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Tooraj Aghminyoni Nakhei, of Oregon, met a woman in 2003 that he started to date online. In 2007, Nakhei flew from Oregon to Orange County to meet this woman. She agreed to meet him in a Costa Mesa hotel restaurant for dinner. He then told her he had flowers for her in his room, so she followed him up and he then raped her. She said she felt so embarrassed that she did not report the rape right away.

Over the next year and a half, the victim claims that Nakhei kept calling her and emailing her and her family. In December of 2007, the victim noticed Nakhei stalking her so she got a restraining order against him. He kept telling her not to tell police what happened and would sometimes be apologetic, while other times being aggressive and rude. In March of this year, he tried to get into her car and that is when she called police and reported the incident.

An Orange County jury found Nakhei guilty of felony forcible rape, felony forcible oral copulation, felony stalking, felony dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and a misdemeanor charge of disobeying a court order. This week, he was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison.

Whether you live in Fullerton, La Palma or Laguna Niguel, if you are charged with rape, call an experienced Orange County criminal defense attorney right away.

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On Wednesday, U.S. Border Patrol Agents noticed a suspicious looking car driving through San Clemente. The driver pulled into a rest stop and Agents questioned him. During questioning, they realized that he was an illegal immigrant so they decided to search his car. Agents and a K-9 searched the car and found 13 bundles of cocaine hidden under the door panels of the car. The total weight of the cocaine was about 36 pounds, which, if sold, would have a street value of $360,000. The driver and the cocaine were seized. The Agents will likely charge him with drug possession with intent to sell. After he serves his prison time here, he will likely get deported.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents noticed the recent trend in cocaine seizures this year. They claim that from October of 2008 to October of 2009, seizures have increased 162%. I think that drugs are more prevalent throughout the state because of the tough economy. Many people are getting laid off and resort to drug sales to provide for themselves and their families. Whether you live in Laguna Beach, Fullerton or Santa Ana, if you are charged with drug possession, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Amonullah Sakhi was taken into custody this week on suspicion of indecent exposure. A woman walking to her child’s elementary school in September claimed she saw Sakhi standing in his door way staring at her. When she looked over at him, he exposed himself. When Sakhi was arrested, he admitted he had done this to several women as they walked by. If convicted for these charges, he may have to spend time in jail, pay fines and take workshops and classes.

In 2004, Sakhi plead guilty to two counts of lewd conduct in public. Sakhi is not on the sex offender list since lewd conduct does not require registration. Indecent exposure is a serious crime because it is often beleived that people who exhibit this type of behavior are also more prone to rape and molest. Whether you live in Brea, Newport Beach or Dana Point, if you are charged with sex crimes, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you in fighting these charges or lowering your sentence.

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In February of last year, Paige Looney let her two boys swim in the pool in their backyard in Anaheim while she drank alcohol. Her 13-month-old son Eric and his four-year-old brother were swimming in the pool when suddenly Eric started drowning. Looney did not notice her son drowning though. When Looney’s 12-year-old daughter came home from school and saw her brother in the pool, she called 911 immediately. When paramedics arrived, Looney had pulled Eric out of the pool and was attempting to give him CPR but it was too late and Eric had passed away.

Looney was initially charged with murder but plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter instead. She has already spent a year and a half in jail and will not have to spend one more year there, before being released. She was also ordered to complete a two year residential drug treatment program.

It is very important to keep an eye on your children at all times, especially near water. There are thousands of babies that drown in pools and bathtubs yearly, even when a parent turns around for just a second. Since Looney was careless and negligent in watching her child, she has to pay legal consequences for it. Whether you live in Tustin, Orange or Aliso Viejo, if you are charged with manslaughter, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Susana Duran had been working for a 92-year-old woman in Laguna Woods since June as a caretaker. Allegedly, while working there, Duran stole at least $35,000 from her client. Duran would take the woman’s credit card and pin number from her nightstand and withdraw $1,000 at a time and then put it in her personal bank account. She would then send the money in her account to her family in Mexico. She would also buy things with the credit cards and when the bills came in the mail, Duran would not show the client.

One day, Duran was sick so a substitute caretaker came to the victim’s home to take care of her. A credit card bill came and the substitute caretaker showed the client. The client did not recognize many of the charges and so she called the company that had placed Duran in her home. An investigation was launched and police found out that at least $35,000 had already been stolen. Investigators claim that by the time the investigation is over, they expect to find around $100,000 stolen. Duran was arrested and is being held in jail until trial.

