A multi-agency law enforcement task force investigated a criminal organization which was suspected of stealing over 80 cars (only 40 were recovered), switching the VIN numbers, registering the cars out of state, and then fraudulently re-registering them in California as if it was the first time. The stolen cars were newer models including Audi, Mercedes Benz, Bentley, BMW, and Land Rover. The value of the 40 recovered cars was approximately $1.7 million. Our client was accused of selling several of the stolen cars to unsuspecting buyers — our client plead guilty to 1 out of 24 felony counts and the prosecution dismissed the rest. The client received probation and credit for the 4 days he already served in jail, with no additional jail time.

The District Attorney’s Office began a lengthy criminal investigation into our client’s real estate transactions after an insurance company investigator suspected that a house fire was the result of arson and that the fire was intentionally set to commit insurance fraud. The DA’s investigation revealed a pattern that involved our client - who was a real estate agent - and others making insurance claims for homes catching on fire. Our client was eventually arrested for involvement in a sophisticated conspiracy to falsely notarize and record Grant Deeds, committing mortgage and real estate fraud by purchasing houses under various names and setting the houses on fire to collect insurance money and for grand theft of money in excess of $1,000,000 — during the negotiations with the DA’s Office, we were able to convince the prosecutor that many of the counts filed against our client were not valid due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. As a results, the prosecutor dismissed many of the counts and our client was sentenced to 1 year home confinement with a suspended prison sentence.

Our client and his friend were arrested in connection with a shooting at a busy restaurant in Old Town Temecula that left one dead and two wounded. The shooting arose out of a verbal confrontation during which the shooter challenged one of the three victims to “take it outside” before firing on all three. Our client was charged with being an accessory to murder and his bail was set at $500,000 — After a careful review of the police reports and video surveillance footage, we were able to establish that our client was almost shot as he tried to de-escalate the confrontation between his friend and one of the victims. We were then able to resolve his case for probation with 275 days of jail time.

(Click to read Press Enterprise and ABC 7 news articles about this case.)

Members of the Sheriff’s Department and the DEA executed a search warrant at a house in Lake Elsinore where they found 45 lbs. of methamphetamine, 6 lbs. of fentanyl, 5 lbs. of heroin and 29 lbs. of marijuana. Our client and another individual were arrested at the location. When law enforcement questioned the other individual about the drugs, he explained that the drugs were smuggled from Mexico and brought to the house where they were packaged and shipped to various locations throughout the United States. He further explained that his job was to collect money from different locations around the country, but that our client was overseeing the entire operation. He also added that our client was part of a large drug trafficking organization stemming from Mexico. Due to the large quantity of drugs, our client was facing upwards of 29 years in prison — we were able to resolve our client’s case for 1 year in jail followed by supervised release.

Shortly after returning from Washington D.C. on January 6^th, 2021, our client was arrested by the FBI and accused of committing several felonies during a protest at the U.S. Capitol. His maximum sentence was 28 years. Having had explosives training while in the military, the FBI mistakenly believed at first that our client was responsible for placing pipe bombs at the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees — After more than a year of negotiations with the government, all charges were dismissed, except one felony count of obstructing police officers during a civil disorder. In a show of remorse and acceptance of responsibility for his actions on January 6th, our client accepted an invitation to speak with investigators working for the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee which was tasked with investigating the attack on the United States Capitol.

(Click here to read Yahoo News article about this case.)

A female high school teacher was accused of exchanging more than 800 sexual text messages with a male student. After the messages were discovered, the teacher was arrested and charged with “contacting a minor with intent to commit a felony” in violation of Penal Code 288.3. Being convicted of that offense, requires life-time registration as a sex offender — With the aid of a Forensic Psychologist, we were able to convince the prosecutor to change the offense to another which does not require registration. We were also able to obtain a sentence of house-arrest instead of jail time.

(Click here to read news article about the case.)

In a first of its kind criminal prosecution in California, a Christian pastor was charged with a misdemeanor after hosting an outdoor worship and baptism service near the Huntington Beach pier. The service took place when indoor church services were shut down due to COVID-19 concerns. To address those concerns, the religious service was conducted on the beach with the baptisms taking place in the Pacific Ocean.

