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Last week, four Orange County men and one Nevada man walked into a Nevada Wells Fargo bank, handed the bank manager a fake warrant and said that they had the authority to walk into the vaults and take all of the money. The bank manager refused to allow the men take the money so they handcuffed and threatened him. As the suspects were leaving, police caught the men and arrested them. The men in FBI custody include Orange County residents Jonathan Miranda-Brewster, Jonathan Gray, Brady Beach and Ryan Williams. The Nevada robbery suspect was Eric Griffin.

These men will likely be charged with attempted robbery. Robbing a bank is a federal felony since banks are federally insured. You can be prosecuted by both the FBI and federal prosecutors. It is a very serious charge that comes with prison time, fines and probation. If convicted, this counts as a strike against you and once you get three strikes, you are sent to prison for life. Whether you live in Irvine, Lake Forest or Anaheim Hills, if you are charged with attempted robbery, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Julieta Pimentel was arrested today for stealing items off of a FedEx truck parked outside of a Wendy’s restaurant in Glendora in September. Pimentel apparently stole items such as designer purses, luggage and clothing and then sold them from her apartment on South Occidental Blvd. After police received a tip that Pimentel was selling stolen items, they raided her apartment and found more than 300 stolen items exceeding $155,000 in value. Pimentel was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

You can be charged with receiving stolen property if you knowingly buy, sell or receive stolen property. Besides being charged with the crime, the suspect can also be sued in civil court by the person they stole from. Punishments include jail time, probation & restitution. Defenses include claim of right or lack of knowledge that the items are stolen. Whether you live in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel or Brea, if you are charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Jesse Karim Pena was convicted of raping a female patient in the Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo in February. The patient was heavily intoxicated and could not resist Pena’s advances. She later reported the incident to hospital officials who called police. Pena was arrested in June and was charged with one count of raping an intoxicated person. Last week, after pleading guilty to the crime, Pena was sentenced to three years in state prison.

Rape is a very serious crime that will almost always come with prison time. If the rape is with someone who is intoxicated, the sentence will be increased due to their inability to fight back. A major defense to rape charges is consent. Consent has to be freely given though and can not be influenced by the threat of force. Whether you live in Orange, Aliso Viejo or Anaheim, if you are charged with rape, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you in preparing a defense.

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Fabian Cayetano Urrea has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the murder of a National Guardsman. Jorge Estrada had been serving time in Iraq while his wife, Diana Estrada, was having an affair with Urrea. Diana Estrada became pregnant with Urrea’s child and Jorge Estrada decided he would raise the child as his own. Three days after the child was born, Urrea went to Estrada’s apartment to see the baby. Before stepping out of his truck, Urrea loaded his 9mm gun and cocked it. When he saw Jorge Estrada, he shot him three times in the chest, killing him. Urrea was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Last week he was convicted of first degree murder and now faces 50 years in prison.

First degree murder is one of the most serious crimes you can be charged with. To prove that someone committed first degree murder, a prosecutor must prove that the murder was willful and premeditated. This means that the suspect must have had a plan and the intent to kill the person. This was proved in this case because before Urrea stepped out of his car, he loaded and cocked his gun. This shows that it was Urrea’s intent to use the gun on someone. Whether you live in Westminster, Villa Park or San Clemente, if you have been charged with murder, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Joey Roy Hawkins, a former long boarder and surf champion, was arrested last week on suspicion of being under the influence of methamphetamine and possessing a loaded gun while sitting in his car near a youth shelter in Huntington Beach. Shelter employees called police after they saw a suspicious man walking around the shelter. When officers got there, Hawkins was sitting in his car with a gun and drug paraphernalia. He was arrested, charged and pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of possessing methamphetamine while armed and of possessing the drug.

Since Hawkins will be charged with both drug and gun charges, it is likely that he may face some prison time. Luckily, police got there when they did because it was unclear what Hawkins planned to do with the loaded gun while under the influence of a mind altering substance. Although everyone has the right to own a gun under the Second Amendment, there are restrictions on where you can have the gun. If you have any questions pertaining to gun laws, look up your city and state regulations. Whether you live in Coto De Caza, Costa Mesa or Fullerton, if you are charged with drug or gun charges, call an experienced DUI defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Clifford Polston, the former head of the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin for 30 years, pleaded guilty to stealing around $114,000 from the Club, taking over $6,000 in unauthorized car allowances and creating a fictitious job for his wife that paid her $75,000 a year. Polston has to pay back all the money that he took and also faces prison time for his acts. Friends and people who knew him were shocked that Polston could have done such a thing and thought he was really helping out the community.

