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The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Irvine-based Brookstreet Securities and it’s CEO, Stanley Brooks with Fraud, alleging they sold risky mortgage-backed securities to investors and failed to inform them properly of the risks.

These types of investment vehicles are at the heart of the collapse of the U.S. and global financial system last fall. Crafty Wall Street investment houses figured out how to bundle together all kinds of mortgages, some solid, many high-risk, and then sell them to investors looking to make money on the interest payments. Investment firms all over the United States, California and Orange County got in on the gold rush and sold them along to others.

Many of the people selling these securitized loans didn’t realize what a time bomb they were pushing on unsuspecting clients. Moody’s Investment Service gave many of the bundled loans a high rating, sending a message to the market that the loans were safe. and AIG made side deals to insure the loans, making them appear even more risk-free. An open question is to what degree the packagers were disclosing the contents of the bundled loans, known as tranches.

Brookstreet allegedly sold $300 million dollars worth of these loans. Many of those loans were used for margin trades by another company, further increasing the risk of default.

The case against Brookstreet is a civil one. There have been no criminal filings to date, though that can’t be ruled out. The U.S. Attorney would have to investigate whether the conduct on the part of Brookstreet rose to the level of criminal fraud, Additionally, there may be a better chance for the SEC to recover money in a civil setting than criminal. Additionally, the level of proof is lower in the civil arena, requiring only a preponderance of evidence to show liability vs. proof beyond a reasonable doubt in the criminal context.

White-collar fraud is on the rise as new, arcane and confusing investment vehicles are cooked up out of the sight of the regulators. If you are charged with any type of securities fraud, you will need help dealing with regulators, the SEC and other investigative agencies, as well as the US attorney’s office. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel or anywhere else in southern california, if you are charged with fraud, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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A four-year old girl was rescued by law enforcementThursday after the police were alerted to a human smuggling operator by the child’s parents. It seems the kind gentleman, er, kidnapper and extorter, was supposed to bring the child to the United States and deliver her to her parents, who had illegally entered the U.S. via another route. But the kidnapper/smuggler decided to extract payment after payment from the parents, until they got so desperate that they walked up to a CHP officer parked at the Laguna Hills mall and told him what was afoot.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE0 was alerted and the Orange County Sheriff’s department ultimately arrested the kidnapper after setting up a payment meeting. Ironically, the child and her parents will be kept in the U.S. so that they can testify against the kidnapper.

The saying goes, “if you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas”. Human smuggling and kidnapping for ransom are among the most serious crimes, frequently punishable by life in prison.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Hills or Santa Ana, if you are charged with kidnapping, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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John Arther Walthall, of Laguna Beach, was arrested last week for defrauding a Laguna Niguel elderly couple out of $4.7 million dollars.Walthall told this couple that he had invested his own money in a gold mining business and it had been very profitable for him. The couple gave millions of dollars to him to invest and instead, Walthall used it for his own personal expenses. He paid for his child’s tuition, alimony, and child support and bought gold coins and cars. After getting caught, he has been charged with nine counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and other charges. If convicted of all of these crimes, he faces 150 years in federal prison.

Fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or damage to another and comes in many different forms. Money laundering is the act of making huge amounts of money through illegal means and then claiming the money came from a legitimate source. Conning people out of money to invest in a fictitious business is a serious crime. If convicted, Walthall will have to spend his life in prison and will be ordered to pay back as much of the money as possible. Since these are serious crimes that Walthall has been charged with, he will need an experienced fraud defense attorney to assist him. Whether you live in Tustin, Brea or Villa Park, if you have been charged with fraud, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Last week, at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas, five junior high students were kicked by fellow students. These attacks came after a Facebook group sent a message around to students claiming it was “Kick a Ginger Day” which meant students were supposed to kick redheads at their school. Police believe the kids got the idea from a “South Park” TV episode. No arrests were made and it is unclear if these suspects will be prosecuted.

Committing a crime against someone based on their hair color may be viewed as a hate crime. It’s likely, though, that these suspects will be treated informally by the court, rather than be charged with a crime since they were so young and likely had no prior criminal record. Juveniles are increasingly prosecuted more frequently because parents cannot or will not supervise their own children and teach acceptable social values. Now the courts deal with misbehavior and crime, a task for which they are ill-suited. Whether you live in Laguna Hills, Orange, or Yorba Linda, if your child has been charged with assault or battery, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Vincent Edward Cantu, a former Pasadena officer of 8 years, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for two bank robberies he committed in 2008. While robbing banks, he was polite to the tellers but pointed a gun at them when demanding money. He was caught after a robbery in August of 2008 in La Habra, and once detained, admitted committing about 5 bank robberies. Because of the plea agreement, he was only charged with two bank robberies that he committed in 2008 in which he stole over $20,000.

