The Challenge
A Menifee husband and wife were charged with four felony counts of insurance fraud under Penal Code § 550 after allegedly reporting their car stolen and filing a claim. Each felony count carried up to five years in custody, and both faced significant jail time. For the husband, any felony conviction would have meant the immediate loss of his TSA-vetted security credential — and with it, his job.
Our Strategy
We focused on the stakes for the family — the husband’s career and the couple’s lack of any criminal history — and on showing the prosecution that felony records and jail were disproportionate to the conduct. Through negotiation, every felony count was dismissed against both clients. The husband resolved his case with an infraction — a citation-level offense that is not a crime and does not affect his credential — and the wife with a misdemeanor. Both paid a modest fine, and neither served any time in custody.
The Result
CHARGES REDUCED
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.
