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Criminal Law

LA Criminal Defense Blog

Commentary, News, and Tips About Criminal Law
By Steven Rodriguez

Post Frequency: 1.5/day

Last Entry: October 05, 2009 at 07:26:31

Former LA Rams Tony Zendejas to Stand Trial for Rape

Posted on October 24, 2008
In an emotionally charged courtroom filled with his family and friends, former Los Angeles Rams kicker Tony Zendejas was recently ordered to stand trail on four counts of felony rape and sodomy at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing. The unnamed victim testified that Zendejas gave her two drugged drinks when she and friends visited his [...

The LAPD and Solicitation

Posted on October 22, 2008
Solicitation, also known as Solicitation for Prostitution, is the act of directing or asking someone to exchange money for sexual activity, as defined under Section 647(b) of the California Penal Code. A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly trying to force women he met while on duty to have sex with him, law [...

Craigslist Ad Lures Decoys to Robbery Site

Posted on October 22, 2008
It was like that scene in the 1999 movie The Thomas Crown Affair where dozens of identical bowler-topped, trenchcoat-wearing, briefcase-carrying decoys confuse art museum security guards while the master crook walks out with a priceless painting. Only this time the setting was the small-town streets of Monroe, Washington, just northeast of Seattle...

Will Economic Troubles Increase Crime Rate?

Posted on October 20, 2008
Financial desperation often leads to desperate acts. In California, an unemployed money manager lost a fortune and killed his family in a tragic murder-suicide. In Ohio, a 90-year-old widow shot herself as deputies arrived to evict her from her home of 38 years...

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Disturbing Crime at UCLA

Posted on October 20, 2008
A former member of UCLA’s staff pleaded guilty last week to a disturbing theft crime involving donated body parts. The former chief of UCLA’s cadaver program pleaded guilty Friday for his role in selling donated body parts to medical, drug and research companies in a scheme that netted up to $1 million...

Which Prevents More Drug Crimes, Treatment or Jail?

Posted on October 17, 2008
Incarceration appears to be a more effective deterrent to drug crime than treatment, according to a study of Proposition 36 recently released by UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior...

Dealing With Police Errors

Posted on October 17, 2008
Every Los Angeles criminal defense attorney has faced police errors, either in the not following proper procedure, fudging paper work or some other mistake that enables the attorney to help his/her client beat the charges. Not every error is done with malice, but Los Angeles criminal attorneys with a keen eye for detail can be [...

Expungement and Record Sealing: The Importance of Criminal Defense Attorneys

Posted on October 15, 2008
Criminal charges usually carry more than just jail time; they carry consequences that far outlive jail time. This makes the possibility of the expungement of past offenses an important step for many people. For example, California regulators have announced emergency measures to investigate the criminal backgrounds of all registered nurses in the state, days after [...

A Tale of Two Lawyers

Posted on October 15, 2008
Recently I blogged about my nephew’s frightening experience with the court system. A couple of beers with his high school friends before going off to college turned into a nightmare when he was stopped for DUI by a no-nonsense Virginia cop. (See our Oct...

Sex Crimes in Los Angeles

Posted on October 13, 2008
One of the most serious crimes on the books is a sexual offense, because of the impact to the victim and the convicted. Sexual crimes and child sexual abuse are among the most devastating of crimes. Through their criminal acts, sex crime and child sexual abuse offenders can inflict severe physical, emotional, and psychological trauma on [...

What Is a Criminal Appeal?

Posted on October 13, 2008
After Alan Shore makes his weekly impassioned speech to the jury on Boston Legal, somewhere between the foreman’s reading of the always favorable verdict and the tears and hugs of the newly freed defendant, the plaintiff’s angry lawyer usually shouts, “Your Honor, We will appeal!” So what is an appeal and how does it work? Essentially, [...

Jail or College? A Skilled Attorney Made All the Difference

Posted on October 10, 2008
If it weren’t for the experience and skill of his attorney, my 18-year-old nephew could be sitting behind bars instead of in a college classroom today. My nephew’s not a bad kid; in fact, he’s a great kid. But like most barely 18-year-olds he doesn’t always make great choices...

Fatal DUI in California

Posted on October 09, 2008
A tour bus carrying people to a Casino in Northern California crashed, killing eight people and sending dozens to area hospitals. Patrol officers believe the bus owner was Daniel Cobb, 68, who died in the crash. The accident happened in early October...

Stalking a Los Angeles Laker

Posted on October 08, 2008
An El Segundo woman has been charged with stalking Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton. The woman was arrested after she pulled up to his car and pretended to fire gunshots at him with her hand. She pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of stalking...

