Recent Blog Posts in May 2010

Long Beach police made eight arrests in connection with at least 12 gang-related shootings, two of them homicides.

Through witness descriptions and surveillance footage, authorities were able to identify Ruhani Bustamante, a 28-year-old Latino, as the main suspect in connection with the October 2009 death of Esaul Villagrana and the January 2010 death of Jonathan Cordova.

On May 20, search warrants were served and Bustamante, a Long Beach resident and known member of the East Side Longo street gang, was arrested.

He has since been charged with two counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, three counts of discharging a firearm and one count of possession of narcotics by a felon, according to the felony complaint provided by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

One of the fatal shootings he is alleged to have committed occurred last year on Oct. 26. Esaul Villagrana, identified by the coroner as a 23-year-old white man, was driving near 20th Street and Cedar Avenue when he stopped his car and exited. Police allege that Bustamante shot Villagrana as he got out of the vehicle.

Villagrana was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:10 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

On Jan. 30, Jonathan Cordova, an 18-year-old Latino, was standing at East 15th Street and Stanley Avenue when Bustamante allegedly approached him, pulled out a gun, and opened fire.

Long Beach police said an 18-year-old man was injured in the incident, but his injuries were not life-threatening. Cordova was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:49 p.m., according to coroner's records.

Bustamante is currently being held at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic.

His next court appearance is scheduled for June 9 at the Long Beach Superior Court.

If you have been accused or charged with homicide, it is important that you obtain a highly qualified Los Angeles homicide criminal attorney immediately to begin planning of your criminal defense. A conviction for murder can result in a lifetime sentence in a California penitentiary or even the death penalty.

Los Angeles Police will conduct an intensive and thorough investigation following a murder. Therefore, if you are charged, you will need an experienced homicide attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients for murder charges since 1976 and have the experience necessary to provide you with an exceptional criminal defense. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a homicide charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team possible. We will conduct our own thorough investigation of the facts and study all evidence obtained against you in order to present a strong defense. Our Los Angeles Murder criminal lawyers are aggressive and are well-versed in a court room setting and look forward to assisting you with your case. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7.

Owner of Irving bookkeeping and taxes company defrauded investors out of millions and was sentenced to federal prison for 20 years.

In San Francisco, Roberto Heckscher was sentenced today to 240 months in federal prison in connection with a fraudulent investment scheme he operated from 1979 to 2009, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

In his guilty plea on Oct. 30, 2009, Heckscher, who owned and operated Irving Bookkeeping & Taxes in San Francisco’s Sunset District, admitted to engaging in fraudulent conduct that caused investors to lose between approximately $20 million and $100 million. The court found that, by June 2009 when the scheme collapsed, Heckscher had defrauded at least 292 investors out of a principal amount of approximately $52 million.

“For nearly three decades, Roberto Heckscher made his livelihood by stealing the hopes and dreams of the people he knew,” U.S. Attorney Russoniello said. “Today’s sentence should send a strong message to everyone, preying on the trust of hardworking people for personal gain will land you in prison. My office will continue to seek out the individuals committing these crimes and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Between approximately 1979 and June 2009, Heckscher defrauded investors,  who included his family, friends, and business clients, by promising to arrange short-term commercial loans between his clients and himself. Heckscher misled investors into believing that those purported loans would generate regular interest payments. Instead, Heckscher operated a Ponzi scheme in which some of the funds were transferred to existing investors as “interest payments” or used to repay principal. Heckscher used the remainder for his own purposes, including gambling at Nevada casinos as well as speculative investments in the equities and commodities markets.

Heckscher, 55, formerly of San Mateo, Calif., was originally charged on Oct. 14, 2009, in an Information with one count of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341. After his arraignment on Oct. 30, 2009, Heckscher waived a formal detention hearing and was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston, who also sentenced the defendant to a three year period of supervised release. Judge Illston also ordered the appointment of a special master to assist in the determination of an allocation of restitution among the victims.

