The New Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon Announces Elimination of Cash Bail for Any Misdemeanor Crime. Starting January 1, 2021, when somebody is arrested and then appears at their arraignment, there's usually going to be a bail argument by the defense and the prosecution. Then, ultimat...
All Sentencing Enhancements Eliminated in the Los Angeles Criminal World by the New District Attorney George Gascon One big area that the prosecutors are allowed to get a lot of extra time on a sentence has to do with sentencing enhancements. Examples of this are gang enhancements. The new Los A...
It's very surprising to me that the public has chosen to elect a new District Attorney in Los Angeles County. Jackie Lacey has been a prosecutor in Los Angeles for many years. I had cases against her way back in the day, but apparently a new day is dawning. How this new prosecutor will interact...
If you or a loved one has a criminal case pending and you're worried about going to jail in Los Angeles county or your loved one is already in jail and you're concerned about their health, safety and well-being in the jail, it certainly is a legitimate concern. Since I've been doing a lot of crim...
Right now, there's a bunch of propositions that are on the ballot. So, there's going to be some voting going to see whether or not we go to a basically, no bail situation. This would be where the bail bond companies will be cut out and it would be more like the federal system, where you'll either...
Just like all people are not the same, all attorneys are not the same. Some attorneys have a more aggressive approach, while others have a softer, more milder approach. Depending on the type of case you're talking about, that would probably dictate the best approach. But, when you're looking to...
I continue to speak on this and I think people are going to realize it more and more, that the police are really not that smart and this whole introduction of bodycam evidence has really thrown them for a loop. You realize you've got people who are not putting two and two together. They're conti...
A lot of protective orders are issued in Los Angeles county usually related to some sort of a domestic violence charge. A violation of a protective ordered is defined under California Penal Code 273.6. There is one big thing I see after 26 years of defended these cases. A lot of times, the allege...
New Procedures for Photo Line-Ups and Live Line-Ups Under California Penal Code Section 859.7. For the last 26 years now, I've had to deal with photo line-ups and live line-ups for purposes of identification in criminal cases. A lot of these procedures have been done in an improper manner which as...
Why are Some People Held at Wayside While they Have a Criminal Case Pending in Los Angeles? Wayside is one of the jails in Los Angeles county that holds inmates. It is a huge ranch just to the north of Magic Mountain and it has a number of different facilities on many acres. It's also known as ...
What is the Likelihood of Staying in Los Angeles County Jail if You're Charged with a Crime? Right now, the Los Angeles county jail is under seize. What I mean by that is that they have way too many inmates in their population for a number of reasons. People are getting sentenced to prison from...
Why Would Police Pull Someone Over, Take Their Drugs and/or their Money and Let Them Go? I confront this situation all the time as a criminal defense attorney where the police are either not arresting my clients, or not arresting some that my clients are associated with. However, yet they're taki...
Once you're found guilty of a crime, a judge will inform you that you have 60 days to file an appeal. If you don't file an appeal within that time frame, then you will lose the ability to file an appeal. Once you file the appeal notice, you will be appointed counsel if you cannot afford an attor...
If you are dealing with a criminal case in Los Angeles or the San Fernando Valley, one of the first things you'll have to decide is whether you want to try your case or accept a plea bargain. If you are innocent or feel that you can beat the charges, then you might want to try the case. If the pr...
Why are Home Invasion Robberies Treated Different than Regular Robberies in California? Obviously, anytime someone is going into somebody else's home that's a real concern for prosecutors, judges and law enforcement. They all view things from an eye that the victim in the case could be them. In ...
Are Los Angeles County Prosecutors Still Filing Criminal Cases During the COVID-19 Pandemic? This is a good question because your first thought would be, of course they're going to file a case if it's a criminal case. You would think you're not just going to let somebody get away with a criminal ...
Is it Ever a Good Idea to Talk to Police During a Criminal Investigation? In my experience having practiced criminal defense at both the state and federal level for the past 26 years, I would say it's almost never a good idea to talk to the police. The problem is, sometimes they tape record the s...
The Latest News on Protective Orders Related to Los Angeles Domestic Violence Criminal Cases During Coronavirus I've been handling domestic violence – spousal abuse type matters involving husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, two husbands, two wives together. It doesn't really matter. I've been h...
Many people who are trying to get a nursing license will try to cut corners and end up getting investigated by the Nursing Board and also sometimes criminally because a lot of the documents that people are signing are documents that are under penalty of perjury. Therefore, if you sign the documen...
When can illegally obtained evidence be used against you, if at all? Evidence that is illegally obtained is usually not going to be able to be used against the defendant in a criminal case. However, sometimes, a defendant or their attorney will think that the evidence was obtained illegally but t...
More and more I see these cases being prosecuted in the Airport or LAX court where people are going into the airport and somehow getting caught with a gun, either at the metal detector, or just in general anywhere where you're going to board a plane. Obviously, having a gun makes the authorities ...
Most people who find themselves in trouble and on the wrong side of the law obviously want to find an attorney that can help them, and a lot of people search for the best criminal defense attorney that can help them. I think the thinking on that is that, the better the attorney, the better the re...
This is probably one of the biggest things on people's minds when it comes to a criminal case right now, especially with the Coronavirus. Nobody wants to go into the county jail. Obviously, a lot of the population is either under quarantine, or has been exposed somehow to the Coronavirus. No on...
This is a big question on a lot of people's minds who are charged with domestic violence across Los Angeles county because a lot of people logically think, if the person who is accusing me of domestic violence no longer wants me to be prosecuted and they want the case dismissed, then why wouldn't...
What information is critical to share with my Los Angeles criminal defense attorney? Could my medical history be helpful or used against me? If you think something is relevant to your case, like your medical history, you should share it with your attorney. Let your attorney make the decision of w...
