Recent Posts in California Category

A former insurance claims adjuster who was suspected of terrorizing women in the 1970s as the Westside Rapist has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for seven murders that were committed in two waves of killings and sexual assaults.

John Floyd Thomas was sentenced for the killings that took place in a area stretching from Inglewood to Claremont. Police describe him as one of the California's most prolific serial killers, saying that he is still a suspect in at least 10 to 15 additional murders.

Police said the sexual attacks targeted women who ranged in age from their 50s to their 90s, many of whom lived alone. He broke into their homes at night and raped and choked his victims until they passed out or died. His sentence was part of a plea deal with prosecutors that was described as an act of pragmatism rather than an act of mercy.

She noted that capital punishment was not legal in California when all but one of the killings Thomas admitted to were committed. She said the death penalty would not have been relevant in this case because Thomas would probably die in prison during his appeals, given his age.

Thomas was born in Los Angeles and was raised by an aunt and his godmother after his mother died when he was 12. He attended public schools, and briefly joined the U.S. Air Force in 1956. At Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, he received a dishonorable discharge. The next year, he was convicted of burglary and attempted rape, which put him in prison for nearly almost 10 years. After his release, police noticed a string of assaults on elderly white women. The attacker was dubbed the Westside Rapist at the time.

The attacks appeared to stop in 1978, when Thomas was convicted and sentenced to prison for the rape of a Pasadena woman. After his release in 1983, he moved to Chino, coinciding with a wave of rapes and killings that began in the Pomona Valley area.

The Westside Rapist faded from public memory and authorities made limited progress in the Claremont killings until 2004, when the LAPD matched male DNA taken from two of the crime scenes. The final break in the case came in October 2008, when two officers collected DNA from Thomas while trying to identify the so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer, who was linked to homicides in South Los Angeles starting in the 1980s. Several months later, detectives learned that Thomas' genetic profile matched DNA evidence from four of the killings he admitted in court.

Police will conduct an intensive investigation following a murder or sexual assault. Therefore, if you are criminally charged, you will need a skilled criminal defense attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Criminal defense lawyers  Donald Marks and  Anthony Brooklier have been successfully representing clients for murder and rape charges for decades. They have the experience necessary to provide you with skilled criminal defense in all Los Angeles County Courts. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a murder or sexual assault charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team. Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers are aggressive in the court room and look forward to defending your case. Contact us for a free case consultation.

A Garden Grove man was sentenced to four years, four months in a California State prison for kidnapping his daughter and assaulting her mother with a handgun in Lake Forest. The assault occurred during a custody drop-off in the mother's home, where Daniel Chomina was angered at seeing a male friend at the home.

He was accused of pointing a handgun at the girl's mother and her male friend at the home and then hitting the man with the gun. When the two locked themselves inside the home, Chomina broke in, took his 3-year-old daughter, and fled. A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge sentenced him to four years and four months in prison.

After driving away in his car, he called his former girlfriend and agreed to leave their daughter with his mother at an Anaheim restaurant. Chomina was facing 15 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of assault with a firearm, a misdemeanor count of being in possession of a firearm, and felony counts of kidnapping and first-degree burglary.

Kidnapping is defined as using force or threats of force to take a person against their will. Abducting an individual by force and holding them against their will could result in being charged for felony kidnapping. Regardless of your relationship to the victim, the consequences of your actions will be prosecuted aggressively.

If you have been charged or under investigation for kidnapping, it is critical that you obtain an experienced Los Angeles kidnapping criminal defense lawyer right away. At Marks & Brooklier, our law firm will specially design a top legal team who will defend you against these charges. Attorneys  Donald Marks and  Anthony Brooklier are skilled kidnapping criminal defense attorneys, who will ensure you receive the legal assistance you need to aggressively fight your criminal charges.  Call our office today to schedule a free consultation.

Two men were arrested in connection with what police call a complex, multimillion-dollar car theft ring. Kirsio Cruz, of Norco and Luis Marroquin, of Huntington Park, California were taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Motor Vehicles after a long investigation. The men are believed to have stolen 26 cars valued at least $1.2 million by using fake documents to remove the actual lien holders from the vehicles' titles. 

The men conspired to remove the lien holders using fraudulent notary stamps, fraudulent CHP stamps and fraudulent DMV stamps. The arrest were made at King City Auto Sales in Los Angeles. Police also served a search warrant at an unlicensed registration service in Los Angeles, where more evidence of fraudulent activity was found. The state attorney general’s office has filed multiple charges in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the men. CHP authorities said the theft investigation is still ongoing.

Regardless of what type of theft charges you are facing, our Los Angeles car theft criminal defense lawyers are confident we can assist you with your defense. We will aggressively approach your theft case with the intention of either having the charges lessened or getting the charges dismissed.

