to support. Connect with Mr. Kraut and his team today to start to formulate your Los Angeles criminal defense.

*** Later update to this story. Per the California State Bar, in 2015, Gutierrez was convicted of the following criminal counts: “(1) Penal Code sections 664 and 288, subdivision (c)(1) (attempted lewd act on a child 14 or 15 years of age),a felony; (2) Penal Code section 288.3, subdivision (a) (luring of a child with intent to commit specified crime), a felony; (3) Penal Code section 288.4, subdivision (a) (arranging to meeta minor for lewd purpose), a misdemeanor; and (4) Penal Code section 288.4, subdivision (b) (meeting a minor to commit lewd conduct), a felony.”

Gutierrez was put on interim suspension in 2016, and he lost an appeal in 2018.

Effective May 24, 2019, he was summarily disbarred for his criminal convictions.