Lewd Conduct

Published on: June 29, 2016

DUI Drivers Can’t Avoid Arrest with These Tactics

Drivers looking to avoid charges of DUI in Los Angeles have tried many creative ways to avoid an arrest. They can make excuses, plead with the arresting officer to let them off and threaten the police department with reprisals by powerful friends. These attempts to evade DUI charges don’t work in the City of Angels, and they don’t work elsewhere either.

In the Chicago suburb of Riverside, Hazel Rojas didn’t avoid DUI charges when she told the arresting officer that she had many friends in the suburban police force. But that may have been due to the fact that she allegedly had already used many different excuses to prevent her arrest.

Police first noticed Rojas’ car when she reportedly neglected to go on a green light, then went 20 mph in a 35 mph zone. When an officer pulled her over, Rojas claimed that the alcohol he smelled was the result of her spilling alcohol on herself while serving customers at her workplace. But she reportedly failed the sobriety test and practically fell into the officer’s arms.

Published on: November 18, 2013

Burbank Sex Crime Blotter: Woman Accused of Snapping Pictures of Other Women in the Bathroom

by Michael Kraut

Not all Burbank sex crime cases sound like something out of Orange Is the New Black, the hit TV show about a yuppie woman forced to serve time behind bars for a crime she committed years ago.

But a recent case out of Phoenix sounds like it was ripped from an Orange Is the New Black B story.

Phoenix police booked 37-year-old Linda Laibe for photographing and videotaping women in public bathrooms throughout the Phoenix Valley. According to Trent Crump, a local police sergeant, Laibe did her photo and video shoots at restrooms “throughout the valley” in places like Walmart, Chase Field, University of Phoenix Stadium, and the Rainforest Café. The woman then put photos and videos up on the internet and sold them. She faces 38 counts of voyeurism, although authorities are still piecing together exactly how she did what she did and how many women were victimized.

Potential Lessons for Your Burbank Sex Crime Case?

One of the scary aspects of Laibe’s case – from a defendant’s point of view – is that she faces 38 separate counts of voyeurism. Even a single count can lead to major trouble, like jail time, restraining orders, probation, and the like. But in the Southern California legal system, the penalties from various counts can “stack on top of each other” and lead to huge sentences.

For instance, if convicted of a single count of Burbank lewd conduct, your penalty might be a month or two behind bars, depending on factors, such as the nature of the crime and your criminal history. But if you’re convicted of TEN of those charges stacked on top of one another… you could face well over a year behind bars.

Whether you got caught making a single bad mistake – or you systematically violated Burbank sex crime laws – you need to understand your defense options, so you can make rational, sensible decisions. Unfortunately, the law can be quite complicated and confusing. Unprepared defendants can easily say or do things that can complicate their cases and land them in even deeper legal hot water.

Fortunately, you can turn to a trusted Burbank sex crime defense lawyer with the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers for insightful, thorough help.

Just because you made a mistake – or even a series of mistakes – does not mean that you should suffer needlessly. Mr. Kraut is a former prosecutor. He spent 14-years putting defendants like Burbank sex crime offenders behind bars before switching over to represent criminal defendants. He provides regular commentary on Burbank criminal defense for many esteemed publications, like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly.

Published on: November 4, 2013

Attention Pasadena Sex Offenders: Don’t Remove Your Tracking Devices!

by Michael Kraut

Governor Jerry Brown will be going after Pasadena sex crime offenders (and offenders throughout the state) who remove their electronic tracking devices, thanks to a new piece of legislation he just signed in Sacramento.

Sponsored by State Senator, Ted Lieu, the legislation forces offenders who remove their GPS devices to be sentenced to 180 days in jail. Lieu explained the rationale for the legislation in a public statement: “when sex offenders know that there are little or no repercussions for cutting off their GPS monitoring devices, it’s time to strengthen the deterrent…Real deterrents for sex offenders drastically reduce the likelihood they will commit another crime.”