At Marks and Brooklier, we have  successfully defended individuals since 1976 in all types of theft crimes including: burglary, robbery, commercial burglary, conspiracy, counterfeiting, grand theft, grand theft auto, petty theft, petty theft with prior, residential burglary, shoplifting, carjacking, forgery, embezzlement and white collar crimes.  Contact our office to learn more about what we can do for you.

A former employee of an adult day-care center in El Monte pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting three severely disabled women with the mental capacity of children. The plea came in exchange for an agreement with prosecutors that he be sentenced to no more than eight years in prison.

Juan Fernando Flores faced up to 27 years had he been convicted of all the charges, which included multiple assaults and the transmission of a sexual disease. The victims all have mental disabilities, including Down's syndrome. He worked as a cook and driver at the government-subsidized facility, then known as Healthy Start. After the arrest, he confessed to assaulting the three women. Police suspected there may have been other victims but did not have enough evidence to press more charges. Under the terms of the plea, Flores would have to serve 85% of the sentence and register as a sex offender upon release.

The criminal case was set for trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pomona. Instead, the judge set a sentencing hearing for which the victims and their families will be given an opportunity to describe the effect of the crimes on their lives. Several families pulled relatives out of the facility after the arrest, and police sent letters to clients' families suggesting they be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

When someone is accused or charged with a sex crime, it usually means that they have attempted or have performed a sexual act against another person using force and against their will. Anyone accused of a sexual assault is labeled a sexual predator, pervert or sexual deviant. A sexual assault conviction requires a person to register with a sex offense registry for the rest of their lives. If convicted of a sex crime, you will be viewed with distrust by neighbors and friends. Obtaining employment will be difficult. Therefore it is critical you handle this type of a charge with the best possible sex crime criminal defense attorney. At Marks & Brooklier, we are highly experienced Los Angeles sexual assault criminal defense attorneys who know how best to defend you against these charges. Attorneys  Donald Marks and  Anthony Brooklier have been successfully representing clients for decades and can do the same for you.  Call our office anytime, 24/7, for a free case evaluation. All consultations are strictly confidential.

Two men arrested after a robbery in Fontana, California are believed to be responsible for an armed robbery of a Redlands restaurant and many other robberies in surrounding cities. Fontana police arrested David Richard McKinney and Jonathan Burnside, both of Highland, California, following an armed robbery and vehicle pursuit in Fontana. Police have linked the two men to similar robberies in Highland and San Bernardino.

Two armed men entered the Mediterranean Grill and demanded money from an employee at the cash register. The suspects fled in a silver sport utility vehicle. Redlands detectives said the suspects and vehicle from the Fontana arrest matched video taken from the Redlands restaurant and other surrounding businesses. The suspects are in custody at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on numerous charges, including the Redlands robbery.

Because armed robbery is considered a violent crime, California judges and prosecutors tend to aggressively prosecute the accused. There are usually severe consequences for any robbery crime that can affect your life for many years. When our Los Angeles armed robbery criminal defense attorneys at Marks & Brooklier meet with you at our free initial consultation, we will carefully review all of the facts of your robbery case in order to properly advise you as to how we can best provide effective criminal defense on your behalf. Avoiding a conviction is always our goal, as we understand the consequences of serving a lenghtly prison sentenced can be to your family. Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have extensive experience in armed robbery arrest and we strongly encourage you to make an appointment to discuss how we can best defend you. Contact us today for your free consultation.

A man accused of stealing wallets from purses of several customers at Walmart has been sentenced to nearly seven years in a California state prison. Jose Bernardino Vargas, of Placentia, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of second-degree burglary. Three counts, including felony receiving stolen property, misdemeanor falsely representing himself to an officer and misdemeanor petty theft, were dismissed. He will be deported upon completing his sentence.

Bernardino Vargas was arrested at the Walmart at 2595 E. Imperial Highway after store security recognized him as the man suspected in carrying out several previous thefts. He followed potential victims and waited for them to turn away from their carts, grabbed their wallets from their purses and quickly left the area. In one case, he grabbed a wallet from a purse left inside a vehicle in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Bernardino Vargas was caught on store surveillance video, and when he returned to the store, employees notified Brea police. Police watched as he stole a wallet from another shopper's purse and was taken into custody. Along with the stolen wallet, police also discovered gift cards taken during the previous thefts in his car. Police said he admitted to the thefts during an interview. He also had an outstanding warrant for burglary and possession of stolen property.

With the many years we have been successfully representing our clients against burglary and other related theft charges, criminal defense attorneys  Donald Marks and  Anthony Brooklier are committed to providing you with the strongest defense to fight your charges. Having handled large and complex cases in all Los Angeles County courts, we are well-versed in effectively defending you for your theft crime charges, from initial investigation all the way through the court room. We understand the seriousness of these charges and the consequences they can have on your life.  Contact a  Los Angeles burglary criminal defense lawyer at our firm to find out how we can help you.

