Los Angeles Warrants

Published on: June 24, 2013

Busted for Healthcare Fraud in Los Angeles? How Does Your Case Compare to That of These Two Las Vegas Women?

Your Los Angeles healthcare fraud charges are pretty severe. You could wind up paying massive fines and restitution as well as serving a big stint behind bars.

But how does your case stack up against this one?

48-year-old Sandra Little (of Reno) and 65-year-old Susan Hill (of Las Vegas) recently pled guilty to defrauding Nevada’s Medicaid program out of about $1 million. Hill pled guilty to one count of money laundering and one count of healthcare fraud. Little pled guilty to 10 money laundering counts and 28 healthcare fraud counts. The U.S. Attorney for Nevada, Daniel Bogden, emphasized that the federal government “will vigorously prosecute persons who cheat and steal from federally funded programs … everyone suffers when programs designed to help persons in need are defrauded.”

Published on: May 13, 2013

Lewd Conduct in Los Angeles Charges? 4 Actions Can Torpedo Your Case…

by Michael Kraut

If you’ve recently been investigated or arrested for lewd conduct in Los Angeles, you’re likely feeling terrified, overwhelmed, and isolated.

In this fraught state, odds are high that you will make one of the following 4 errors that could make your situation much more painful, legally complicated, and generally annoying. Read this article to “inoculate” yourself from these mistakes.

Mistake #1. Taking no action.

Published on: April 1, 2013

Los Angeles Petty Theft Cases Can Get Quite Strange. (But This Story Out of Wisconsin Has to be One of the Strangest Yet of 2013)

by Michael Kraut

Los Angeles petty theft cases are often curious — not just because of the legal complexities and the “drama” — but also because of the fascinating “stuff” people choose to steal.

For instance, in 2012, it suddenly became very popular for people to steal bottles of Tide and then sell the detergent on the black market.

Because of the diversity of items that people steal — and the diversity of schemes pulled off — every theft defense case is different.

Published on: March 18, 2013

Not a Good Situation: 35-year-old Mom Hit with Nearly a Dozen Lewd Conduct Charges and Could Face Life Behind Bars

by Michael Kraut

The trickiest things about facing a Los Angeles lewd conduct charge (or sex crime charge anywhere) is breaking the news to friends and family.

A criminal charge is always embarrassing and unpleasant to discuss. But some charges are worse than others. Consider, for instance, the very serious charges facing 35-year-old Courtney Reschke. She stands accused of making illegal sexual contact with eight different teenage boys. All told, she faces 20 criminal counts, including 11 lewd conduct charges. In the state of Idaho, a lewd conduct charge with a minor can be punished by a lifetime behind bars.

Here’s the sordid story, courtesy a local Idaho TV station, KBOI.

Published on: March 11, 2013

Yuck. Were Your Los Angeles Sex Crime Charges as Disturbing as This Teacher’s?

by Michael Kraut

Whether you were arrested in a Manhattan Beach bathroom on lewd conduct charges or charged with some other sex crime in Los Angeles, you nevertheless still think of yourself as a pretty decent guy (or girl) who made a misjudgment.

You almost certainly resent being categorized among other more serious sex offenders. To that end, you want to do everything possible, legally speaking, to prevent the “sex offender” label from following you around forever, a la the scarlet letter A on Hester Prinne’s chest.

That drive makes sense. After all, consider this Southern California lewd conduct case (that’s equal parts sad and disturbing) as an object lesson.

Published on: February 27, 2013

Analysis of Two Instructive Los Angeles Theft Cases

by Michael Kraut

If you stand accused of a charge like grand theft or petty theft in Los Angeles, pay attention to the following analysis of two recent news stories: their lessons could prove valuable as you construct your defense.

Our first case concerns 36-year-old Veronica Niko of Lancaster, who recently pled guilty to Los Angeles identity theft and tax fraud in federal court. The former L.A. County worker allegedly stole $357,000; she could face 15 years behind bars. The Internal Revenue Service accuses Niko of stealing the SSN numbers and names of 64 people while working for the City of Lancaster. She then used that information to submit false refund claims to the Internal Revenue Service. Niko conspired with her husband and three other people, two of whom have trials pending. Niko’s husband and one other person have pled guilty to the conspiracy charges, and both await sentencing.

This real life Los Angeles identity theft case comes at a relatively ironic time — just as Universal Pictures’ “Identity Theft” is hitting the theaters.

Published on: February 20, 2013

What You Must Do Before You Build a Defense to Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Charges

by Michael Kraut

Whether you’ve been charged with Medicare or Medi-Cal fraud in Los Angeles — or any other fraud or white collar crime in Southern California — you’re at high risk of making a vital mistake that could complicate your case before you begin.

That mistake is this: You might fail to identify, with crystalline clarity, exactly what you and your associates did before, during and after the federal or state investigation.

That sounds like a bit strange.

Published on: February 4, 2013

Your Los Angeles Sex Crime Case Is Complex. But Everyone’s Already Painted You as the “Bad Guy” (Or “Bad Girl”)

by Michael Kraut

Los Angeles sex crime defendants often find themselves isolated, even from close family and friends, because of the salacious nature of the allegations.

Whether you stand accused of sending an untoward, sexually-provocative email to a high school student; or whether the police arrested you for soliciting an undercover officer at a bathroom, you’re genuinely scared for your future. Plus, you’re facing a real empathy deficit in your life right now.

It’s not that people close to you have abandoned you, necessarily. But sex crimes in Los Angeles (or anywhere) really touch a nerve with many people, and for good reason.

Published on: January 28, 2013

Disgusting Los Angeles Medicare Fraud News — in More Ways than One!

by Michael Kraut

As a doctor, chiropractor, dentist, or other health provider who has come under investigation for Los Angeles Medicare Fraud, you may be embarrassed by what you did… or by what authorities allege that you did.

But you also likely resent being classified as a criminal. For instance, you probably don’t want to be thought of in the same company as 55-year-old Richard Alan Behnan, a Michigan area podiatrist recently sentenced to 55 months behind bars.

Behnan recently pled guilty in U.S. District Court to masterminding and executing a $1.6 million scam to fraudulently bill Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare.

Published on: January 8, 2013

After You’ve Been Arrested/Investigated for Medicare Fraud in Los Angeles: Like Waking from a Dream

by Michael Kraut

Getting charged with Los Angeles Medicare fraud can change your life — and not in a good way (but not necessarily in a totally bad way, either!)

Defendants often go through a period of epiphany or powerful reflection after being accused. This can be disconcerting. If you’ve recently been arrested — or if you know or care about someone who has been charged — you probably recognize symptoms, such as:

• Sudden dismay and regret regarding years of actions;