In 2006, California voters passed Proposition 83, which allowed authorities to monitor sex offenders with GPS. In the wake of that law’s passage, journalists observed a spike in the number of cases in which offenders cut off their monitoring devices. The original law intended to reduce jail overcrowding — a huge problem in California. But within the first 15 months after penalties were reduced, over 5,000 warrants for tampering with the GPS were served.

Some fugitives included sex offenders, rapists, and murderers.

A Los Angeles Times report said Fidel Tafoya, a repeat offender who cut off his GPS bracelet, recently got rearrested for misdemeanor sexual battery for inappropriate touching at the Fresno State campus library. Reports say that Tafoya had been busted twice before for similar crimes.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and several other groups opposed SB 57 because they feared that the bill would “only add to the existing problem of overcrowding.”

SB 57 is not the only major Pasadena sex crime story in the news.

Several Southern California high school football players recently faced accusations that they sexually assaulted and raped six girls, including one girl under 14-years-old. The 17-year-old players stand accused of two charges of forceful rape (both felonies), lewd acts with a minor under 14, false imprisonment, and other charges.

According to police, the football players began their assault spree in January and continued to attack students over the summer. A spokesman for the District Attorney’s office in Riverside County said that the “all names have been released in this case, because [the football players] have been charged with serious or violent felonies.”

Outside the courtroom in late September, the mother of one of the accused football players got into a confrontation with the parents of the victims. She said: “I know the truth is coming out and his name will be cleared of the things that were wrongly said.” The mom says that the sex was consensual.

If you love someone who has been accused of a sex crime in Pasadena, a defense attorney at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers can help you understand what you might be up against and develop a battle plan to defend against the charges. Connect with a former Senior Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles today to build a sound and accurate defense to Pasadena lewd conduct or other criminal charges.

Published on: October 29, 2013

Your Lewd Conduct in Glendale Arrest: Will It Be Your Last? Or Are You Doomed to Be Arrested Again?

by Michael Kraut

When most people learn about the consequences for getting convicted of lewd conduct in Glendale, they freak out a bit. Convicted offenders can go to jail, often for a long time. They can also lose civil rights, endure professional and personal humiliation, and get stuck with the “sex offender” label forever.

Given all the “negatives” associated with conviction, you’d think that anyone who ever got in trouble for this crime would avoid any untoward sexual behavior going forward.

But you’d be wrong.

In fact, aberrant sexual behavior is as difficult to control as it is poorly understood.

You could endure awful punishments, only to find yourself pinned down with a future Glendale sex crime charge. What gives? Why is it so hard to break away from aberrant or destructive behavior like this?

Scientists throw out a lot of theories about what goes on in the brains of sex offenders. But the brain is complicated, and good science on the subject is hard to come by:

• What works to stop person X from committing crime X might not work to stop person Y from committing crime X.
• Likewise, therapies and tactics that work to stop person X from committing crime X might not stop him from committing crime Y.

This doesn’t mean that you should “give up” and just surrender to a life of crime and punishment. But it does mean that you probably have a lot of work to do.

If your Los Angeles lewd conduct charges involved exhibitionism or fetishism, odds are that you’re dealing with a problem that’s at least partly biological. The neural reward pathways (that lead to the bad behavior) may be deeply embedded in your brain. You may need a lot of help to get the behavior under control. Take heart, though. Many people — in situations much worse than yours — have been able to manage both their charges and their impulses and successfully rebuild their lives.

A Glendale sex crime lawyer with the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers can help you get very clear about your charges and what you can do about them, so that you can protect your rights.

Get in touch with a compassionate, knowledgeable Glendale lewd conduct attorney at the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers now to explore your defense options.

Published on: October 8, 2013

Pasadena Lewd Conduct News: Charge for Lutheran Peeping Tom

by Michael Kraut

A 39-year-old man from Thousand Oaks stands accused of Southern California lewd conduct.

Authorities arrested David Tenenbaum for peeping at California Lutheran University’s women’s locker room, following a three-month investigation by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. The investigation began in May, when local police got a phone call saying that a man had been spotted in the Gilbert Sports Arena’s women’s locker room.