In Santa Ana, California, a Lake Forest man goes on trial on multiple felony charges of raping five women and sexually assaulting a sixth. The charges against Sekayi Rudo White, could result in a sentence of 119 years to life in prison if he is convicted of all counts. He is accused of 14 felony counts involving six women he met in bars, had been dating, or was acquainted with during a five-year span.

Prosecutors say that three of the victims initially were too frightened to report the sexual attacks, but called police after they read news accounts of his arrest in connection with the other three women. And one of the assaults took place after he was released on $250,000 bail. He has been in custody without bail since that incident in Lake Forest on March 31, 2007.

White is accused of forcible rape, assault with intent to commit rape, sexual battery, dissuading a witness and residential burglary, plus sentencing enhancements for committing sex crimes against multiple victims, using a deadly weapon, and committing crimes while out on bail. The six incidents according to prosecutors:

On March 31, 2007, a 28-year-old woman was drinking with a friend at Patsy's Irish Pub in Lake Forest. Prosecutors say he covertly followed the victim home, knocked on her door, and was allowed inside after she recognized him. He raped her after she passed out.

On Feb. 21, 2007, he broke into the home of a 22-year-old woman he had been dating, pushed her to the ground, and stepped on her chest as he removed her clothes. He is accused of forcibly raping the victim as he held a large hunting knife to her neck.

One night in January 2007, a woman renting a room from the victim in the Feb. 21 incident was attacked in her bedroom after he broke the lock on her door. He is accused of threatening to kill her if she reported the rape.

On Aug. 13, 2006, White met a 19-year-old woman at Atlanta Lounge in Huntington Beach, California. He offered to give the drunken victim a ride home, but instead drove her to his apartment and raped her.

On Dec. 23, 2005 White met a 44-year-old woman at the Fox Sports Grill at the Irvine Spectrum and offered to give her a ride home because she had been drinking. After arriving at her Newport Beach apartment, he asked to use the bathroom. Prosecutors say he ran out of the bathroom naked, tried to rape the woman while threatening to kill her if she told anyone, but she screamed anyway and he fled the scene.

In September 2002, White met a 22-year-old woman in driving school and asked her out for a date. He is accused of taking her to a hotel in Santa Ana and forcibly raping her while she was temporarily unconscious. After the attack, he is accused of harassing the woman, who did not initially report the incident,  by showing up at her work and home.

If you have been charged with a rape or any type of sex crime, you need the skilled defense services of a Los Angeles rape criminal defense attorney who has the experience and knowledge of this area of the law. At Marks & Brooklier, attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are qualified Los Angeles sex crimes lawyers who will aggressively defend you. Our skilled lawyers have handled high profile cases involving rape with great success and can do the same for you. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7, strictly confidential.

An Anaheim, California man has been arrested and charged with manufacturing methamphetamine in the living room of his 87-year-old bedridden aunt. The methamphetamine lab was discovered by police while conducting a welfare check on the elderly woman after her granddaughter to say she had not heard from her grandmother in three months, according to a statement by the Orange County district attorney's office.

Police arrested Thomas George Hogue, the caretaker of his aunt, who was confined to her bed in another room. He is being charged with one felony count each of manufacturing methamphetamine and elder and dependent adult abuse. If convicted, he faces a maximum of eight years in state prison.

A methamphetamine manufacturing conviction can be produce severe consequences. Therefore, it is critical that you discuss your case with an aggressive Los Angeles methamphetamine manufacturing criminal defense lawyer immediately. If you are facing any type of drug crime, you will need an experiences lawyer to take immediate action and to represent you at a bail hearing. Criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been able to successfully challenge evidence obtained improperly and have methamphetamine manufacturing criminal charges reduced, or even dismissed. When you retain Marks & Brooklier as your criminal defense lawyers, you can be assured you will have the best legal counsel representing you. Contact our office today for your free consultation.

In Tustin, Californa, in Orange County, a law office manager has been charged with embezzling more than $480,000, after prosecutors allege she used the money for her own personal pleasure. Donna Joy Henderson, has been arrested for 14 felony counts of falsifying records and a felony count of grand theft by embezzlement by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. 

Prosecutors say between January 2003 and September 2009, she was responsible for all financial accounts for Rinos & Martin, LLP. She wrote 122 company checks that she deposited into her own personal bank account. Prosecutors say she used the embezzled funds to maintain a "lavish lifestyle," purchasing such things as timeshare properties, cruises, jewelry and collectibles from the Home Shopping Network, home improvements, an indoor sauna, and visits to pampered pet day spas and gambling.

