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In July, Jaime Martinez of Buena Park pleaded guilty to 32 felony counts including the rape of 4 young girls in his family aged 5 to 11. One of the girls claimed she had been molested since she was 5 years old and once was abused by Martinez in the school bathroom. Additionally, the girl said that he once hit her and showed her a gun and said he would kill her and her family if she reported him to authorities. Last week, Martinez was sentenced to 330 years to life in prison for the sexual assaults.

People often wonder why sentences are so long. Clearly, no one will live for 330 years so why have a sentence for so long? Sentences are actually calculated based on how many offenses the person is convicted of and the severity of the offenses. Even with that number calculated, the judge has broad discretion in sentencing and can add or subtract years. Whether you live in Irvine, Santa Ana or Fullerton, if you get charged with a sex crime, you will need an experienced Orange County criminal defense attorney on your side.

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Timothy Wade Voroshuck walked into a Santa Ana CVS and demanded OxyContin from the employee behind the pharmacy counter. The robber claimed he had a gun and when the employee refused to give him OxyContin, the robber jumped on the counter and tried to fight with the employee. The quick thinking employee gave him Tylenol instead and told him it was OxyContin. Officers quickly arrived and arrested Voroshuck for robbery and false imprisonment. He is in jail with his bail amount set at $145,000.

Clearly, Voroshuck was addicted to OxyContin and was desperate to get his hands on some more. In desperation, people do crazy things. He will likely face a few years in jail for the robbery and false imprisonment. He will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist him in fighting his legal charges.

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William Eric Hamren called police earlier this week to report his stolen truck and bike. When Fullerton officers went to his house, Hamren ordered them off his property. Officers called for backup and Hamren was detained. A roommate told officers that Hamren had a gun in his room and Hamren said he had two safes in the garage. After searching the house, they found ammunition and pipebombs. Hamren was taken to St. Jude’s Medical Center for psychological evaluation. Apparently, while being questioned, he threatened to kill President Barack Obama. After being interviewed by the secret services, he was booked in an Orange County jail.

The combination of bombs, the threat to the President and Hamren’s psychological problems will make this a complicated legal matter. An experienced defense attorney will seek to have his client examined by a psychiatrist trained in forensic examinations to determine if the client does have psychological problems. If the defense attorney is successful in raising a mental defense to the charges the client may be admitted to a mental institution instead of going to prison. If you are charged with weapons charges, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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Adrian Montano Fuerte was found guilty, this week, of felony forcible rape and assault with the intent to rape and two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and battery. Fuerte, who worked at a few Econo Lube and Tune locations in 2007 would lure women into the garage to explain their car problems. Once there, he would assault them, sexually batter them or rape them. Five women came forward and said that Fuerte either raped them or assaulted them. Fuerte could face around 15 years in state prison for his crimes.

Sexual battery is the touching of the intimate part’s of another without consent and is a misdemeanor. Rape, on the other hand, requires actual penetration and is a felony. Sex crimes stay on your record and may even require you to register on a sex offender list. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Fullerton or Newport Beach, if you are charged with a sex crime, you will need an experienced defense attorney to assist you with your legal matters.

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Colin Nathanson was the president and CEO of Giant Golf Company and Play Big Enterprises. While owning those companies, he admitted that he fraudulently convinced hundreds of people to invest in his companies, claiming that the companies would soon be publicly traded or would merge with a larger company. Nathanson received about $55 million from the investors and then bought houses, went on pricey vacations and used the money for his gambling addiction. The Securities and Exchange Commission started investigating him in 2005 and realized he was engaging in fraudulent activity. This week, Nathanson was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for the fraud he committed. As soon as he gets out, he will deported to South Africa since he was illegally in the U.S.

Someone being suspected of defrauding people out of money can be prosecuted criminally and sued in civil court. Even though Nathanson is in prison, he can also be sued by all the people he stole money from. Nathanson was sentenced to 27 years. To put this in context, a murderer would likely be sentenced to about 25 years. After Enron, the court has been more harsh in sentencing white collar criminals, especially when the dollar loss was so great. Whether you live in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with fraud or any other white collar crime, you will need an experienced criminal defense attorney on your side.

