Southern California Criminal Lawyer Blog

57 Members of Alleged Mexico – LA Drug Ring Indicted

August 22, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

On Thursday August 15, 57 members of an alleged Mexico – Los Angeles drug trafficking ring were indicted by federal prosecutors. Authorities claim various illegal drugs were smuggled from Mexico into LA including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Eighteen of the alleged traffickers were arrested by DEA agents. According to a news article at the Los Angeles Times, the drugs were being smuggled into California in PVC pipe and concealed compartments.

An investigation into the drug smuggling operation began in early 2011. Since that time, authorities have seized 20 kilos of brown heroin, 30 kilograms of cocaine, 16 kilograms of white heroin, and over 2,400 lbs. of methamphetamine. News reports also claim 18 firearms and over $1.2 million in cash have been recovered in connection with the alleged narcotics transactions.

Mexico-based Miguel Angel Molinero-Castro was the initial focus of the investigation, believed to have stashed significant quantities of controlled substances in PVC pipe which were further hidden inside the axles of tractor-trailer rigs. These shipments were received at South Gate and Wilmington truck yards. Authorities claim the distribution network also encompassed some suburban homes in Sylmar and Sun Valley.

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West Hollywood Doctor Enters Guilty Plea to Federal Drug Charge

August 21, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

A 72-year-old Venice doctor who practices in West Hollywood recently pleaded guilty to prescribing powerful painkillers even though his authority to prescribe those drugs had been revoked. James William Eisenberg allegedly wrote over 1,200 prescription for medications including Vicodin and Norco. Eisenberg is charged with one count of distribution of hydrocodone; he pleaded guilty in federal court.

As experienced Los Angeles drug crime attorneys, we know that prescription drug offenses have been on the rise in past years. Crimes involving such painkillers as oxycodone and hydrocodone have saturated the media; even highly recognized celebrities have been known to have addiction issues, many of them losing their lives. When a doctor is accused of writing improper prescriptions, he or she may face serious criminal penalties if convicted.

In May, an indictment filed against Eisenberg charged him with three counts of distribution of hydrocodone and four counts of using a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number which had been revoked.

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Arroyo Seco Junior High School Principal Pleads ‘No Contest’ to DUI

August 21, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

Rhondi Durand, principal of a Canyon County Jr. High school, pleaded no contest on July 29 to driving under the influence. The Arroyo Seco Junior High School principal admitted she had made a mistake, and now vows to turn her life around and be a better mother, wife, and principal.

Durand was arrested by Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s deputies on May 29; according to a news article at Signalscv.com, Durand’s BAC was over .20%, more than double California’s legal limit of 0.08%. After pleading no content to the DUI charge, Durand was ordered to pay $550 in fines, complete an alcohol program, and was sentenced to 3 years of summary probation.

The principal is very lucky to have kept her job, saying in news articles that she was “very grateful.” Officials of the school district said that while they take the conduct of employees very seriously, they stand behind Durand and have confidence in her abilities as the school’s principal.

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Unscrambling California Assault Laws

August 20, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

Many people mistakenly believe that assault and battery are the same thing when in fact they are not. However, there are several subcategories relevant to California’s assault laws, including:

When an individual behaves deliberately in a way that could potentially result in injury to someone else, regardless of whether a victim was actually injured, it is defined as assault under California Penal Code 240. Someone who is convicted of this type of assault may face penalties including up to $1,000 in fines, and up to six months jail time.

Battery is defined by California Penal Code 242 as a violent act or the willful application of force against another person. If convicted of battery, penalties are the same as with assault, other than the individual may be fined up to $2,000.

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Two Dead, One Injured at East Oakland Birthday Party

August 20, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

On Friday, August 16 a birthday party was being held at an East Oakland home for an individual who was not named in news reports at Insidebayarea.com. Late that evening, two people lost their lives and another was injured after shots rang out just after 11 p.m. Police said that two men were killed, and one man wounded in the shooting.

The names of the deceased have not been released, although news reports did say that one of the men was an Oakland resident who was 38 years old. The man who was injured was said to be in critical condition, and is 52 years old. Another man suffering gunshot wounds showed up at an area hospital later, although authorities did not know whether he sustained the gunshot wounds at the party. Considering two men died and one was hospitalized with injuries, the responsible party or parties may be facing multiple criminal charges when apprehended. Firearms charges are also a possibility.

According to police, about a dozen individuals were outside the home where the party was being held when others showed up, and gunfire erupted just moments later. The unidentified victim died at the scene; the 38-year-old male victim succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital early the next morning.

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Aaron Hernandez Getting Treated Unfairly!

August 20, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez charged with murder in the first degree in the case of Odin Lloyd’s death. Hernandez’s pleaded not guilty to six charges he’s facing, which include the charge of murder; one count of carrying a firearm without a license; two counts of possession of a large capacity firearm; and two counts of possession of a firearm without a valid ID card.

Aaron Hernandez was denied bail on Thursday before the Superior Court Judge Renee Dupuis in Fall River, ordering Hernandez back to jail. Aaron Hernandez’s defense team, who is led by James Sultan, argued that his client should have been allowed on bail. There are only a few factors that come into play when considering denying bail, there must be substantial grounds for believing that the defendant would abscond, poses a risk to society or to a specific person and/or interfere with witnesses.

In Aaron Hernandez’s case it is completely fair to say that he is not getting treated fairly by the judicial system. Let me explain, one of the key reasons as to why bail is denied must be that the defendant is a flight risk, meaning that Aaron Hernandez might leave the county, which I may add even if he wanted to flee he couldn’t due to his celebrity status. Another factor comes into play when bail is denied, the judge must feel that the defendant poses a threat to society or to any persons related to the case. In Aaron’s case the evidence brought against him are circumstantial. Hernandez’s lawyer argued that the prosecution had not given evidence that shows who actually shot Lloyd and that there was no eyewitness testimony. The fact that he has no criminal record and he wouldn’t be a flight risk he should have been released on bail.

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FIREWORKS IN THE COURTROOM DURING THE WHITEY BULGER TRIAL!!

July 14, 2013 | by The Justice Firm

James Joseph “Whitey” Bulger, Jr. is being tried for allegedly killing 19 people in a Boston Court. During the prosecutor’s case in chief, witness, Kevin Weeks took the stand and called Bulger a “rat”. Mr. Weeks was a one-time assassin for Bulger who was responsible for many many murders at the bequest of his boss Bulger. However, Weeks allegedly heard that his boss was an FBI informant back in the day when Weeks was killing people for him. And that was the reason that he was willing to testify for the prosecution and become their star witness. Of course Mr. Weeks worked out a very favorable plea deal that only put him in custody for 5 years. He admitted to killing 5 people for Bulger. In that regard, when he called Bulger a “rat” the Judge had to intervene as there were F-bombs exchanged by the two men. It should be noted that Bulger has consistently maintained that he was never an informant for the FBI. He did say that he bought or paid for information and intel from dirty agents from time to time. The reputed mobster evaded authorities for more than 16 years. There were numerous sightings of him and his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig in over 22 countries. However, it turned out that Bulger and his girlfriend were in Santa Monica, California for almost 14 of the 16 years they absconded. The FBI found the couple in their modest Santa Monica rent-controlled apartment. Coincidentally, they were found with over $800,000 and an arsenal of firearms. Continue Reading →