To conceal her theft activity, prosecutors say she falsified the firm's financial records, recording the stolen checks as "void" and altering monthly statements from the bank. Tustin police detectives began investigating the reported theft after a new accountant hired by the firm noticed that one of the checks had been marked "void" and made payable to herself. If convicted, Henderson faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in a California state prison.

Regardless of what type of theft charges you may be facing, Los Angeles grand theft criminal defense lawyers at Marks & Brooklier are confident they can successfully assist you with your defense. Attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier will aggressively approach your criminal case with the intention of either having your charges lessened or getting them dismissed altogether.

At Marks and Brooklier, we are successful Los Angeles embezzlement criminal defense attorneys who have been defending clinets since 1976. We also represent clients in all types of theft crimes including burglary, commercial burglary, conspiracy, counterfeiting, grand theft auto, petty theft, petty theft with prior, residential burglary, shoplifting, and white collar crimes. Call our office anytime, 24/7, to discuss your case with a skilled attorney who can help you.

The investigation into the home on the 13700 block of Polk Street began with a tip received by narcotics detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill division. Foothill detectives went to the home and found nine people there. Eventually bomb squad and Special Weapons and Tactics officers were called out, along with several Los Angeles fire trucks. Officers seized a rifle, a silencer and a stolen car and were beginning to search an evacuated part of the property.

Because of the severity of the sentencing that can occur with a methamphetamine conviction, it is important that you consult an aggressive Los Angeles methamphetamine criminal defense lawyer immediately. If you have been arrested for any type of drug crime, you will need an attorney to take immediate action on your behalf to represent you at a bail hearing and proceed with the necessary actions to move your case forward. Criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been able to challenge evidence obtained improperly and have charges reduced, or even dismissed. When you retain Marks & Brooklier as your criminal defense attorneys, you can be assured you will have the best counsel representing you. Contact our office today for your free consultation.

A San Diego FBI Special Agent announced the arrest of Amado Nicholas Hernandez, of Chico, California. Hernandez was arrested as he arrived on board a cruise ship at the Port of San Diego. Hernandez was arrested by FBI Agents based on information developed from an investigation conducted by the Sacramento FBI. According to the affidavit in a federal criminal complaint filed, Hernandez is alleged to have received and possessed child pornography in violation of federal laws.

In the summer of 2010, the Sacramento Division of the FBI received information from a deputy of the Glenn County Sheriff’s Department regarding a computer he received from a concerned citizen. The citizen had received the computer at an estate sale in Chico, California. The computer had been given away by a woman holding the sale because the computer was thought to be broken. The person who received the computer was a technician who was able to repair the computer. Once the computer was repaired, the  citizen discovered images of child pornography on the hard drive and promptly turned the computer over to law enforcement.

A law enforcement forensic review of the computer revealed that there were approximately 450 still images files of child pornography and approximately 250 video files of child pornography on the computer. Additional review of the computer and address checks for the estate sale residence linked Hernandez to both the computer and residence. The still and video images found on Hernandez’s computer were forwarded to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which compared those files with images of known child pornography victims. NCMEC subsequently reported that 43 of the submitted videos files were of known child victims from 15 different identifiable series of child pornography. They also reported that there were 72 child pornography still images from 35 different identifiable series of child pornography. As there were some video and image files from the same series, there were a total of 44 different child victims who appeared in video or image files on the abandoned computer.

A federal arrest warrant was authorized by a U. S. Magistrate Judge from the United States District Court, Eastern District of California, charging Hernandez with receiving and possessing child pornography. Hernandez was booked into the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Metropolitan Correctional Center in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles child pornography lawyers at Marks & Brooklier are qualified to defend individuals who have been accused of child pornography or any related sex crime. Having the most skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney will ensure you are provided with the defense you require to overcome the these charges. We provide our clients with the highest quality defense that includes a skilled legal team that is aware of how these charges can affect your future. Child pornography lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have the experience necessary to present a defense that will allow a jury to view all the facts without judging you based soley on emotion. Contact our office for a free case evaluation.

The bodies of Phong Le, 30, his wife, Ngoc "Trish" Lam, 25, and their son Tommy, were found in separate bedrooms in their Garden Grove home. They had been bound, gagged and stabbed multiple times. The couple's infant daughter, dehydrated but alive , was found next to the body of her mother.

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons argued that Le had borrowed $80,000 from Quan but never paid it back. That was the motivation for the murders, he said. Quan, who has two prior strike convictions for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in 1990, was sentenced by Orange County Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg.