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Two homeless men decided to have sex on a stranger’s lawn in broad daylight on Sunday at the 1000 block of Gavoita Drive in Laguna Beach. Police came after the homeowners called them to report the incident. The men were taken to Laguna Beach jail and charged with lewd conduct.

Lewd conduct involves sexual conduct that is done in a public place that offends someone. It is a misdemeanor offense but it will be on your criminal record. The penalties are normally jail time, fees and probation. A good defense attorney may be able to lower the charges to disturbing the peace. Whether you are in Irvine, Newport Beach or Tustin, if you get charged with lewd conduct, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

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On Saturday night, Fullerton PD responded to a burglary call on Dale Street and Valencia Drive. Police arrived and saw a man walking near the area with a concealed weapon on him. The suspect then tried to run but was stopped by the police dog, Blitz. The individual, was arrested for possession of a loaded .25 caliber, semi automatic gun. He was on parole at the time of arrest so he will also be charged with a parole violation and evading arrest. Lieutenant Kevin Hamilton said he is a Pauline Street gang member that was recently paroled and may have to go to Chino State Prison after this parole violation.

Parole is the supervised release of a prisoner before the end of their sentence. Once someone is paroled, conditions are placed on them to abide by, including the ban on carrying any weapons. This individual is clearly in violation of this requirement and will face more prison time for this incident. He will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist him with his legal matters.

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Megan Marie Roy posed as a phony midwife and tried to deliver a baby that was stillborn. She met the woman through a real midwife who could not help the pregnant woman so Roy offered her services. A Santa Ana court charged her with fraud for the unauthorized practice of medicine. She was sentenced to 3 years of probation and 400 hours of community service and was also ordered to pay $2,000 to St. Jude’s Research Hospital.

Fraud is the intentional deception of another, made for personal gain. There are many types of fraud that one can get charged with, including: Medical, Insurance, Credit Card, and Accounting fraud. For the type of fraud that Roy committed, she is lucky she did not receive any prison time. If she had caused any harm to the woman or the baby, she would receive a long prison sentence. Whether you live in Buena Park, Cypress or Cerritos, if you are charged with fraud, call an experienced defense attorney to assist you with your legal matters.

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In 1991, the Dugard’s moved from Orange County to Lake Tahoe to escape crime. Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped in front of her step-father’s eyes just weeks after moving to Tahoe. The Dugard’s thought that Jaycee had been killed since they had not heard anything about her in 18 years.

This week, Phillip Garrido went on the Berkeley campus with his two daughters to speak about his religious beliefs when security thought he looked suspicious. After doing a background search they found out he was a paroled rapist. Garrido’s parole officer did not even know he had kids and once the parole officer spoke with Garrido, Gariddo confessed to having kidnapped Jaycee 18 years ago and fathering two children with her.

After searching the Garrido home, it was discovered that Jaycee and her two children, 15 and 11, were living in the backyard. The car used for the abduction was also in the backyard. In the home was Phillip’s wife, Nancy, who was immediately arrested.

It is likely that Phillip will be charged with kidnapping and rape and Nancy will be charged with aiding and abetting. Knowing that her husband kidnapped and raped a young girl and not doing anything about it is a crime. Whether you live in Santa Ana, Newport Beach or Yorba Linda, if you get charged with kidnapping or rape, you will need an experienced defense attorney to assist you right away.

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Earlier this week in Laguna Beach, a jewelry store was robbed by three men. They took about $600,000 worth of jewelry. Two witnesses called the police after witnessing the robbery. When police arrived, the suspects had already left in a white Ford Fusion. A while later, an officer driving in Aliso Viejo saw the car and pursued the suspects. The three men jumped out of the car and ran into a parking structure. Officers surrounded the structure and looked for the three suspects for three hours, but it is believed that the suspects escaped through a drainage ditch. The white Fusion that was left by the suspects was searched and some of the jewelry was found.

The jewelry store had surveillance cameras so it should be just a matter of days until the robbers are caught. Once these robbers are caught, they will be charged with robbery and evading arrest. A robbery counts as a strike on your record and once someone gets three strikes, they spend their life in prison. These suspects will need a good criminal defense attorney to defend them in this case.

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