Two women swimmers saw the man in the shower. They asked him why he was there. According to detective Marty Luna, “He just kept apologizing as he was staring at them” but didn’t leave. After the women left, the man allegedly peeped through a cracked and open door.

A few weeks later, other women found him “committing lewd acts” in the shower.

When authorities responded to these women’s calls for help, they found the female locker empty… and they found Tenenbaum in the men’s locker room. As they quizzed him about the incident, the two women from the first incident saw him and recognized him as the peeping Tom from May. Tenenbaum fled before the authorities arrived. After three months of news alerts and surveillance, a public tip led police to Tenenbaum.

Getting arrested for lewd conduct in Pasadena can be a devastating experience, and the consequences can be painful both in the short-term and over the long-term. In the near-term, you may face fines and fees, a humiliating court experience, jail time, and additional punishments, particularly if you committed lewd conduct in conjunction with other Pasadena crimes, like burglary, theft, or violating your parole.

Over the longer term, you need to worry about the sex offender label, which can be affixed to your identity for years – if not for a lifetime. Once you’re labeled as sex offender, you’ll likely find it challenging to develop normal relationships, find work that you love, serve your community, and shake off the residue of your unfortunate incident.

To that end — to avoid both the short-term pain and the long-term pain — consider connecting today with a Pasadena lewd conduct defense lawyer with the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers. Mr. Kraut prosecuted Los Angeles sex crime offenders for years, in capacity of District Attorney for LA, before becoming a criminal defense attorney. He understands how prosecutors think, and he can use his knowledge and relationships to help you build your defense.

Published on: October 6, 2013

Lewd Conduct in Burbank Fiasco: Should Director Terry Richardson Be Punished for Creating Miley Cyrus’s Explicit New Video?

by Michael Kraut

The crime of lewd conduct in Burbank is a serious offense. Your penalties can include jail time, probation and a lifetime “sex offender” label, which can make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to find good work, secure loans and lead a normal life. miley_cyrus_terry-richardson-los-angeles-lewd-conduct.jpg

In that context, consider the case of Director Terry Richardson, a 48-year-old fashion auteur — the creative visionary behind Miley Cyrus’s recent much-buzzed-about video, Wrecking Ball. The Hannah Montana icon is featured licking a hammer in a very sexually provocative way – and the video also shows the former child star weeping. It’s quite a disturbing juxtaposition.

But did Richardson cross the line? Should he have put images of Miley Cyrus wearing a sexy white tank top and appearing to lick his face (while in her underwear) on the web? While few people have suggested that Richardson did anything outright illegal in the making of the Wrecking Ball video, the director has come under fire, repeatedly, throughout his career for creating skeevy material and for acting badly behind the scenes.

Rie Rasmussen, a Danish filmmaker, told the New York Post that he warned Richardson “What you do is completely degrading to women.” A former 19-year-old model, Jamie Peck, disclosed some very disturbing allegations against Richardson: “I’m not sure how he maneuvered me over to the couch, but at some point, he strongly suggested I touch his terrifying penis.”

Richardson has defended himself in the press against such allegations – including one allegation that he once did a fashion shoot while totally naked and waving his penis around.

So what are the implications, if any, for your Southern California sex crime or Burbank lewd conduct defense?

First of all, appreciate the following. Richardson may stand accused of doing nasty things on his shoots. But no one has outright accused him of a crime, such as trying to sleep with an underage girl. That line may seem fine. But once you cross it, you can be subjected to serious criminal penalties.

Stuff that many people would consider “creepy” — such as, perhaps, a 48-year-old man dating a 19-year-old woman — may not be illegal. But the law is a law. The law sets boundaries. If you break those boundaries – or if you stand accused of breaking those boundaries – prosecutors will take your situation very seriously.

To that end, consider getting in touch with an experienced, accredited, very respected Burbank lewd conduct defense lawyer, like Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers. Mr. Kraut is a former city prosecutor (Senior Deputy District Attorney) with excellent contacts and a track record for getting great results in complex cases.