Drug Abuse May Have Contributed to Fatal Bus Crash

Posted on October 08, 2008
Drugs may have contributed to Sunday’s tragic bus crash that killed 8 people and injured 30 en route to a Sacramento gambling casino. The 52-year-old driver of the charter bus, Quintin Watts, was arrested in his hospital bed earlier this week on the suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs...

Murder and Marijuana

Posted on October 06, 2008
Marijuana clinics in California are controversial, as the State of California has legalized medical marijuana and the federal government has not. There are multiple cases of federal law enforcement authorities arresting employees at marijuana clinics which the state of California recognizes as legal...

AG Brown Goes After Prescription Drug Addicts

Posted on October 06, 2008
Prescription drug abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that 20% to 30% of California’s drug abusers are addicted to prescription drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 48 million Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons...

Hit and Run Can Lead to Loss of License

Posted on October 03, 2008
Hit and run (see yesterday’s post) is a good way to get tagged as a “negligent operator” by the California DMV. Traffic convictions can cause violation points to be counted against your driver’s license. Every time you accumulate a violation point on your driving record, you get one step closer to having your driving privileges [...

NY Mets Pitcher Caught in Fatal Hit and Run

Posted on October 02, 2008
Troubled Mets relief pitcher Ambiorix Burgos struck and killed two women in a hit-and-run accident in the Dominican Republic, cops told a local paper. Burgos, 24, who missed the entire season with an elbow injury, was driving a 2009 Hummer that hit the two women near his north coast hometown of Nagua...

Internet Sites May Be Pedaling Prostitution, Not Companionship

Posted on October 01, 2008
Many people don’t think much about flirting in internet chat rooms on companionship sites, but take it to the next level and you could wind up charged with prostitution, solicitation or pandering (pimping). The lack of actual face time typical of internet liaisons seems to be an invitation to lie — about height, weight, interests, marital [...

Identity Thieves Targeting Children

Posted on September 29, 2008
With the prevalence of identity theft, adults have become wary about providing personal information over the phone, on the internet and at stores. But few worry about someone stealing their children’s identity. Children don’t carry ID or have bank accounts or credit cards or jobs...

Will Criminals Receive Due Process If Marsy’s Law Passes?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Victims’ rights are a hot political issue in California this election. Proponents of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law and the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, say it will give crime victims the same rights as accused and convicted criminals (see our Sept...

Fire Arm Laws

Posted on September 25, 2008
There are a variety of weapons charges, some seem strange, but law enforcement take those charges very seriously. One such weapon charge is being arrested for using an imitation fire arm. California Penal Code 417.2 covers imitation fire arms, and these charges come with serious consequences...

Embezzlement, A Growing Crime

Posted on September 24, 2008
America’s economy is in a state of flux, and many investigations have begun into the seemingly underhanded financial deals that have gone on, particularly in the mortgage industry. While the media has been paying attention to Wall Street, Los Angeles criminal attorneys know that smaller embezzlement infractions have happened in smaller towns as well...

Marsy’s Law Would Give Crime Victims Equal Rights

Posted on September 24, 2008
Crime victims advocates, law enforcement leaders and numerous politicians have united in support of California Proposition 9, also called Marsy’s Law. If approved by voters on the November ballot, the ”Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of 2008″ will provide crime victims with the same constitutional rights as accused and convicted criminals...

California Leads National Decrease in Drunk Driving Stats

Posted on September 22, 2008
California posted the greatest decrease in drunken driving deaths last year according to data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nationwide alcohol-related traffic fatalities decreased by 4% from 2006 with fatality rates falling in 32 states...

Los Angeles Shootings Raise Concerns

Posted on September 20, 2008
Recent events in Los Angeles have raised concerns both in regard to the safety of certain areas of Los Angeles and the ease with which people are able to get weapons and use them for assault. On September 19th, a 12-year-old girl and a 19-year-old former student were shot and wounded at a high school in an [...

Does Incarceration in Coalinga Violate Inmates Rights?

Posted on September 19, 2008
It looks like hundreds of shopping malls scattered across California. There’s a barbershop, post office, library, dentist’s office and cafe. If it weren’t for the Orwellian khaki uniforms and armed guards, it could be a mall in any town in California...

Texting May Have Caused L.A. Train Wreck that Killed 25

Posted on September 17, 2008
Authorities now suspect that the train collision that killed 25 Los Angeles commuters last week was caused by the engineer’s inattention while he was using his cell phone to text message friends. Federal investigators have determined that there were no obstructions on the track and that signals were working properly...

Legalized Prostitution in California?

Posted on September 15, 2008
San Francisco, one of America’s leading cities in terms of pushing the legal envelope, has a proposition on its most recent ballot that would decriminalize prostitution - by prohibiting the city from arresting prostitutes ? which will allegedly make it easier for sex workers to report violence to the police and improve public health...

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