Punishment

Published on: December 16, 2008

Britney Spears Husband in Jail for Probabtion Violation on Los Angeles DUI case

While Britney Spears is having a great time traveling around Los Angeles and Southern California, he first husband, Jason Alexander, has been sentenced to jail time for a probation violation in his Los Angeles DUI case. He was represented by a Los Angeles and Southern California DUI defense attorney, who reached a great plea bargain in the case. However, Mr. Alexander did not comply with the terms of probation and now he has been sentenced to jail time.

You may remember Jason was the young man from her home town that Britney married in Las Vegas for a grand total of 55 hours in 2004. Pressure from the world led to a quick divorce for the two, but not before Mr. Alexander became world famous over night.

In 2006, Jason Alexander was stopped for a DUI investigation in Los Angeles and later pled guilty, and was placed on probation with strict terms and conditions. The 27 year-old was sentenced to 10 days of jail time for failing to attend 2 court ordered meetings at the Los Angeles County Morgue as part of his DUI conviction.

Along with his other terms of probation, Jason was also ordered to take alcohol education classes. Mr. Alexander will be back in court on February 2, 2009 to see the judge again.

Published on: December 14, 2008

Los Angeles Academy Award Winning Screenwriter Charged with DUI Death

by Michael Kraut

An Academy Award winning screenwriter was criminally charged with the DUI death in near Los Angeles. Roger Avary, the writer of “Pulp Fiction” was charged with manslaughter in the death that resulted from his Southern California DUI almost a year ago.

After completing a full and thorough investigation of all of the facts, law enforcement charged the Ojai resident. Avary pled not guilty to the charges of vehicular manslaughter. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department officials stated that Avary was driving drunk and his car slid into a telephone pole fatally injuring a passenger, Andreas Zini, who was visiting from Italy. Avary’s wife was thrown from the car and received sever injuries, but survived.

The prosecution could have filed the more sever charge of “Watson Murder” for the DUI death. Apparently, Avary hired a Los Angeles pre-filing DUI defense attorney. By doing so, facts and other information can be brought to the attention of law enforcement resulting in a more clear refined case being filed, sparing Avary a life behind bar.

Published on: December 5, 2008

Los Angeles Sees an End to the OJ Simpson Saga as OJ is Sentenced to Prison

by Michael Kraut

The verdict that was heard around Los Angeles and Southern California ended today with the judge sentencing OJ Simpson to serious prison time. The jury returned verdicts for the robbery at a casino near the Sunset Strip, in Las Vegas.

Oddly enough, the man who captivated a world during the “trial of the century,” was no longer being idolized. Today one of Las Vegas’ toughest judges sentenced 61 year-old Simpson to a maximum of 33 years in prison. However, he will be eligible to be released on parole in as little as 9 years.

This case ended with verdict exactly 13 years to the date that the Los Angeles jury acquitted Simpson of the double murder of his wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Feelings around of satisfaction rang clear from San Bernardino to Orange County to Long Beach. The general feeling in that the imprisonment of OJ was a long time coming.

A multi-cultural reaction of both African Americans and whites seemed to be almost universally satisfied with the verdict. Most felt that justice was served to Simpson, if not for this crime alone, then for the double murders in 1994.

The case that lead to his prison sentence involved a failed robbery attempt to get sports memorabilia that may or may not have belonged to Simpson. In 2007, Simpson and some of his friends brought weapons and a bad attitude to a hotel room where much of the activities were caught on audio and video recordings. Simpson denied there was a gun, but the evidence and jury disagreed.

Appeals will be filed, but for the next 9 years, Simpson will be in custody, most likely in solitary confinement for his safety.

Published on: December 3, 2008

DUI Arrests In Los Angeles For The Thanksgiving Holiday Were Once Again High

by Michael Kraut

During this past Thanksgiving holiday weekend a total of 8 people were killed in traffic accidents in the greater Los Angeles area. This number, while significant, is the exact same number as last year during the same period. The California Highway Patrol made this report public on Monday after the weekend ended. The CHP reported that one of those killed was pregnant at the time she died.

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While the number of traffic related deaths had not changed, the number of DUI arrests in Los Angeles was up from last year. CHP officers made a total of 331arrests in Los Angeles County, up from 320 arrests last year. This rise is significant because statewide, the total number of DUI arrests was down over last year.

DUI arrests significantly harm those convicted of the charges. Not only do they have to pay high fines and costs, but in many cases, they may loose their jobs, ability to drive, and for he first time, have a criminal record. If you have been arrested or charged with a DUI, Los Angeles DUI defense attorney Michael Kraut will be able to help you.

Published on: November 25, 2008

Huge Shipment Of Marijuana Seized Off The Coast Of Southern California

by Michael Kraut

The United States Coast Guard based out of Newport Beach, California made a gigantic seizure of marijuana off the coast of Southern California this past week. Government sources claim that the pot is worth over $32 million. That could be a lot of medical marijuana. However, the Government asserts that the 9,987-pound seizure off the coast of San Diego was for illegal purposes and was not destined to stock the shelves of medical marijuana dispensaries in California.

This is considered the be the largest marijuana seizure in the history of the Coast Guard in Southern California. Because the marijuana was seized in Mexican waters, the United States does not have jurisdiction to file criminal charges. If our Government in fact does file the criminal charges, then there are numerous defenses in a case of this type and the pilot of the boat should be looking to hire a Los Angeles and Southern California Marijuana defense attorney.