The Huntington Beach Police Department issued the pastor a citation for hosting the event without a permit and ordered him to appear before the Orange County Superior Court for violating the Huntington Beach Municipal Code by holding a “large scale event.”

After nearly 10 months of legal wrangling, the case was thrown out after we were able to convince the prosecutor that the religious service did not constitute a criminal offense, nor did the pastor violate the city’s code because his religious service did not meet the legal definition of a “Permit Required” event.

(Click to read the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times articles about this case)

Individual was arrested for his 4^th-time DUI (felony DUI) after crashing his car into a light pole. His blood-alcohol-level was determined to be more than 3-times the legal limit. It was later discovered that he was still on probation for his 2^nd and 3^rd-time DUI — We were able to convince the judge and the prosecutor to allow the individual to serve his sentence in an in-custody rehab facility, thus avoiding a substantial prison sentence.

A longtime bookkeeper for a public high school was arrested for theft of $330,000 and then charged with seven felonies, including embezzlement by a public officer, grand theft, forgery, and money laundering. Because of the large dollar amount of the loss, the bookkeeper faced many years in prison — after approximately two years of negotiations with the prosecutor’s office, we were able to resolve the bookkeeper’s case for probation and one year in custody.

(Click here to read news article about the case)

After a long term romantic relationship ended, our client was accused of felony vandalism and several misdemeanor offenses by her former lover, “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss — The misdemeanor charges were dismissed and the remaining felony charge was reduced to misdemeanor vandalism.

( Click here to read news article about the case.)

Our client and her boyfriend were arrested for possessing approximately 2000 lbs. (1 ton) of marijuana with intent to sell and with child endangerment, due to a minor child being present at the residence. The marijuana was packaged for transportation & distribution and was located at two different houses in the Temecula and Murrieta areas — After lengthy court proceedings, we were able to convince the prosecutor to dismiss the charge of possession with intent to sell leveled against our client. Our client plead guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment and was placed on probation with work release.

Book author and former newspaper editor was charged with felony criminal negligence (Penal Code 399) after he took his large Akita dog to Lowe's where it bit a child on the face and neck, causing major injuries. The dog had a history of bitting and aggression towards children. Due to the nature of the injuries and the dog's history, the prosecutor insisted on a prison sentence — We were able to convince the Judge to impose a sentence of probation and house arrest.

( Click here to read news article about the case.)

A retired Lieutenant Commander was charged in Federal Court with felony receipt of hundreds of child pornography images. The statutory sentence carried a minimum of 5 years to a maximum of 20 years of incarceration — The judge sentenced our client to 2 years despite the Government's objection. The sentence caused the U.S. Attorney's Office to appeal. 

An office manager was accused of grand theft and embezzlement of approximately $55,000 from her employer. A subsequent background investigation revealed that the office manager was previously involved in a $3-million real-estate scam for which she was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison — we were able to resolve the office manager’s new case for probation and house arrest.

While off-duty, a firefighter/paramedic was arrested for child endangerment and child molest in violation of Penal Code sections 273a(b) and 647.6(a). The arrest resulted from an incident that took place at the swimming pool in the apartment complex where the firefighter/paramedic was living — Based on the specific details of the case, we were able to convince the District Attorney’s Office to reject filing criminal charges.

A group of individuals were accused of stealing approximately $6 million from Los Angeles-area banks. Law enforcement officials indicated that the group disabled the banks' alarm systems, sawed through reinforced concrete vaults and once inside, took the cash from the vaults and safe-deposit boxes. According to law enforcement, our client was also implicated in a burglary-ring 10 years ago that stole as much as $10 million in cash and jewelry from jewelry stores — Sentenced to 3 years and 1 month in federal prison. Avoided as much as 25 years of incarceration.

(Click here and here to read news articles about the case.)

A high-school basketball coach was accused of sending lewd text messages to an underage female student in violation of Penal Code section 647.6. If convicted, the coach would have had to register as a sex-offender for the rest of his life — The offense was reduced to one that does not require him to register.

An off-duty Sheriff's Deputy and his friends were charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and felony false imprisonment stemming from a fight at the Colorado River. Any felony conviction would have ended the Deputy's long career in law enforcement — After investigating the incident we were able to convince the prosecutor to dismiss all felony counts. The Deputy plead guilty to misdemeanor offenses thus saving his job and career.