Police will conduct an intensive investigation following a murder. Therefore, if you are charged, you will need a skilled homicide attorney from Marks & Brooklier. Murder criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients for murder charges for decades and have the resources and experience necessary to provide you with skilled 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. Our Los Angeles homicide and murder criminal defense lawyers are aggressive in a court room setting and look forward to assisting you with your case. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7.

Two Santa Clarita, California residents responding to a Craigslist ad for a camera were robbed in Hollywood Nov. 20 by three suspects who blocked their vehicle and took all their personal belongings, including their cellphones and cash for the camera. The men wore ski masks and fled in a black BMW with no license plates. Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputies initially had little to go on except for the missing cellphones.

In the ensuing weeks, detectives found a similar incident that took place in the North Hollywood area, investigated by Los Angeles police. Electronic communications were used to identify a potential suspect. That led authorities to the vehicle used in the crime and the arrest Dec. 3 of Talin Shahin, of North Hollywood on suspicion of robbery. Aram Damirjian, of Canyon Country was also arrested just after he appeared in a San Fernando courtroom on an unrelated marijuana case.

During a search of Damirjian's residence in the 28200 block of Winterdale Drive, sheriff's investigators found evidence of a robbery as well as a marijuana growing operation in the garage that included 90 marijuana plants. Damirjian, who is free on bail, faces charges of drug cultivation in addition to robbery. Shahin is being held without bail at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Century Regional Detention Facility.

If you have been accused or charged with robbery or any type of violent crime, it is crucial that you obtain a qualified Los Angeles robbery criminal defense attorney immediately. A conviction for any type of violent crime in the State of California can result in a lifetime sentence in a California penitentiary.

Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have represented clients for robbery and other violent crimes charges since 1976. It takes a dedicated legal team to fight a violent crime charge, and with our firm you can feel condifent that we will provide you with the highest quality criminal defense team possible. Our Los Angeles robbery criminal defense 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.

The girl's parents, as well as her four siblings, were interviewed at the Santa Ana police station, where investigators learned that a 5-year-old and 8-year-old had also been victims. Police took Gary Gruber, into custody at his home in the 1200 block of East Fairhaven. He was arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, sexual penetration by threat of retaliation and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Gruber met the girls' father about five years ago, while the two were serving time at Theo Lacy Jail and as the two went through the Phoenix House program for alcohol addiction.  A man with the same name and birth date as Gruber pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2005 and to misdemeanor hit-and-run and felony possession of a controlled substance charges in 2006, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Gruber and the girls' father remained friends after their release, Bertagna said, and when the man and his wife went out on Saturday nights, they would leave their children in Gruber's care. Authorities believe the abuse began about three years ago, when the oldest victim was 10. Gruber began having her sleep in the bed with him overnight, Bertagna said. Police believe he molested the girl's younger sisters as well but not her two brothers.

Gruber told the girl that her parents would be mad at her if they learned what was going on, Bertagna said. He also claimed that he had just been awarded custody of his three sons from foster care and that he would lose them if she said anything, Bertagna said.

Los Angeles lewd & lascicious acts criminal defense attorneys, Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are exceptionally qualified to represent clients who have been accused of sex crimes with children criminal charges. Having the most skilled lewd & lascicious acts criminal defense lawyer will ensure you are provided with the defense you require to overcome the stigma and charges in your case. We provide our clients with the highest quality defense, including a dedicated legal team that is aware of how sex crimes with children charges can adversely affect your future. Marks & Brooklier has the experience necessary to present the type of defense that will allow a jury to view the facts without being caught up in the nature of the charges made against you.

Serving the Los Angeles & Beverly Hills areas since 1976, we have a thorough understanding of the complexity and details involved in defending against sex crimes against children charges. Our skilled and caring lawyers will provide you with the individual support and experience you need to fully understand the process and guide you through this difficult time in your life. Conact our office for a free, strictly confidential, consultation.

A Santa Ana man was charged with abducting and raping a 16-year-old girl as she was walking home from a fast-food restaurant. Police were led to Juan Humberto Avila, from DNA collected after he was convicted of a federal weapons charge in Ariznoa.

The girl was walking home after meeting friends at an In-and-Out Burger in Santa Ana about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2008, when her attacker jumped on her and punched her, according to prosecutors. Avila allegedly dragged the girl across the street while threatening to stab her to death if she screamed. He allegedly forced her behind large storage containers at the rear of a parking lot, where he repeatedly raped and sodomized the teenager before forcing her to orally copulate him.

Avila stole the girl's bank card before fleeing. She ran home and reported the assault to the Santa Ana Police Department. Prosecutors said DNA was recovered from the girl during a medical rape examination, but the case remained cold until recently, when the recovered DNA was matched to Avila's.