Published on: September 2, 2013

Icky Case of Los Angeles Lewd Conduct at a Ventura Shopping Mall

by Michael Kraut

23 year-old Nicholas Russell was arrested for Los Angeles lewd conduct, after multiple witnesses said he exposed himself in public and masturbated in his vehicle, earlier this month.

Ventura police got a call at around 10 AM, alleging that a male in his 20s had been roaming around a shopping mall on the 1700 block of Victoria Avenue, exposing himself to passersby. Per a witness’s report, the man had been wearing army pants and a blue sweatshirt. Half an hour later, police received a separate report that the same man had been spotted at Portola Road and Shenandoah Street, exposing himself. He was seen driving a grey sedan.

The suspect managed to get away from officers, but he didn’t lay low for long. Police found him at around 4:30 p.m. on the 6600 block of Telephone Road, masturbating in his vehicle. Officers arrested the suspect and charged him with Southern California lewd conduct. A witness helped identify Russell to the police.

Southern California law takes sex crime charges very seriously.

If convicted of the charges against him, Russell could face jail time, fees and fines, and other unpleasant punishments, including having to live with the “sex offender” label for the rest of his life. This label could make it hard for him to find employment, secure housing, and live a normal life. In fact, in many ways, the sex offender label is harder to deal with than a short stint behind bars. It permanently alters how you get around the world and also skews how society (and even people in your own family) can treat you.

Does this to mean that you’re doomed to a conviction and a lifetime problem? Not necessarily.

An assertive Los Angeles lewd conduct defense can influence not only your potential sentence but also on the “after effects” of the arrest on your life, career, and your relationships.

Consider talking to a former Los Angeles city prosecutor, Michael Kraut, about your situation.

Mr. Kraut served over 14 years as senior level prosecutor for the city (Senior Deputy District Attorney), and he maintains excellent relationships with judges, attorneys, police officers, and others in the Los Angeles defense community.

Published on: August 19, 2013

Los Angeles Lewd Conduct News – 19-Year-Old Kaitlyn Hunt, a Lesbian Cheerleader, Faces 15 Years in Jail for Having Sex with 14-Year-Old Girl

by Michael Kraut

Most Los Angeles lewd conduct cases are “drama-filled,” but odds are that your scary legal situation has gotten nowhere near as much press as Kaitlyn Hunt’s has.

The 19-year-old Florida cheerleader has been jailed (again), after having sex with her 14-year-old girlfriend.

Authorities first arrested Hunt back in February and told her to stop contacting her 14-year-old girlfriend, after the girl’s parents told the police. However, Hunt continued to text with the girl – sending approximately 20,000 texts! – and continued seeing and having sex with her. (She also allegedly gave her girlfriend an iPod.)

Prosecutors had offered Hunt a plea deal that would have allowed her to escape prison time but would have required her to register as a sex offender. But based on the new allegations, prosecutors have dropped the plea deal.

Hunt’s initial charges included two counts of lewd and lascivious battery. In Florida, if you’re over 18, you can’t have sex with anyone younger than 18.

Hunt’s case has sparked massive media attention, in part because the 19-year-old is gay. Hunt’s fans argue that the young girl’s parents only tipped the authorities off because of the lesbian nature of the relationship.

The texts between Hunt and her girlfriend suggest that they both knew what was going on.

Hunt sent her girlfriend a text message in May telling her not to tell anyone about their liaison. Otherwise, “I’ll sit in jail until trial starts… if they find out we talked, I am going to jail until trial starts.”

When Hunt found out that the girlfriend had told her parents that they were still in contact, she texted her back “f**k you … you are stupid … you want me to go to jail … you are such a messed up person … you snitched on me. God only knows what you’ll do when pressed in court. Bye.”

Kelley Smith, Hunt’s mother, eventually found out about what was going on. But instead of alerting authorities, she apparently tried to cover up her daughter’s actions — an act that could make her criminally liable as well. In one text message, Smith wrote to the girlfriend: “delete EVERYTHING … PLEASE delete everything and make sure NO ONE finds out you have spoken to Kait at all.”

