Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Published on: August 26, 2013

Major Los Angeles Drug Raid – Mexican Mafia Crackdown One of Biggest Crime Raids in L.A. County History

Reporters have called it “one of the largest single crackdowns on organized crime in L.A. County history” — on August 6th, local authorizes from multiple agencies cracked down on the Los Angeles drug crime trade created by the Mexican Mafia prison gang.

The raid collected almost $20 million in methamphetamines (600 pounds’ worth!) and led to the arrest of eight people – alleged members of the Mexican Mafia or “La Familia.” Police nabbed a cache of firearms and handguns. According to reports, the gang members had been coordinating a drug running operation known mysteriously as “The Project.” The idea was that members would supply meth all over Southern California in exchange for protection in jail and safety on the streets.

U.S. Attorney André Birotte, Jr. summarized what happened: “our joint efforts have helped disrupt a plot that could have flooded literally our neighborhoods with tons of methamphetamines and other narcotics… we have put an end to an alignment of criminal organizations that would have been unprecedented.”

In related news, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) indicted 31 gang members with charges such as aiding and abetting, drug offences, conspiracy, beyond – all 31 people face life behind bars without chance of parole.

A large scale bust on the Mexican mafia in Los Angeles County is not without precedent. Back in 2007, authorities arrested and charged 100 alleged gang members, five of whom got sentenced to life in jail without parole.

Putting Your Los Angeles Drug Crime Charges in Perspective
If you were arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, conspiracy, or even a basket of drug charges, you know that the law takes these cases very seriously. Among the punishments you could face include: jail time, fines and fees, the loss of your license, probation terms, and beyond. You may also face multiple counts, which means that your punishments could stack up on each other.

Executing a Sound Los Angeles Criminal Defense Strategy

Crafting a good defense is non-intuitive work.

Ideally, you want to find an attorney who has real world, practical knowledge working on both sides of the law – as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney – with a demonstrated record of success in each capacity.

Attorney Michael Kraut with the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. has those unique qualifications. He served for 14 plus years as a high level prosecutor (rising to the level of Senior Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles), and has since built a thriving, successful criminal defense firm, the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc.. Connect with Mr. Kraut and his team today to schedule a free, confidential consultation about your defense options.

Published on: August 22, 2013

Los Angeles Drug Arrest News – Tulisa (X Factor Judge) and Jenelle Evans (Teen Mom) Are Both in Legal Hot Water Over Drug Charges

by Michael Kraut

Do you face Los Angeles drug charges, such as illegal possession, distribution, or conspiracy?

If so, you can probably relate to the plights of two female reality starts: Tulisa Contostavlos (former X Factor judge) and Jenelle Evans, (star of the reality show, Teen Mom).

Tulisa — who won fame as a singer (“We Are Young”) — got busted in June for providing an undercover reporter with a Class A drug. Mike GLC, a fellow musician, was arrested with her.

Per the Sun, a British newspaper, the 25 year-old Tulisa was caught on camera hooking up an undercover journalist with a purported drug dealer at London’s Dorchester Hotel. The deal was reportedly worth 820 pounds. Tulisa has tried to duck out of the limelight. But Mike GLC vocally denied being a drug dealer and claimed that all the negative attention from the case was “ruining [his] life.”

Meanwhile, back across The Pond, Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans returned to jail after she failed a drug test. Evans got hit with an intense array of charges, including assault and heroin possession. Her sentence: 18 months of unsupervised probation.

The star of Teen Mom 2 — which apparently is now in jeopardy of being cancelled by MTV — has been through the ringer, legally speaking. In May, she failed to show up at a court hearing pursuant to charges that she had cyber-stalked an ex-boyfriend. She had to pay a $1,000 bond and turn herself in.

She later claimed on her blog that she made a simple scheduling mistake. She wrote: “at 9 AM I get a text from my lawyer telling me “make sure your [sic] at court at 9.30 AM.” As soon as I see that text, my heart dropped out of my a**! I responded with, “Do I have to be there?” Because sometimes I don’t have to be there… he responded with “they’re holding the case open until you get here.”

But she didn’t make it in time and wound up with a “failure to appear” charge.

Do You Face Los Angeles Drug Crime Charges?

Whether you got booked for selling marijuana in Burbank, or you face a more complicated set of charges, you can leverage a variety of defenses. To learn about your Los Angeles drug crime defense options – to develop a strategy to move beyond the arrest and get your life back – talk to Harvard Law School educated ex-prosecutor Michael Kraut now.

Mr. Kraut is a highly reputable, resourceful, and aggressive attorney who has lots of personal connections in the Southern California legal 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 Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. 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 Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. 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: August 13, 2013

Southern California Medicare Fraud News: Son Blows Whistle on Dad’s Company, Could Get Slice of $1 Million Settlement

by Michael Kraut

What makes a Los Angeles Medicare fraud story newsworthy?