Avila is charged with felony sexual penetration by a foreign object by force and two felony counts each of forcible rape, sodomy by force and forcible oral copulation. He is also accused of inflicting great bodily injury and kidnapping. Avila has a previous strike against him from a 1997 conviction for participating in a criminal street gang. He faces a maximum sentence of 355 years to life in state prison if convicted. Prosecutors planned to request that Avila be held on $2-million bail.

If you have been charged with a rape or kidnapping, you will need the services of a Los Angeles rape criminal defense lawyer who has the special knowledge of this area of the law. At Marks & Brooklier, attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are qualified Los Angeles and Beverly Hills sex crimes lawyers 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 rape and kidnapping with great success and can do the same for you. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7, strictly confidential.

In Sacramento, California, a United States Attorney  announced that United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell sentenced two men to 20-year prison terms today as follows:

David Wehde—Docket #: No. Cr.S-07-491-GEB

David Wehde, 24, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to using a minor to produce images of child pornography and for receiving visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct via the Internet. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and a life term of supervised release upon his release from custody. He will also have to register as a sex offender and adhere to numerous other conditions of release.

Wehde came to the attention of law enforcement when a minor female from the Natomas area reported Wehde had contacted her via an Internet site called "espinthebottle.com," and that they had sexual relations. At the time the girl was 13 years old, and Wehde was 21 years old. During the examination of Wehde's computer, a forensic analyst found images and videos of child pornography along with Internet chats between Wehde, the 13-year-old girl, and a second 13-year-old girl from El Dorado County. In the chats between Wehde and the El Dorado County girl, the two discussed sex acts they had engaged in. The forensic analyst also found sexually explicit and provocative images Wehde had taken of this girl using his cell phone camera and evidence that he had sent one of the sexually provocative images to another person he communicated with via the Internet.

This case was the product of an extensive investigation by officers and detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and the Sacramento Valley High Tech Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Laurel D. White prosecuted the case.

Russell Johnson—Docket #: 2:07-cr-491-GEB

Russell Johnson, of Tracy, California, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. On October 13, 2009, FBI, local, and state law enforcement officers conducted searches in the residences of registered sex offenders in a number of counties, including San Joaquin. Agents contacted Johnson and seized electronic media, including a laptop computer, central processing unit towers, external drives, and other computer components. In addition, law enforcement seized a thumb drive and three compact discs that had been tossed out of the window of the motel room where Johnson was staying when law enforcement knocked and announced themselves at the door. A subsequent forensic analysis of the computer revealed approximately 1,960 image files and 28 video of child pornography. Johnson has two prior state convictions for lewd acts upon a child under 14.

This case is the product of a joint investigation involving multiple agencies in support of the FBI's Innocent Images National Initiative. Both cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.

Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are well known Los Angeles child pornography criminal defense attorneys.

The Los Angeles child pornography criminal defense lawyers at Marks & Brooklier are qualified to represent clients who have been accused of child pornography or any related crime. Having the most skilled and regarded criminal defense attorney will ensure you are provided with the defense you require to overcome the charges in your case. We provide our clients with the highest quality defense, including a dedicated legal team that is aware of how these charges can adversely affect your future. Marks & Brooklier has the experience necessary to present the type of defense that will allow a jury to view the facts without being caught up in the nature of the charges made against you. Contact our office for a free consultation

In Fresno, California, a United States Attorney, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge, and Fresno County Sheriff announced the unsealing of a federal indictment charging Bounepheng Savongsy, Phousangkhy Phanthadeth, Manop Souksavath, all of Fresno; Ernson Merisier, of Holbrook, Mass.; Marquis Allen Meca,  of New Bedford, Mass.; and Ruddys A. Pimentel, 28, of Roslindale, Mass.; with conspiring to manufacture, to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

According to criminal complaints filed in the case, the defendants were involved in the interstate shipment and distribution of marijuana that was being grown in Fresno, under the guise of being “medicinal.” The marijuana was grown in agricultural fields in Fresno County that were posted with medicinal marijuana recommendations from medical doctors. Rather than being distributed in California for medicinal purposes, however, the defendants are charged with conspiring to make multiple shipments of large quantities of the marijuana to areas in and around Boston, where the drug was sold for about $3,000 per pound, about three times what it sells for in California.

The criminal complaints indicate that Savongsy is a grower and source of marijuana supply for the out-of-state drug traffickers. His nephew, Phanthadeth, is an interstate transporter who cultivated purportedly medicinal marijuana at the same location in southwest Fresno as his uncle and owns two properties in Fresno where marijuana was grown and processed. Souksavath is an interstate transporter, who has shipped multiple loads to the East Coast, two of which he transported with Phanthadeth. Merisier (a convicted drug felon), Meca, and Pimentel, are marijuana distributors in the Boston area. Phanthadeth and Souksavath were arrested in Utah in the course of transporting marijuana on November 4, 2010, following a traffic stop of their vehicle, which contained about 184 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana was then delivered to Merisier, Meca, and Pimentel in Roslindale, Mass., who agreed to purchase the load for about $570,400. Searches executed in the course of the investigation at locations in Fresno, Cedar City, Utah, and Roslindale, Mass. yielded 11 firearms, approximately 4,620 live marijuana plants, approximately 3,563 pounds of processed marijuana, approximately $115,000 in cash, and jewelry valued at about $9,000.