Apparently, the Coast Guard was on routine patrol when they spotted a boat about 100 miles off the coast acting in a suspicious manner. The trained eyes of the Government noticed that the ship was traveling very slow, until the sun began to go down and then the vessel sped up. This caused the Coast Guard to think that something was a miss. The fact that the boat did not use lights made them think the boat was a drug runner. The Coast Guard then tried to stop the vessel based upon their suspicion. Often times, the Government incorrectly stop individuals with out reasonable suspicion. Without the assistance of a top notch Southern California Marijuana defense attorney, individuals who would normally go free, are wrongfully convicted. That is why it is so important for anyone arrested or under investigation for a marijuana crime to immediately hire a Los Angeles pre-filing criminal defense attorney to protect their rights.

Then the chase was on. For over 3 miles the Coast Guard attempted to stop the vessel like a scene from Miami Vice, the captain began to through bails of pot over board.

The Coast Guard was prevented from pursuing the vessel in Mexican waters so they passed the information on to their counter parts int he Mexican Navy. While the Mexican Navy did their thing, the Coast Guard went back and picked up 136 bails of pot.

Published on: November 16, 2008

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Admits That More Than 5,600 Rape Kits Have Not Been Tested

by Michael Kraut

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has admitted to the County Board of Supervisors that they have failed to test over 5,600 rape kits with evidence of sexual assaults and other crimes. However, those same officials also state that they are not sure of the total number of kits that have gone untested. The reason they do not know the exact number is that smaller cities and towns contract with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to test their rape kits and they have not reported the number of their untested items. Recently, the LAPD admitted to the failure to test in excess of 7,000 rape kits that they have in their possession.

The real fear is that if the tests have not been completed within 10 years of the date of the crime, then the statute of limitations will expire. After ten years, if the criminal is caught, the State may not prosecute the rapist. Therefore, Sheriff’s Department will give priority to the rape kits that are the oldest.

Many people do not know what are in the rape kits, to clarify the contents, I will explain what is often in these kits. As a former senior District Attorney now defending serious crimes, I have learned that these kits often times contain body fluids, finger nail scrapings, DNA and other items used to identify specific individuals.

Once these items are tested and the suspect is identified, then the evidence from the rape kits will be used in a court to prove the identity of the rapist.

Published on: November 10, 2008

Fox News Commentator Arrested for DUI In Los Angeles

by Michael Kraut

Fox News’ own sports commentator, Josh Booty, was arrested in Los Angeles for a DUI. He was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol in the Los Angeles area. He was then transported to the station for booking. During the booking process, Booty became angry. Officers attempted to subdue him by due to his size he was able to resist them. Soon thereafter, he was tasered two times. After the taser was used, he calmed down and the booking process completed.

Booty, 32, was well known as both a standout baseball player where he played for 5 seasons for the Florida Marlins. He then enrolled at LSU and was a star football player. After college he was drafted to play for the NFL Seattle Seahawks and then traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Published on: November 8, 2008

Long Beach Police Investigating 5 Murders in this Southern California City

by Michael Kraut

A homeless encampment in the City of Long Beach was rocked this past weekend when 5 bodies were found murdered. The victims all were homeless people who lived or frequented underneath a busy freeway were shot to death.

One of the major problems is that the first heavy rain of the season may have washed away important evidence from the killings of the three men and two women. The area is not one of the best neighborhoods in the city. Often the area is used for narcotics sales.

Once arrested the suspect(s) will face murder charges and most likely the special circumstances of multiple murder, making the punishment potentially the death penalty. The person or persons who might have committed this crime should hire a Los Angeles Violent Crimes defense attorney. Early retention of an attorney is a must when facing these types of charges. There may viable defenses and witnesses. The longer the delay in hiring an attorney, the greater the chance the evidence will be lost or vanish.

Published on: November 6, 2008

California Attorney General Charges 8 People in White Collar Crimes in San Bernardino

by Michael Kraut

The California Attorney General filed criminal white collar crime charges against 8 people in the Southern California county of San Bernardino. The charges include theft crimes of money laundering, conspiracy, and grand theft stemming out of Redlands, California.

The charges arose out of a scam that has plagued the mortgage industry after so many people in the City of Redlands had trouble making their house payments. Most of the victims responded to a flier which claimed to be able to help lower house payments for those who have been affected by the recent problems in the economy. The company promised to help home owners so that they would not fall into default and loose their properties in foreclosure.

Those individuals charged in the 39 count complaint most likely knew that they were under investigation. Had they hired a San Bernardino County defense attorney familiar with the officials in Redlands, it is possible that the money could have been returned to the victims and no charges would have been filed in return for full restitution. Or in the alternative, the charges would have been minimal any quite possibly no custody time would be imposed. Now all 8 people are facing decades in prison.

The home owners responded to a flier by a fake company called First Gov, also called Foreclosure Prevention Services. Some paid as much as $6,000 to the fake company to assist them in negotiating with the banks to lower their payments. The victims waited but nothing was ever done to assist them and those charged just stole the money.

Published on: November 3, 2008

City of Glendora Gets Over One Million Dollars to Stop DUI

by Michael Kraut

The City of Glendora as well as other Southern California cities will receive the brunt of more then $7 million of grant money from the State to eradicate DUI. Glendora will receive over $1.5 million to add DUI checkpoints as other operations to stop driving while intoxicated in the Southland.

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Two dozen stations managed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will receive millions as well for the same purpose.

If you, or a loved one, is stopped at a DUI checkpoint or stopped for investigation of DUI then contact a Los Angeles and Southern California DUI defense attorney who practices in Glendora to help you.