Timothy J. Lucey is the Assistant United States Attorney who is prosecuting this case with the assistance of Ponly Tu. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF). President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for the victims of financial crimes.

If you have been charged with a federal fraud crime, you will need a knowledgeable Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley fraud crimes lawyer to assist you in your defense against these charges. Depending on the manner in which the fraud was perpetrated, a fraud crime may be charged on the state or federal level. When charged on the federal level the fraud normally involves such things as counterfeiting or fraud that crossed state lines. We handle defense for any number of fraud crime charges such as Bank Fraud, Government Fraud, Counterfeiting, Theft, Bribery, Embezzlement, Wire Fraud and Pyramid Schemes.

Because a fraud crimes charge is a serious matter, you will need to retain the services of an experienced and professional attorney who can take charge of the situation quickly. Penalties for fraud crime include sentences up to 30 years, in addition to fines and other penalties. And if your fraud crimes becomes a federal charge, you may have involvement of the FBI into t he investigation of your case. It is imperative you do not risk your freedom when you have the power of the federal government investigating your case. Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are strong and aggressive lawyers from Marks & Brooklier. We have years of experience in this field, serving hundreds of clients in Los Angeles, San fernando Valley and Beverly Hills area. We are confident we can assist you with your fraud crime charges. Contact a Los Angeles fraud attorney today for your free initial case evaluation.

Charles Ray Smith, 41, was convicted in the shooting deaths of three people, including a 10-year-old boy, in South L.A. in 2006. He was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.

An alleged gang member was convicted of murdering three people, including a 10-year-old boy, on a quiet South L.A. street in an attack that became known as the 49th Street Massacre.

The defendant repeatedly shook his head as the verdicts were read in a packed downtown Los Angeles courtroom. In the audience behind him, the mother of the 10-year-old victim wept quietly.

David Marcial had been riding his bicycle with his 12-year-old brother outside their South Los Angeles home on a warm June afternoon in 2006 when two gunmen opened fire. Among those killed in the attack were David, his uncle, Larry Marcial, 22, and a neighbor of the Marcial family, Luis Cervantes, 17. David's brother was shot but survived.

The slayings shocked the city and were part of a series of high-profile interracial gang crimes that stoked fears of a possible race war. The gunmen were described as black; the victims were Latino. Police said the dead were not connected to gangs but that they suspected the attackers were.

But prosecutors argued during the trial that race had little to do with the killings. They said the gunmen, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, mistook the victims as rival gang members in a bloody feud between two local gangs.

Jurors deadlocked in a trial on the charges last year. This time, a new jury deliberated about two weeks before finding Smith guilty of murder and attempted murder in the attack. The panel also found him guilty of fatally shooting a construction worker three months before the 49th Street killings. The jury now must decide whether Smith should receive the death penalty.

Jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of convicting Ryan T. Moore, 36, who prosecutors said was the second gunman in the 49th Street shooting. Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley declared a mistrial in Moore's case. Deputy Dist. Atty. Bobby Grace said his office had yet to decide whether to seek a third trial of Moore.

The prosecution's case against both defendants revolved around a key witness, Alicia Merceron, who admitted driving the car in the two killings. She identified Smith as a gunman in both shootings and testified that Moore was the second shooter in the 49th Street killings.

If you have been accused or charged with murder, it is important that you obtain a highly qualified Los Angeles murder criminal attorney immediately to begin planning of your defense. A conviction for homicide can result in a lifetime sentence in a California penitentiary or even the death penalty.

Los Angeles Police will conduct an intensive and thorough investigation following a murder. Therefore, if you are eventually charged, you will need an experienced homicide attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients for homicide charges since 1976 and have the resources and experience necessary to provide you with an exceptional criminal defense. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a murder charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team possible. We will conduct our own thorough investigation of the facts and study all evidence obtained against you in order to present a strong defense. Our Los Angeles Murder criminal lawyers are aggressive and are well-versed in a court room setting and look forward to assisting you with your case. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7.