United States Attorney said: “As this case indicates, armed criminals who engage in the interstate trafficking of marijuana cannot hide their operations behind the label of ‘medicinal’ marijuana. We will continue to root out and prosecute drug traffickers who seek to use California’s medicinal marijuana law to cloak their illegal activity.”

This case is the product of a four-month investigation by the DEA offices in Fresno, Salt Lake City, and Boston, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Justice Central Valley Marijuana Investigation Team, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol, Boston Police Department, and North Attleboro Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in St. George, Utah and Boston assisted in the arrests of the defendants and initial court proceedings.

With the exception of Savongsy, the defendants are in federal custody and detained without bail. An arrest warrant has issued for Savongsy, who is at large. In connection with the execution of one of six federal search warrants obtained in this case, agents also arrested Douangchanh Keovilayvanh, of Sanger, California, who was charged via a federal criminal complaint with possessing marijuana with intent to distribute and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

If convicted of the drug offenses, the defendants, with the exception of Merisier, face a penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $4 million fine. Based on his prior felony drug conviction, Merisier faces a penalty of 20 years to life in prison and an $8 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Criminal defense attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients on marijuana drug trafficking matters for over four decades. We are well aware of all the issues and complexities that can arise from such charges and have successfully handled numerous cases for our clients. When faced with marijuana drug trafficking charges you need experienced Los Angeles marijuana drug trafficking criminal defense attorneys with extensive experience in representing clients for drug crimes. Such charges could include offenses for drug possession, drug trafficking and other drug related charges. If you or someone you know has been charged with a drug crime, we recommend you contact us in order to begin to prepare your case for a successful defense.

In Washington, D.C., an Oakland, California woman was convicted of health care fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for power wheelchairs that were medically unnecessary, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS). After a one-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, a jury found Donna K. Wells, guilty of one count of health care fraud. The evidence introduced at trial showed that Wells worked the streets and low-income, senior living communities of Oakland to recruit Medicare beneficiaries to bill Medicare for expensive power wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment (DME) which the beneficiaries did not want, need or use. The beneficiaries who testified at trial said that Wells approached them on the street, at the store, or in the lobby of their apartment buildings and offered them free power wheelchairs in exchange for the beneficiaries allowing Wells to copy their Medicare and California identification cards. One beneficiary testified that when she told Wells that she wanted a hospital bed and did not need or want a power wheelchair, Wells said that the beneficiary had to accept a power wheelchair in order to get a hospital bed. Based on that representation, the beneficiary agreed to accept both a power wheelchair and a hospital bed even though she did not need and never used the wheelchair.

Witnesses who lived in or worked at the San Pablo Hotel, one of the low-income senior living communities where Wells illegally recruited beneficiaries, testified that Wells often sat in the lobby of the hotel offering residents free power wheelchairs and copying their Medicare and California identification cards. These and other witnesses testified that many of the residents of the San Pablo Hotel did not use the power wheelchairs they received through Wells.

According to testimony at trial, Wells sold the beneficiaries' Medicare information to others. Witnesses testified that Wells charged them between $400 and $500 for the Medicare information of each beneficiary she recruited. One witness testified that over a four-year period, Wells sold the witness the Medicare information of approximately 200 different beneficiaries. Once these witnesses received the Medicare information from Wells, they sold the information to a fraudulent medical clinic in Los Angeles, which then used the information to fabricate fraudulent prescriptions for power wheelchairs and other DME in the names of the beneficiaries whom Wells recruited. One of the doctors whose name appeared on these fraudulent prescriptions testified that he never wrote the prescriptions or treated any of the Oakland beneficiaries whom Wells recruited.

Witnesses testified that they purchased the fraudulent power wheelchair and DME prescriptions from the fraudulent medical clinic, and then sold both the Medicare information they received from Wells and the fraudulent prescriptions for more than $1,000 per prescription to a number of Los Angeles-area DME supply companies. These DME supply companies used the beneficiaries' information and the fraudulent prescriptions to submit claims to Medicare for power wheelchairs which cost Medicare approximately $4,000 per wheelchair but cost the DME supply companies approximately $900 per wheelchair wholesale. Evidence introduced at trial showed that these DME supply companies submitted more than $577,000 in false power wheelchairs claims to Medicare. Several beneficiaries testified at trial that they did not need and rarely, if ever, used their power wheelchairs.