Our client was arrested for transporting approximately 5 pounds of methamphetamine. As a result, she was facing up to 7 years in state prison. As we began the discovery process, we determined that our client’s telephone calls had been intercepted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agents, who were operating one of the nation’s largest wiretap operations, secretly intercepting telephone calls and text messages from thousands of people – Initially the prosecutor insisted on sending our client to prison for a lengthy period of time. We were able to demonstrate that the wiretap warrant authorized by the judge to intercept our client’s telephone calls might be illegal. As a result, the prosecutor accepted the offer we presented for our client to serve 180 days of Caltrans work.

(For a background story regarding the DEA’s wiretap operation, click here to read a USA Today news article)

Registered Nurse was charged with 5 felony counts including obtaining prescription medication by fraud, burglary and identity theft. The Nurse was married to a Captain in one of the Armed Forces. Any felony conviction would have resulted in the loss of the Nurse's license and the Captain losing his security clearance, thus ending his career — All felony charges were dismissed and plead to one misdemeanor with probation and drug treatment.

Manager at a major California casino was arrested for felony commercial bribery in violation of California Penal Code 641.3. Felony conviction would have prevented any future employment in the gambling industry — Reduced to misdemeanor accessory to a crime.

While off-duty, a CHP officer was accused of committing a lewd act and sexual battery on his teenage neighbor — The case was taken to jury trial which resulted in a hung-jury. Eventually the case was dismissed by the prosecutor.

A long-time fireman was arrested for domestic violence — we convinced the prosecutor to not file charges, thus saving the fireman's career.

Husband who was enlisted in one of the Armed Forces was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence — Case was dismissed after we presented solid evidence that the wife had a history of such false accusations.

Pastor of a church in Hemet and an Elder were arrested for "gathering" and "demonstrating" without a permit at the Hemet Branch of the Department of Motor Vehicles — We convinced the judge to dismiss the case in the middle of the trial because the D.A.'s Office did not provide sufficient evidence that a crime was committed.

( Click here and here to read news articles about the case.)

Our client and others arranged the purchase of approximately $500,000 worth of cocaine from an individual. That individual was an undercover Department of Justice police officer. Our client was arrested and the cash was confiscated — Saved 8 years of state prison.

Bookkeeper at a medical supply business was arrested and charged with grand-theft and embezzlement of approximately $250,000. As a result, she was facing a substantial jail sentence — The case was dismissed when the accusations turned out to be a cover-up by the company's Directors for their multi-million dollar scam.

(Click here to read a troubling news article about the medical supply business)

During a verbal argument with two individuals, an off-duty Sheriff’s Deputy pulled out his gun and pointed it at them in a threatening manner. Law enforcement was called and after their investigation, they determined that the Deputy was the aggressor and he did not act in self-defense. The Deputy was arrested and charged with assault with a gun in violation of Penal Code 245 and brandishing a firearm in violation of Penal Code 417 — we presented our own investigation to the prosecutor and as a result, the assault with a gun charge was dismissed. Nonetheless, with a conviction for brandishing a firearm, the Deputy would automatically lose his right to own any gun or other firearm for 10 years. With a lot of hard work, we were able to convince the prosecutor and the Judge that the Deputy satisfied all the requirements of Penal Code 29860. The Deputy is now permitted to own a firearm.

An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) was terminated from his employment and then charged with 12 criminal counts of fraudulently using his employers’ credit card for the purpose of buying various personal items — we convinced the prosecutor to allow the EMT to complete Riverside County’s Deferred Entry of Judgement (DEJ) Program. The entire case was subsequently dismissed.

The rape and kidnap of a then-18-year-old female had gone “cold” due to law enforcement being unable to identify the perpetrator. Almost 25 years later, our client was arrested after DNA linked him to the crime scene. The DNA was analyzed Cal DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services, which concluded that the chances of a random, unrelated, individual who would possess our client’s DNA was 1 in 54 quadrillion. Our client faced a sentence of 50-years to life — we were able to demonstrate that law enforcement let their investigation go dormant for 14 years. During that subsequent time, the police department destroyed critical evidence. As a result, we were able to obtain our client a sentence of 8 years.