• Is it the sheer amount of fraud involved?
• Is it the number of people allegedly harmed by deception?
• Is it the stress that the case puts both on the Medicare system and on the court system?
• Is it the elaborateness of the Rube Goldberg machinations that doctors, caregivers, and other collaborators use to bend or break the system’s rules?

These elements surely help determine what’s “intriguing” or not about Southern California Medicare fraud cases.

But there’s another key element: DRAMA.

After all, we live in the heart of the entertainment industry. Angelinos appreciate compelling, emotionally riveting stories.

In that context, consider a Medicare fraud case just settled up in White Plains, New York. It concerns a company called Park Avenue Medical Associates. At the heart of the case is a family feud between a father and son.

Michael Wolfson, a founder of Park Avenue and its Chief Medical Officer, must have been devastated when he learned that his son, Zachary Wolfson, blew the whistle on him and his associates. The crime, allegedly? Submitting an enormous number of bogus claims for reimbursement.

For instance, the company charged Medicare for psychiatric services for patients with advanced dementia – who could never have benefited from the services! According to Zachary’s accusations – which were supported by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney – the company often failed to adhere to Medicare rules and also billed for unnecessary services.

Since Zachary Wolfson blew the whistle under the False Claims Act, he will be entitled to a sum of the cash settlement that Park Avenue offered to end the legal drama.

News reports have speculated on the intriguing dynamic between Zachary and his father. What went wrong in the company and why? The internal family and company politics may be forever opaque to news sources – and perhaps it should be.

This bring up an important point: the psychological and financial motivations that compel people to commit healthcare fraud, insurance fraud, or other Southern California white collar crimes often are complex. The news likes to paint certain defendants as “bad guys” and talk about them in black and white terms.

Here’s the reality.

People who get involved in fraud schemes are not inherently evil. Rather, their motivations often come from needs not met, such as needs for fair compensation, autonomy, power, and so forth.

The point is that, if you or someone you love stands accused of a similar crime, you need a thorough defense. Trust attorney Michael Kraut of Los Angeles’s Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc., to provide a free and thorough consultation about your options. Mr. Kraut is a Harvard Law School educated ex-prosecutor who wracked up a very impressive 99+% rate at jury trials as a prosecutor.

Published on: August 8, 2013

What’s the Right Punishment for 16 DUIs in Burbank – 99 Years or 2 Years Behind Bars?

by Michael Kraut

You just got a Burbank DUI. Maybe it was your first. Perhaps it was your second. Hopefully (fingers crossed) it wasn’t your third or fourth. But odds are, you’re at least still in the single digits.

What happens if someone gets 16 DUIs within a lifetime? What should the appropriate punishment be?

Surprise, surprise, this horrendous situation has happened more than one time in history. The courts have found very different ways of punishing the situation.

Consider first the case of James Steven Corley, a resident of Conroe, Alabama, who was stopped by a Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy on August 28th, after an officer saw the 52-year-old weaving in and out of traffic – while driving with a broken taillight, no less.

The officer pulled Corley over, and then a second deputy put him through the paces of a field sobriety test. (Burbank field sobriety tests typically include roadside “quizzes” such as: touch your finger to nose while keeping your eyes closed; count backwards from 100 by 3s; stand on one leg; walk the painted line, etc.)

Corley failed the FST, but his BAC level was somewhere between 0.05% and 0.1% — for reference, the limit for Burbank DUI, per CVC Section 23152, is 0.08%. So he wasn’t “that” under the influence, if he was at all. However, there was some additional “stuff” going on. First of all, he had taken prescription medication, which amplified his incapacity. Secondly, he had just allegedly assaulted and burglarized his girlfriend, and he was running away from her.

In any event, the court had enough of Corley and whacked him with a 99-year prison sentence for his 16th DUI.

Meanwhile, 60-year-old Robert Groethe recently racked up his 16th conviction (his first happened way back in 1977). Stunningly, 11 of 16 of his convictions were felonies. In June 2012, he smashed into a car near a casino in Rapid City, South Dakota. Tests revealed that he had a BAC level over thrice the legal limit, and he destroyed nearly $3,000 worth of property. Stunningly, however, due to quirks of South Dakota law, Groethe got away with just a two year jail sentence with a chance of parole in less than a year.

That’s barely over the maximum penalty for a first time misdemeanor DUI in Burbank, and it could even be more lenient than first time DUI with injury.

This “tale of two 16 DUI stories” isn’t to suggest that one punishment is more appropriate than the other. Rather, it highlights how fluid DUI defense can be. Your punishments – and future – can hinge on an enormously diverse set of factors, including whether this is your first or second time DUI; whether you hurt anyone; and how effective your Burbank DUI attorney is at building a case on your behalf.

