Punishment

Published on: April 21, 2013

Oh Man, That’s Not Good: Really Sad Los Angeles Lewd Conduct News

This blog is devoted to Los Angeles lewd conduct news. But, for whatever reason, we’ve been reporting on multiple stories out of Idaho, of all places.

The most recent (and extremely sad/depressing) case comes out of Idaho Falls, where a 57-year-old man, Viggo Robert Madsen, recently got arrested on charges two counts of lascivious and lewd conduct.

Investigators say that, over the past seven months, Madsen engaged in relationships with two 14-year-old girls.

Published on: April 17, 2013

Not So Petty Theft in Southern California Riles up San Bernardino Residents: Skateboarder Snatches Girl Scout Cookie Money

by Michael Kraut

If you tried to design a Los Angeles petty theft crime that would make you look like a classic “bad guy,” you’d have a hard time beating this guy.

According to NBC Los Angeles, a skateboarder recently stole over $400 worth of cookie money from a local Girl Scout troop that had been stationed outside a grocery store in San Bernardino County. Deputies later stopped and arrested 20-year-old Colin Sawyer, after they saw footage of the theft on NBC4 news.

Girl Scout troop 1303 had been selling cookies outside of a Stater Brothers store in Phelan all day. They were folding up for the day, when the thief snatched their money and took off. A young Girl Scout, who gave her name as Victoria, ran after him. But she fell and got scraped up. She told reporters “My sister put the money on the table, and as fast as he can, he took the money and ran off… my first instinct was to run after him.”

Published on: April 8, 2013

Disturbing Los Angeles Lewd Conduct News: Did CA Doctor Really Try to Meet Up with a 13 Year Old for Sex?

by Michael Kraut

Los Angeles sex crime news can be extremely disconcerting, whether you’re a parent of young children, a concerned citizen, or even a “fellow” Los Angeles lewd conduct defendant.

As we’ve emphasized before on this blog, the spectrum of sex crime defendants is vast. Just because a police officer arrested you at a bathroom for having consensual sexual relations doesn’t mean you’re anywhere “at the same level” as some other sex offenders.

In that context, let’s consider the sad story of 53-year-old hand surgeon, Dr. Raymond Severt, a doctor from Santa Rosa who faces felony charges for texting a local girl sexually explicit messages. According to allegations, he text messaged a 13-year-old girl from nearby Novato and arranged a meeting with her. To his surprise, he wound up meeting up with local police instead, who arrested him and charged him with attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. He also faces a battery of misdemeanors, including attempt to contact a minor with the intent of committing a sexual offense and attempting to annoy or molest a child under age 18.

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 29, 2013

Very Weird Case Out of New York — Will Your Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Case Be As Bizarre?

by Michael Kraut

Even “straightforward” Los Angeles Medicare fraud schemes often become surprisingly dynamic.

Perhaps you and an associate billed the state or federal government for wheelchairs that you never delivered to patients. Or maybe you constructed a scheme to collect Social Security numbers and patient data and then use that information to purchase pharmaceuticals to sell to a third market supplier.

Even the most carefully wrought, well-protected plans have a funny way of coming undone and leading to surprises not only for investigators but also for defendants themselves.

Published on: March 25, 2013

Ridiculous Los Angeles Petty Theft News: Lemur Theft Played Out “Like a Bad Disney Movie”

by Michael Kraut

In all likelihood, your Los Angeles petty theft charges are pretty dry and mundane.

Maybe you shoplifted some clothes or jewelry from an open market shop in Venice Beach or the Promenade; or maybe you accrued a petty theft charge on top of other charges, like robbery, assault, and fraud.

You understand that your situation is serious: you need a good Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to help you solve your mess and move on with your life.

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 14, 2013

Time is Running Out to Build Your Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Defense

by Michael Kraut

Not to alarm you, but every second that ticks by, your Los Angeles lewd conduct defense gets harder and harder.

Whether police arrested you for fornicating in a bathroom on a Santa Monica beach, or you have been investigated for internet-related Los Angeles sex crime charges, time is against you. This ticking clock ticks down in a non-linear fashion, too. That’s an important and poorly appreciated point.

Let’s explore this further — you need to understand this.

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: March 6, 2013

Fighting Medicare Fraud in Los Angeles Pays Off, Big Time, for Federal Government

by Michael Kraut

A new study shows that the federal government’s vigorous campaign against Medicare fraud in Los Angeles and beyond is paying off — big time.

Over the last three years, the government has returned $7.90 for every $1 invested into the anti-fraud mission. This marks the highest ever return for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program, a nearly two decade old program, and federal officials are crowing about the numbers. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of Health & Human Services, said “our historic effort to take on the criminals who steal from Medicare and Medicaid is paying off. We are gaining the upper hand in our fight against healthcare fraud.”

The antifraud initiative is a collaboration between the Department of Justice and HHS. The Obama administration has lent lots of help to soup up this program and deliver more results. Over the past four years, federal officials recovered nearly $15 billion from scam artists, executives, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, vendors, and others who masterminded or acted complicit with fraudulent schemes. That’s nearly double the amount recovered over the previous four-year period.