Grand theft in California is the taking of another’s property valued above $400. If you take something that has a value of more than $50,000, you will receive a sentencing enhancement as well. The only defenses for grand theft are consent or claim of right. Just because you return the money, that does not mean you will not be charged. Whether you live in Laguna Beach, Santa Ana or Yorba Linda, if you are charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Lori Christina Armstrong was charged with a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime to officers. Last month, Armstrong claimed that she had been kidnapped from a bus stop in Santa Ana after the suspects put a rag on her face that made her unconscious. She said that she kept waking up and blacking out in an apartment and at one point thought she had been raped. She claimed that later that day the men put her in the car and dumped her in Anaheim. She went to the police station and reported the crime. During follow up interviews she admitted to officers that she had made up the story. The motive behind the lie is unknown.

Lying to officers is a crime, whether it be about your name, where you live, what you are doing or about a crime. The problem with falsely reporting a crime is that police put a lot of their time and effort into finding the alleged suspects of the “crime.” They also may arrest people that have not committed any crime.

The motive behind lying varies on the person. Sometimes people do not say their true name because they have a past that they do not want officers to know about. Others may make up stories to the police in order to cover up their own misdeeds. I have come across a few people that have lied about being raped or kidnapped to cover up an affair. If they claim they have been raped or kidnapped instead of being unfaithful, their husband or boyfriend will likely not leave them. There are many other reasons why people lie to officers, but they almost always get caught. Do not lie to police officers.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel or Villa Park, if you are charged with lying to officers, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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On Wednesday of this week, Mike Tyson was at LAX airport and was being followed by paparazzi. He exchanged words with one of the photographers, Tony Echevarria. The two men got into an altercation and both claimed the other one hit them first. Eventually, both men got into a physical fight and Echevarria was punched in the face four times. Tyson claims he was defending his family who was being swarmed by the paparazzi. They were both arrested on suspicion of battery and want to press charges.

Battery can be either a misdemeanor or felony offense, depending on the severity of the incident and if weapons were used. Here, there were no weapons used, but Tyson, a former boxer, clearly had an advantage over the photographer. Often, photographers get too close to celebrities and their families or they say something that the celebrity finds offensive and the celebrity will get physical with the photographer. A similar incident to this one involved rapper Kanye West and another photographer at LAX airport. It is likely that Tyson and the photographer will have to take anger management classes as part of their punishment.

Whether you live in Newport Beach, Fullerton or San Clemente, if you are charged with assault or battery, call an experienced defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Arthur Leroy Shoot was returning home from a trip to the Philippines in September of 2008, when custom officials at Los Angeles International Airport decided to search his luggage. While searching through Shoot’s phone, officials discovered four sexually explicit pictures of a young girl. After further investigation, investigators determined that the child in the photographs was his 7-year-old niece and that Shoot had taken these pictures for his own sexual gratification. He was arrested and charged with a sex crime and was just recently sentenced to 17 years in prison. In his past, Shoot was charged with three counts of child molestation, two of which were against his daughters. He received jail times for those offenses as well.

Sex crimes can range from possession of child pornography to rape. Sentences may range from probation to decades in prison. California is very strict on suspects of rape and child molestation and will ensure that the defendant gets the highest penalties possible. Whether you live in Irvine, Fullerton or Santa Ana, if you are charged with sex crimes, you will need an experienced defense attorney to assist you. The defense attorney will fully investigate the claims and evidence against you in order to prepare a successful defense.

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Last weekend, over $10,000 of copper cable was stolen from two Southern California Edison power stations. The thieves stole over 1,000 feet of the cables that were being used to ground towers at substations. Edison officials estimate that the cost to fix these cables is $50,000.

Copper is often stolen to sell to others since the value of copper is increasing nationwide. Other valuable precious metals that are being stolen more in this rough economy include: silver, gold, platinum and palladium. In these tough times, people will do anything to make a few dollars. Once these thieves are caught they will likely be charged with grand theft and vandalism and may face prison time and have to pay restitution.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Villa Park or Yorba Linda, if you have been charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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