Robbing a bank is a federal offense because banks are federally insured. Since its a federal offense, you are housed in federal prison if convicted. Bank robbers almost always get caught because banks have high tech security and surveillance systems. If you are convicted of robbing a bank, you will always get jail/prison time, have to pay restitution and be put on probation. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Ladera Ranch or Garden Grove, if you are charged with robbery, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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On Monday, Riverside Public Utilities workers were doing a routine check of a canal near Cridge Street Olivewood Avenue when they saw two dogs lodged against a metal grate to the storm sewer. The workers noticed that the dogs had tape over their mouth and one dog had died from drowning. The other chihuahua was uninjured. The dogs had been in the canal for less than 24 hours and were beleived to be someone’s pet. Once the person who did this is caught, they will be charged with animal cruelty.

Animal cruelty is the infliction of injury or harm on an animal or the neglect of an animal. Animals are helpless creatures that often cannot fight off their attackers. If you are convicted of animal cruelty, you will likely go to jail, have to take anger management classes, pay restitution and be put on probation. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel or Fullerton, if you are charged with animal cruelty, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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This week, Billie Joe Johnson, a convicted double murderer, was sentenced to death for the retaliation murder of a former gang colleague, Scott Miller. Miller decided to go on TV and explain their white supremacy gang. Fellow gang members recognized Miller on TV and were so angry that they decided to retaliate. Johnson was convicted of luring Miller into an alley and then co-conspirator Michael Lamb shot him. Johnson was charged and convicted of murder with special circumstances of lying-in-wait and murder for the benefit of the gang. He wanted to be sentenced to death instead of life in prison because he thought he would get a bigger prison cell, more recreation time and more family visits. In his past, he had beaten a man to death and has been serving time for that murder as well.

To qualify for the death penalty instead of just life in prison without the possibility of parole, special circumstances need to be present. Some special circumstances include felony murder, murdering a peace officer, prosecutor or judge or multiple murders, among others. If you are convicted of murder with special circumstances, you will be on Death Row for years before being executed. If you are sentenced to murder without special circumstances, you will have to spend your life in prison. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Westminster or Anaheim, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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On Friday, a drug bust was made in Castaic leading to four arrests and ten children being put in protective custody. Rafael Arciniega and James Stern were arrested for possessing methamphetamine for sale and put in jail. Midalia Hernandez was arrested for possessing methamphetamine and was also jailed. Manuel Arciniega was arrested for possessing a fraudulent document. During the drug raid three guns, cash and several ounces of methamphetamine were found. Ten children were living in the home and they were all put in protective custody.

Most of the time, police need a search warrant to come into your home and look around. For this drug bust, it is likely that police obtained a warrant after neighbors reported suspicious activity coming from the house. Depending on the amount of drugs found, the suspects can be charged with either a misdemeanor or felony charge. They face serious jail time if convicted. Whether you live in Tustin, Garden Grove or Ladera Ranch, if you are charged with drug offenses, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Margot Jean Strawn was a former accountant and trustee to the Pellissier family. She was in charge of managing trust funds for two children of the family. Over a six year period, Strawn stole more than $500,000 from the fund to buy herself a doll collection. She would write personal checks to herself from the fund and then deposit it into her own checking account. She also failed to file her tax returns and worked as an accountant even after her license expired. She was sentenced to two felony counts of grand theft with enhancements for aggravated white collar crime. This week, she was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay back the money she stole.

A white collar crime is a crime committed by someone in the course of their occupation. Types of white collar crimes include fraud, forgery, embezzlement, etc. Most people think that people charged with white collar crimes get special treatment since they have a lot of money. They are also thought to be sentenced to less time in prison and are sentenced to low security prisons that have many amenities. This is becoming less true as more and more white collar crimes are being recognized and prosecuted. Whether you live in Irvine, Newport Beach or Coto De Caza, if are you charged with white collar crime or grand theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Matthew Thomas Dragna was arrested this week, after police found evidence that links him to a murder that occurred last month. Authorities believe that Dragna and Damon Nicholson became friends through a website and starting a relationship. On October 23, a co-worker of Nicholson found him beaten to death on his sofa. Nicholson’s laptop, computer, clothing and cell phone had been stolen. At the crime scene, there was evidence that Dragna may have been at the crime scene and there was no showing of forced entry into the home, meaning that someone close to him may have done the crime. Search warrants were issued for both Dragna’s Lake Forest home and a Santa Ana Drug Rehab center where Dragna had been staying. Dragna was arrested when some of the stolen items were found. He faces murder and robbery charges.

A felony murder is a murder done during the commission of another felony, or in furtherance of that felony. Since police think that robbery may have been the primary motive for the murder, this would likely qualify as a felony murder situation. Felony murder charges come with a sentence of life in prison. A possible defense to the murder would be a lack of intent. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Tustin or Brea, if you are charged with murder or robbery, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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