If convicted of all charges, Hunt could face 15 years behind bars on top of additional penalties for disobeying the terms of her bond. Over 300,000 people (as of May) had signed an online petition to get Hunt’s charges dropped.

If you’ve been charged with lewd conduct in Los Angeles, you probably have substantial sympathy for Kait’s plight. Fortunately, you can build a vigorous, substantive defense and protect your rights. Connect with attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers today to strategize your defense.

Mr. Kraut is an ex-prosecutor who worked for the city for over 14 years; he knows how prosecutors work and how they think. Tap his experience, resources and connections to put up a vigorous defense to your Southern California lewd conduct charges.

Published on: August 15, 2013

Egregious and Public Los Angeles Lewd Conduct: Could It Prevent You from Becoming Mayor?

by Michael Kraut

As someone recently arrested for Los Angeles lewd conduct, you’re probably aware of what’s been happening with Anthony Weiner, an ex-Congressman and current candidate in the upcoming New York City Mayoral election.

Weiner, who’s married to former Hillary Clinton aide, Huma Abedin, resigned from Congress in 2011, in the wake of a shockingly embarrassing scandal. He took and shared nude cellphone pictures of himself and engaged in lengthy, sexually explicit conversations with other women. Some of these antics were so over the top that they provided fodder for the nighttime talk shows for weeks.

The behavior was frankly astonishing, even for a politician.

But then Weiner astonished the political world, yet again, by announcing that he would run for Mayor of New York City.

The chutzpah paid off, at first. Pundits considered him a leading candidate … until new revelations broke that he had continued to engage in the lewd conduct! A gossip website revealed that — long after his resignation from Congress and public apology — Weiner went online, using the pseudonym “Carlos Danger,” and traded XXX pictures with a 22-year-old woman. He also engaged in more phone sex.

All this, after he gave People magazine an interview, in which he boldly stated “[I’m] trying to be the best dad and husband he can be.”

Weiner did not deny the recent allegations.

Instead, at a press conference, Weiner told reporters: “I expected that other texts and photos were likely to come out, and today they have … as I have said in the past, these things that I did were wrong and hurtful to my wife and caused us to go through challenges in our marriage that extended past [my] resignation from Congress.” Abedin stood by her man, saying “I love him, I have forgiven him, I believe in him, and … we are moving forward.”

How might Weiner’s case be relevant to your Los Angeles lewd conduct case?

Weiner’s story might be a great fodder for the late night shows. But on a more serious note, it’s a testament to how difficult it can be to quit self-destructive compulsions.

It’s easy to chalk up Weiner’s recidivism – playing the role of Carlos Danger and everything like that – to narcissism, obliviousness, shamelessness, or some other negative adjective. But that can’t be the whole story. Dealing with sexual compulsion is incredibly challenging. Most people lack the resources to manage their challenges effectively.

The point is that, if you’ve been accused of Los Angeles lewd conduct, you owe it to yourself and to the people you care about (and potential future victims) to get effective help now for your sex crime charges. To that end, please consider connecting with Kraut Criminal & DUI Lawyers today for meaningful insight into your legal situation and potential remedies. Mr. Kraut is an ex-prosecutor and former Senior Deputy District Attorney for the City of Los Angeles.

Published on: July 22, 2013

Big Break in Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Case as LAPD Nabs “Red Car Flasher”

by Michael Kraut

After two years “on the lam” — and dozens of Los Angeles lewd conduct complaints — the Los Angeles Police Department has finally apprehended the notorious “Red Car Flasher.”

24-year-old Luis Bucio-Cedeno faces 19 criminal counts, including child annoying, sexual battery, lewd conduct in Los Angeles, and indecent exposure. Bucio-Cedeno allegedly victimized 11 people, and he is on a no-bail hold.

According to a lieutenant for the LAPD, Paul Vernon, “after two years, dozens of sightings, several composite sketches, we got our break in February … Putting the case together was truly a team effort among detectives and police officers across three San Fernando Valley police divisions.”