(Click to read NBC News and The Patch articles about this case)

As a result of a bar fight, our client was arrested and charged with felony assault which caused great bodily injury. The injured person spent nearly 2 weeks in the hospital— The charge was reduced to a misdemeanor battery and our client was sentenced to probation with several days of house arrest. The prosecutor originally insisted on a sentence that involved several years of state prison, due to the serious nature of the injuries sustained.

During a raid of a drug trafficking group, law enforcement searched several houses and arrested 6 individuals. Our client was arrested for being armed with a firearm while possessing approximately 160 lbs. of marijuana with intent to sell. After thoroughly investigating the case, we were able to point-out to the prosecutor major legal improprieties — Case dismissed.

(Click here to read news article about the case)

Following a 9-month long “sting operation” conducted by the CHP, our client and others were arrested for numerous car thefts and with helping the theft-ring in their operation. The evidence was overwhelming and the entire “sting operation” was captured on audio and video. Our client was facing a substantial prison sentence — Based on the specific circumstance of our clients’ background, we were able to negotiate a sentence that involved probation and house arrest.

As a result of DUI and accident which caused severe injuries to 3 individuals, the prosecutor demanded approximately $1,600,000 in victim restitution. The amount demanded would have left the client destitute — After negotiations, we were able to reduce the restitution Court Order to approximately $420,000, thus saving the client a substantial amount of money. 

An 18 year old was charged with several felony sex-related crimes including sexual intercourse with a 13 year old girl. If convicted of the felony offenses, the individual would have faced jail and registration as a sex offender for life — The individual was placed on probation and did not have to register as a sex-offender.

The driver of a pick-up truck was accused of fleeing the scene of a major accident after his trailer detached from the truck and hit a car traveling in the opposite direction. The driver was charged with felony hit-and-run — Prosecutor insisted on a felony conviction and prison time. After the jury was selected, the prosecutor agreed to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor with probation and community service.

Former Treasurer of a high-school student club was accused of grand theft and embezzlement of more than $212,000 over a period of several years — With the goal of avoiding a lengthy prison sentence, we were able to work with the high school and the District Attorney's Office on a realistic payment plan. In turn, the judge agreed to sentence the Treasurer to probation and home confinement. 

( Click here to read news article about the case.)

A young adult drove her friends home after all had been drinking at a party. While speeding on a winding road, she lost control of her car and crashed. Her passengers suffered serious injuries and she was charged with felony DUI with accident that caused great bodily injury — Probation and house arrest after minimal custody time. Avoided substantial prison time.

Teacher charged with felony welfare fraud and felony perjury. If convicted of either felony offense, the teacher would have lost teaching credentials — Felony welfare fraud reduced to misdemeanor and perjury dismissed. The teacher was placed on summary probation with no jail time and ordered to pay back the funds to DPSS.

The owner of a Mini Market Store fought with a juvenile who stole from the store. The owner was older and physically bigger. As a result, the juvenile suffered a broken nose and chipped teeth. The owner was subsequently charged with felony assault resulting in great bodily injury — the prosecutor argued for felony conviction and jail-time. We employed a Private Investigator who obtained statements from witnesses who contradicted much of the juvenile’s story. We were then able to convince the judge to reduce the felony to a misdemeanor and avoid any jail-time.

Sergeant in the Marines arrested for felony domestic violence. Felony conviction would have ended long military career — felony was reduced to misdemeanor "interference with telephone line" in violation of Penal Code 591. As a result, military career was saved.

A restaurant manager and her friend conspired to fake a robbery where several thousand dollars were taken. During the late evening hours, the friend jumped into the restaurant through the drive-thru window and demanded money. The other employees did not know that the robbery was staged. The friend was eventually arrested and charged with robbery and false imprisonment — Probation and jail term. Avoided substantial state prison sentence.

Possession of more than 100 lbs. of marijuana with intent to sell and cultivation of more than 500 marijuana plants — Criminal charges not filed by the District Attorney's Office.

The District Attorney's Office seized approximately $360,000 in cash, cars and motorcycles from a group of individuals believed to be involved in sophisticated roof-top burglaries of jewelry stores. The property was sought for asset forfeiture. The DA's Office wanted to keep the money for itself, but in an unusual move, the defendants and the victims joined in a effort to have the money returned to the rightful owners   – The judge ordered that part of the money be returned for victim restitution.