A 75-year-old former Santa Monica resident with a previous child-sex conviction is expected to plead guilty in Los Angeles federal court to traveling to Cambodia to have sex with boys.

Jack Louis "Dad" Sporich, most recently a resident of Sedona, Ariz., was arrested by Cambodian national authorities in February 2009, after two 12- year-old boys told of being repeatedly molested by the man, according to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

According to an affidavit in support of the charges, witnesses alleged that Sporich drove a motor bike through the streets of the city of Siem Riep, dropping Cambodian currency as a way to attract children. Last summer, Sporich was expelled from Cambodia and brought to Los Angeles, where he was arrested pursuant to a warrant in the case.

Sporich is facing a statutory maximum of 120 years in federal prison, but his plea agreement states that prosecutors are instead recommending a term of 10 years behind bars and a lifetime period of supervised release. The document also states that as part of his deal, Sporich will pay an amount up to $30,000 to be deposited in a fund for the education of the boys he had sex with.

In 1987, Sporich was convicted in Ventura County of lewd acts with a child under 14 years of age and sentenced to 18 years behind bars, according to court papers.

The defendant was charged as a result of operation "Twisted Traveler," an ongoing effort by federal law enforcement to identify and prosecute "sex tourists" who travel to Cambodia to engage in illicit sex with children, a U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman said.

If you have been charged with a federal sex crime, you will need the services of a federal sex crimes criminal defense lawyer who has the special knowledge of this area of the law. At Marks & Brooklier, we have qualified Los Angeles and Beverly Hills federal sex crimes attorneys to represent you. You will need the over 33 years of experience that our law firm can provide you with. Our legal team has handled high profile cases involving federal sex crimes with great success and can do the same for you. Having represented alleged mafia bosses as well as organized crime defendents, we are well-versed in this area of the law. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7, strictly confidential.

Inglewood, California police announced the arrest of a suspect in a 15-year-old homicide, marking the first successful investigation for the department's new cold-case unit.

Donald Bridgewater, 58, was booked on suspicion of murder in the Oct. 28, 1995, slaying of William Goins at his home in the 10600 block of 2nd Avenue. Goins had stab wounds in his head and neck. There was evidence of a struggle. At the time, Bridgewater was one of several suspects in the killing, but police were unable to link him to the case.

The case went unsolved. But in March 2008, the Inglewood Police Department formed a Cold Case Unit to review and investigate 472 unsolved murders in the city since 1971. The unit includes three retired police homicide detectives working under the department's homicide unit.

Investigators reopened the Goins case and submitted physical evidence from the crime scene to the Orange County Crime Lab for DNA analysis. Bridgewater is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

If you have been accused or charged with Homicide it is important that you obtain a highly qualified Los Angeles Homicide criminal defense attorney immediately to begin the planning of your criminal defense. A conviction for homicide can result in a lifetime sentence in a penitentiary or even the death penalty.

Law Enforcement will conduct an intensive and thorough investigation following a homicide. Therefore, if you are eventually charged, you will need an experienced Homicide attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Our firm has been representing clients for homicide charges since 1976 and have the resources and experience necessary to provide you with an exceptional criminal defense. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a murder charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team possible. We will conduct our own thorough investigation of the facts and study all evidence obtained against you in order to present a strong defense. Our Los Angeles Murder criminal lawyers are aggressive and are well-versed in a court room setting and look forward to assisting you with your case. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7.

Two Los Angeles-Area men found guilty for role in Kidnapping of California man who was shot, shocked with taser and held for $1 million ransom.

A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two men on kidnapping charges for abducting a Van Nuys, California., man who was shot, shocked with a taser and held captive for five days while his kidnappers attempted to negotiate a $1 million ransom payment. The jury convicted the two men after approximately two days of deliberation.