Look to the very experienced and highly ethical team here at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. to help put together your defense. Attorney Kraut is a respected ex-prosecutor who has helped many people just like you with their Burbank DUI defenses.

Published on: August 6, 2013

Fascinating Medicare Fraud Case: Cincinnati Doctor Sued For $11 Million in Unnecessary Surgery, but Dr. Durrani Vigorously Denies Charges

by Michael Kraut

Medicare fraud cases in Southern California (and elsewhere) can start to sound pretty similar to one another, especially if you report on these crimes month after month, year after year, as we’ve done on this blog.

But every once in a while, a riveting, different kind of story bursts through and merits extended commentary.

Recently, prosecutors charged Dr. Atiq Durrani with unfairly billing Medicare to the tune of $11 million for surgeries he performed between February 2010 and January 2013. Prosecutors say that these surgeries were not medically necessary for patients. They also hit him with healthcare fraud charges and charges for making false statements.

Published on: August 1, 2013

What’s the Highest Long Beach DUI BAC Level Ever Recorded?

by Michael Kraut

As your blood alcohol concentration goes up, your likelihood of DUI in Long Beach increases.

But what are the record BAC levels?

If you’ve had any alcohol education, you’re probably familiar with the general classifications. If your BAC is over 0.08%, you’re considered DUI under Long Beach law, and you can be charged and convicted of a misdemeanor. As a result, you can lose your license for a year; lose your freedom temporarily; and pay significant court costs and fines.

As your BAC level goes up, your risk increases, and your ability to drive (or do any task) degrades. If you’re substantially over the limit – BAC of 0.25%, for instance – prosecutors can hit you with extra charges, even if it’s only your first time.

Above a BAC of 0.30%, you have to worry not just about punishments but also about your health. The human body can only take so much alcohol before the system starts to shut down and acute alcohol poisoning wreaks havoc. A BAC of 0.50% can often lead to death or brain damage.

But there have been people who have had BACs way above that number. Some have even lived to tell the tale.

For instance, according to list compiled by Coed.com (not exactly Reuters, but this isn’t a scholarly journal article), a Bulgarian man went to the hospital after getting into a serious car accident. Physicians noticed a smell incredibly like alcohol. They gave him a breathalyzer, which recorded an astonishing 0.914% BAC.

Meanwhile, in France, another man got into a serious crash in Bourg-en-Bresse and tested to have a BAC of 0.976%. That’s over 10 times the Long Beach DUI limit! Amazingly, all he lost was his license and €150 – at a BAC level where most people would have lost their lives.

The all-time “prize” goes to a man from Wroclaw, Poland, who crashed his car after “beer bonging” pure grain alcohol. Actually, the car he drove wasn’t his – he stole it from his work. Investigators tested and found that his BAC was an astonishing 1.48%. More than 1/100th of the man’s blood was pure alcohol! He did survive the crash initially, but he ultimately succumbed to injuries that he sustained. Perhaps all that alcohol weakened his immune system.

Two other BAC levels above 1% have been recorded in Poland. A man was found half naked on the streets while temperatures were below 10 degrees Celsius. He had a BAC of 1.024%, but he somehow survived everything! Another man in Skierniewice, Poland survived a DUI accident, despite having a BAC of 1.02%.

For assistance with your Long Beach DUI case, connect with the team here at the Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc. today for serious, thoughtful and experienced insight with your case.

Published on: July 31, 2013

Los Angeles Healthcare Fraud Scheme Was Big, But Strike Force Took Him Down

by Michael Kraut

The annals of Los Angeles healthcare fraud are filled with astonishing tales. As an expose in Los Angeles Weekly recently described in vivid detail, con artists, tricksters and “good doctors turned to bad” have engaged in diverse shenanigans to pilfer funds from the federal government’s coffers.

But few schemes hold a candle to an operation developed by Dr. Jacques Roy, a physician who operated a “boiler room” in Dallas, Texas that prosecutors say amounted to a $375 million scam.

According to Assistant Attorney General, Lanny Breuer, the 54-year-old Dr. Roy and his coconspirators, for years, ran a well oiled fraudulent enterprise in the Dallas area. They made their millions by recruiting thousands of patients for unnecessary services and then billing Medicare for those services.

Published on: July 29, 2013

Yet Another Guilty Verdict in a Major Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Case (This Time, for $1.5 Million)

by Michael Kraut

A federal jury just convicted 49-year-old Godwin Onyeabor and two confederates of scheming to defraud Medicare in Los Angeles to the tune of $1.5 million.

Onyeabor, who had been working for a San Bernardino company, Fendih Medical Supply Inc., paid kickbacks to another doctor and healthcare professional to write fake prescriptions for power wheelchairs and other medical equipment.

Onyeabor’s scheme lasted from 2007 to 2012; he billed Medicare for fraudulent claims totaling $1.5 million. Medicare paid out almost $1 million of that money.