The Challenge
Our client, a real estate agent, came under investigation after an insurance company suspected that a house fire had been set to collect on a claim. The District Attorney’s investigation expanded and found a pattern of fire-related claims. He was arrested and charged with conspiracy (Penal Code 182) involving forged and falsely recorded grant deeds (Penal Code 115 and 470), mortgage fraud (Penal Code 532f), and grand theft of more than $1 million (Penal Code 487). A loss that size also brings the aggravated white collar enhancement under Penal Code 186.11, which adds years to any sentence. The prosecution wanted prison. But many of the transactions were years old, and that raised the fraud statute of limitations.
Our Strategy
We went through the charges count by count and checked the dates. Fraud charges in California generally must be filed within four years of when the fraud was discovered. Several counts fell outside that window. We filed detailed motions on each one, and the court dismissed several counts as time-barred. With the case narrowed, we negotiated the remaining counts and argued for a sentence that kept our client at home. The case resolved with house arrest instead of state prison.
The Result
CHARGES REDUCED — HOUSE ARREST INSTEAD OF PRISON TIME
Your Case Belongs at the Southwest Justice Center.
Your Defense Belongs Here.
If you were arrested in Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Winchester, or French Valley, your future will likely be decided at the Southwest Justice Center (SWJC) on Auld Road. In these courtrooms, local knowledge is the ultimate advantage. Since 1999, Nic Cocis has been a weekly fixture in the SWJC, appearing before the same judges and negotiating with the same Riverside County prosecutors for over 25 years. We don’t just know the law — we know the specific nuances, procedural quirks, and judicial tendencies of the Southwest District. Whether you are facing a felony or a misdemeanor, you need a firm that treats the Southwest Justice Center as its home turf.