Vagan Adzhemyan, 41, of Costa Mesa, Calif.; Suren Garibyan, 32, of North Hollywood, Calif.; and Galvin Shaun Gibson, 30, of Mira Loma, Calif., were charged in August 2009 with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping. In addition, Gibson was charged with manufacturing marijuana and being a felon in possession of ammunition. Adzhemyan and Gibson were found guilty of conspiring to commit kidnapping and kidnapping. Gibson was also found guilty of manufacturing marijuana at the house in Mira Loma where he was holding the victim at the time he was rescued. Adzhemyan and Gibson were initially tried in federal court in January 2010, but a mistrial was declared when the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

According to evidence presented during this two-week trial, Adzhemyan and Garibyan abducted the victim in the parking garage of the victim’s mother’s house in Van Nuys in the early morning hours of July 29, 2009. During the abduction, the victim was shot and shocked with a taser before he was forced into a waiting vehicle, while an associate of the victim’s was violently assaulted by the kidnappers. In the process of abducting him, the victim was accidentally shot by his friend,  a gunshot wound that caused extensive bleeding and ripped through the victim’s intestines. The kidnapping victim was bound and forced to wear a blindfold as he was held at various locations in southern California during the next five days. During the time that the victim was held captive, the kidnappers directed him to use cellular telephones to make calls to family members and close associates in the Los Angeles area and in Russia in order to secure a $1 million ransom in exchange for the victim’s safe release.

The captors withheld necessary medical treatment for the victim’s life-threatening gunshot wound. In addition, the kidnappers repeatedly beat the victim during the course of his captivity and focused their beatings on the victim’s stomach area, which was most affected by his gunshot wound.

Adzhemyan, Garibyan and Gibson were taken into custody on Aug. 3, 2009, when the victim was rescued from Gibson’s Mira Loma residence by a team of Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officers. The victim was found lying on an air mattress, unable to move on his own. According to testimony at trial, officers were able to locate both the kidnappers and the place where the kidnappers were hiding the victim following an extensive undercover surveillance operation conducted by the LAPD. The victim was hospitalized for more than one month after he was rescued and underwent three surgeries during his hospitalization.

Trial evidence also showed that Adzhemyan and Garibyan used the victim’s ATM card to withdraw the maximum amount of cash from the victim’s bank account on three separate occasions while he was being held in captivity.

At sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 2, 2010, Adzhemyan and Gibson each face a maximum penalty of life in prison. Garibyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping on Dec. 30, 2009. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 24, 2010. The case was prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Violent and Organized Crime Section in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California The investigation was conducted by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division and the FBI’s Violent Crimes Squad.

If you have been arrested, or under investigation for kidnapping, its critical that you obtain experienced legal counsel in the Los Angeles area. At Marks & Brooklier, our law firm will specially design a top legal team who will assist you in your kidnapping case.  The Law Offices of Marks & Brooklier have experienced kidnapping criminal defense attorneys, who will ensure you receive the legal assistance you need.

Do not let any time go by without contacting a Los Angeles and United States kidnapping criminal defense lawyer from the Law Offices of Marks & Brooklier to defend you against these charges. We will provide you with a strong defense and fully investigate all aspects of the kidnapping case and dispute any evidence brought against you immediately.

Although based in Los Angeles, we represent clients throughout the United States. Contact our office for a free consultation, 24/7.

Three men convicted in Orange County sexual assault take case to California Supreme Court. Gregory Haidl and two others who videotaped their attack on a 16-year-old girl want their convictions overturned and do not want to register as sex offenders. The three men were found guilty in Orange County nearly five years ago of sexually assaulting an unconscious 16-year-old girl and videotaping her have asked the state Supreme Court to overturn their convictions.

Gregory Haidl, 24, the son of a former Orange County Assistant Sheriff; Kyle Nachreiner, 25; and Keith Spann, also 25, were convicted in 2005 of sexual assault and sentenced to six years in prison. All three have been paroled. Haidl's attorney said petitions were filed with the state high court to hear arguments on why the three should have their convictions overturned and not have to register as sex offenders.