( Click here to read news article about the case.)

A foreign national who was vacationing in the US was arrested for domestic violence in Temecula's wine country — before the initial court hearing, we were able to convince the District Attorney's Office to reject filing criminal charges.

Young adult was charged with reckless driving after the car he was allegedly racing crashed and rolled over— the reckless driving charge was reduced to speeding ticket.

A former civil engineer was arrested for, among other things, calling the police and threatening to blow-up the police station — Before the first court hearing, we were able to convince the prosecutor to reject filing criminal charges.

Military wife was charged with domestic violence as a misdemeanor. If convicted, she would have been ineligible to relocate out of the country with her husband — the misdemeanor was dismissed and she plead guilty to "disturbance of the peace" as an infraction.

An adult boyfriend was charged with oral copulation involving his girlfriend who was a minor — reduced to "disturbance of the peace" and avoided mandatory registration as a sex offender.

Marine Sergeant charged with DUI. Blood alcohol content was two-and-a-half times the legal limit. DUI conviction would have ended long career. — reduced to wet-reckless and saved career.

Our client was charged in Federal Court for committing domestic violence against her husband while on a military base. Her husband was employed as a civilian administrator at a GS-12 grade. If convicted, our client's career as a therapist would have been ruined — Case Dismissed.

Husband and wife were charged with 4 felony counts of insurance fraud after they falsely reported their car stolen and filed a claim with their insurance company. Both were facing substantial jail time. In addition, if convicted of any felony, the husband would have lost his security clearance issued by the TSA and in turn, his job — All felony counts were dismissed. The husband plead guilty to an infraction charge and the wife to a misdemeanor. Both received a small fine and no jail.

An off-duty Sheriff’s Deputy became the subject of a lengthy criminal investigation after he was accused of several domestic violence incidents and shooting a gun inside his house during one of those incidents. At the end of the criminal investigation, we were told that the Sheriff’s Deputy was going to be arrested. We then negotiated with the Detectives and obtained permission to surrender our client at the police station, thus, sparing him the embarrassment of being handcuffed in front of his neighbors or co-workers. The Sheriff’s Deputy was charged with felony corporal injury on a spouse and felony negligent discharge of a firearm in violation of California Penal Code sections 273.5 and 246.3 — the prosecutor sought prison time. We then presented our own investigation which ultimately resulted in our client remaining out of custody and to serving his sentence on house arrest.

A 19 year-old drove his truck while under the influence of alcohol and crashed it into a car. The driver of the car was injured and had to have surgery on his shoulder. The 19 year-old was charged with felony DUI causing great bodily injury in violation of VC 23153 and PC 12022.7 — Based on the circumstances of the accident and the 19 year-olds' background, we were able to obtain a sentence of formal probation and the sheriff's labor program, avoiding a substantial prison sentence.

An informant told officers that a truck loaded with cocaine was being driven from San Diego to Los Angeles. The officers located the truck, with about 244 kilograms (540 lbs.) of cocaine inside. The cocaine was valued at about $24 million. The truck was parked in a ride-share parking lot in Lake Elsinore, where the officers arrested our client along with three other men – given the large amount of cocaine, our client faced upwards of 30 years in prison. After reviewing the police reports, audio and video footage of the entire incident, we concluded that the officers were withholding certain critical information regarding their investigation of our client. We then challenged the constitutionality of our clients’ arrest, which eventually led the prosecutor to resolve the case for a sentence of 8 years, after good behavior.

Officers received an anonymous tip that our client and her husband were involved in large scale cultivation of marijuana on their 5-acre property. Officers flew a surveillance helicopter over the property to confirm the tip. Afterwards, they served a search warrant at the residence where they found our client and her two children, along with approximately 320 pounds of processed marijuana and 175 plants – our client was arrested and charged with marijuana cultivation, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and child endangerment. The case took approximately two years to resolve, but eventually, we were able to convince the prosecutor to dismiss the possession for sale and child endangerment charges. Our client was sentenced to 1 year of misdemeanor probation during which she had to complete parenting counseling.

(Click here to read a news article about this case)