If charged and convicted of theft and fraud of an elderly person, Duran will likely have to spend a few years in prison. Whether you live in La Palma, Yorba Linda or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with theft, fraud, or elder abuse, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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In December of last year, as John Sales was driving with his children in Orange, a car in front of him stopped on the freeway. Sales stepped on his breaks last minute to avoid a collision with the car in front of him. A car behind him, driven by Owen Kitchen, failed to see that Sales had hit his breaks and crashed right into Sales’ car. Kitchen’s car then caught on fire so Sales and a nearby officer got the kids out of the car as fast as they could. The kids were badly injured from the collision and were taken to the hospital to be checked out. Sophia Sales, Sales’ 2-year-old daughter died from her injuries.

This week, Owen Kitchen was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and possession of marijuana, although he was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. The reason that this charge is just a misdemeanor is because it was done carelessly and negligently. The charge would have been a felony if there was gross negligence in that he knew that acting in this way would cause death. Clearly, this was just an accident and if he is convicted of both charges, he should not face more than 1 year in jail.

Whether you live in Tustin, Aliso Viejo or Anaheim Hills, if you are charged with manslaughter, call an experienced OC criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Paul Gentile Smith was indicted by a grand jury last week on suspicion of nearly decapitating his best friend and then setting his body on fire. Smith and Robert Haugen were best friends, but in October of 1988, Smith stabbed Haugen 18 times, killing him and nearly decapitating him. He then tried to get rid of the body by setting it, and other evidence, on fire. He was not caught after the murder.

In 2007, Smith was arrested for domestic violence and his DNA was linked to some evidence at the murder crime scene 20 years earlier. He was charged with murder, but this week he was charged with the enhancement of torturing the victim. This enhancement could increase the punishment to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Tustin or Laguna Niguel, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Mark Petrash, a music teacher at Serrano Intermediate School in Lake Forest, was arrested last week on suspicion of flashing a woman. In August, Petrash went to the doctor’s office with a relative. While there, allegedly he pulled his pants down in front of the medical office receptionist. The claim was investigated and he was arrested after there was enough evidence to suspect him of indecent exposure. Comments from readers on the OC Register news article claim that Petrash was not that kind of man and would not have done something like this.

Indecent exposure is when a person exposes himself to a third party and the third party is offended or when the person is trying to get sexually aroused or annoy another party by exposing themseves. If Petrash is convicted of this crime, he will likely have to register as a sex offender and will be fired from his teaching position. Whether you live in Irvine, Santa Ana or Brea, if you are charged with sex crimes, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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In February of 2008, Steven Walter Robinson went to the AMC theater in Fullerton. He tried to bring alcohol into the theater, but was turned away. He then snuck back into the theater and went to see the horror movie “The Signal.” During the movie, two moviegoers came running out of the theater covered in blood. Julio Sanchez said he was watching the movie when Robinson jumped out of his seat and attacked him. He was stabbed three times in the arm, chest, knee and head. Robinson then went after Eloy Uresti by slashing him in the arm and hitting him in the head with a hammer.

Robinson escaped through the side exist of the theater and went to Las Vegas to hide at his brother’s house. He was found in March and then was extradited to Orange County. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of mayhem. His defense attorney said that he did the crimes but he was so intoxicated and under the influence of mushrooms that he had no intent to kill. This week, Robinson was found guilty of those charges and will be sentenced in December. He could potentially face a life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Whether you live in Newport Beach, Laguna Woods or Brea, if you are charged with murder, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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On July 4, 2009, firefighters were called to put out a trash can fire in Fountain Valley. When they arrived, the trash can was against a townhouse belonging to Christopher Ruotolo. Firefighters used heat detectors to see if the fire had spread into the townhouse. They detected heat inside the townhouse, so they went in. Once inside the home, they found three rooms that were equipped with ventilation, irrigation and lighting systems that were being used to cultivate 300-400 marijuana plants.

When firefighters asked Ruotolo about the marijuana plants, Ruotolo claimed he had a prescription for medical marijuana and was growing them to sell to dispensaries. If he had a prescription, he would only be allowed to grow 12 plants. After the incident, he was charged with defrauding the utility company by bypassing the electric meter at his house to avoid a high electricity bill. He was also charged with felony cultivation of marijuana and felony possession for sale.

Whether you live in Irvine, Orange or Fullerton, if you are charged with drug charges, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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