All three were 17 years old when the assault occurred in 2002 at the elder Haidl's home in Corona del Mar. They lost their case at the appeals court level last month. This is their last chance to appeal their convictions at the state level. If the state high court agrees to hear the case, their attorney will argue that the trial judge did not give his client a fair trial because he excluded evidence that the victim participated in similar sexual activity not long before the assault. The woman's sexual history was protected under California's rape shield law.

The attorney also plans to argue that the requirement to register as sex offenders should be dropped because the jury found the trio not guilty on an assault with a deadly weapon charge. Without that charge they would have been tried as juveniles and would not have to register.Prosecutors say the men's attempts to clear their records is exactly why they should have to register as sex offenders. "Men who are convicted of preying on women who are too intoxicated to say 'no' are sexual predators," said Orange County district attorney's spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder. "The public has the right to know who they are, where the live and what they did." The state Supreme Court has 60 days to decide whether to hear the case.

If you have been charged with a sex crime in Los Angeles or Orange County, you need to contact a Los Angeles sex crimes criminal lawyer immediately. Do not risk being convicted of a sex crime and being labeled a sexual predator for the rest of your life. This type of conviction will follow you wherever you go. With the implementation of Megan's Law, which was enacted in 1994 after a little girl was raped and murdered by a sexual predator, once convicted of a sexual offense you are required to register anywhere you move as a convicted "sex offender".

At Marks and Brooklier, we are Los Angeles sex crimes attorneys who have successfully defended our clients since 1976 in all types of sex crimes including: aggravated sexual assault, child abuse, child molestation, child pornography, failure to register, indecent exposure, lewd & lascivious conduct, molestation, obscenity, possession of child pornography, prostitution, rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual battery, solicitation, solicitation for prostitution, statutory rape and sodomy.

Sex crimes cases needs the best defense possible, to forestall the grim outcome of being labeled. With our experienced and caring assistance, we can skillfully direct your defense to a successful outcome. Contact our office today for a free consultation to discuss your situation.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged a Compton High School math teacher with multiple felonies, alleging that he sexually abused three female students.

Nicolei Hurtado Ocaña, 28, of Placentia was charged with two counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, two counts of contact with a minor for sexual offense, and one count each of oral copulation of a person under 18 and child molesting, a misdemeanor.

According to the criminal complaint, the offenses took place at the school between September 2008 and last month. One of the victims was 15, and the other two were 16 at the time of the offenses.

Ocaña was arrested by investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Special Victims Bureau. He is being held in lieu of $390,000 bail. If convicted, Oca ña faces a maximum term of six years in state prison.

If you have been charged with a sex crime, you need to contact a Los Angeles sex crimes lawyer immediately. At Marks & Brooklier we have years of experience in handling sex crimes cases. With our knowledge of sex crime law and our legal resources, we work closely with our clients to defend them from unwarranted charges. 

In a recent case in San Bernardino Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga, our client was charged with sex crimes subject to registration as a sex offender. We were able to obtain a plea agreement where our client was able to have his registration terminated after completion of probation.

Do not risk being convicted of a sex crime and being labeled a sexual predator for the rest of your life. Contact our office immediately for a free consultation 24/7

He  is scheduled for sentencing June 25 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He faces up to 50 years in state prison. Mr. Barrios was one of two men charged with a home-invasion robbery in Encino, California. Los Angeles prosecutors alleged that he tied up a housekeeper and the homeowner’s daughter at gunpoint before stealing TVs from the home. He also was convicted of committing several armed robberies in the Hollywood area.

If you have been charged with robbery in Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Orange County, Riverside County or San Bernardino County, you need an experienced robbery criminal defense lawyer to protect your rights. At Marks and Brooklier, we have successfully defended clients since 1976 in all types of robbery crimes including: aggravated robbery, armed robbery, ATM robbery, attempted robbery, carjacking, first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery and simple robbery.

Contact us for a free consultation 24/7, immediate response. Your future is at stake.