One of the DME supply companies that used the Medicare information from Wells was Maydads Medical Supply of Arleta, Calif. Trial evidence established that between June 2007 and August 2009, Maydads Medical Supply submitted approximately $470,973 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, almost all of which were for power wheelchairs. The owner and operator of Maydads Medical Supply, Sylvester Ijewere, pleaded guilty to health care fraud and was sentenced on Oct. 5, 2010, to 46 months in prison.

Wells was originally charged in October 2009 with three counts of health care fraud. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two of the three counts. U.S. District Court Judge Dales S. Fischer scheduled Wells' sentencing for March 28, 2011. Wells faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the California Department of Justice. HHS OIG assisted with the trial. The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Since their inception in March 2007, Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 825 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $2 billion. In addition, HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Because a federal healthcare fraud crimes charge is a serious matter, you will need to consult a skilled and professional federal attorney who can take charge of the situation quickly. It is imperative you do not risk your freedom when you have the power of the federal government investigating your case. Criminal defense attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are strong and aggressive federal lawyers from Marks & Brooklier. We have four decades of experience in this field, serving hundreds of clients in Los Angeles County, San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills area. We are confident we can assist you with your federal healthcare criminal charges. Contact a Los Angeles healthcare fraud criminal defense attorney today for a free consultation

Authorities using DNA evidence have linked a 44-year-old convicted murderer and rapist on death row to a 1990 double homicide in Riverside County. Alfredo Rolando Prieto, who is already on California's death row and who recently received the death penalty for a murder in Virginia, was linked to the slayings of Stacey Siegrist, 19, and Anthony Gianuzzi, 21, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

On May 5, 1990, a jogger discovered the victims’ bodies along a dirt power line access road west of the intersection of Canal and Alta streets in Rubidoux. The two were dating and had not been seen for nearly two days. Both had been shot once in the side of their heads and once in the back of their necks. Siegrist had also been sexually assaulted.

Earlier this year, Riverside County’s cold case unit submitted evidence from the crime scene to a private laboratory. The lab linked the DNA to Prieto. The department said it delayed notifying the public to ensure Virginia jurists were not influenced during the penalty phase of Prieto’s trial there. Prieto has been linked to nine murders and four sexual assaults, including the 1992 murder and rape of 15-year-old Yvette Woodruff of Ontario, the crimes for which he was sentenced to death. He is appealing his California death sentence.

In 2005, preliminary DNA tests implicated him in three 1988 Virginia slayings. Prosecutors from Fairfax County, Va., extradited Prieto from California to face trial for two of those murders. Prieto has operated with three other accomplices in the past, and authorities believe the Rubidoux murders involved one or two additional suspects.

If you have been arrested or under investigation for murder, it is important that you consult a Los Angeles homicide and murder criminal defense attorney immediately to begin planning of your legal 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 investigation following a murder. If you are criminally charged, you will need an experienced murder criminal defense lawyer from Marks & Brooklier. Attorney's Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been successfully representing clients for murder or homicide charges for over four decades. They have the skill necessary to provide you with an exceptional criminal defense. 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 homicide criminal defense 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.

According to information in the Indictment, which was filed yesterday, Muhawieh 31, of San Francisco , told potential victims various lies to get them to lend him money. For example, Muhawieh represented to victims that their funds would be used to purchase and to renovate specific residential properties in San Francisco that would then be sold at a profit. Muhawieh claimed he would make regular and high rates of return for the lenders with limited risk. Muhawieh also represented to victims that their funds were secured by deeds of trust on the residential properties that he represented would be purchased and renovated with the lenders’ funds.

The indictment alleges that Muhawieh operated a Ponzi scheme whereby he used the lenders’ funds to reimburse earlier lenders. In addition, Muhawieh allegedly used the lenders’ funds for a variety of unauthorized activities such as personal expenses and investing in retail businesses located in San Francisco. Unbeknownst to the victims, Muhawieh provided multiple deeds of trust for the properties that purportedly served as collateral for the lenders’ funds; as a result, the deeds of trust did not provide the lenders with adequate security.

Muhawieh is charged in the Indictment with 12 counts of wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of wire fraud is 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gain or loss, supervised release of three years, and restitution to victims of the alleged scheme. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Muhawieh made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco. The defendant was released to a half-way house pursuant to a $375,000 secured bond. The prosecution is the result of a 15-month investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This law enforcement action is part of the work being done by President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. 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 victims of financial crimes.

If you have been charged with federal crime such as wire fraud, you need and experienced California and United States federal wire fraud criminal defense attorney to protect your rights. Federal attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been successfully representing clients on federal crime charges since 1976. Federal charges are a serious crime that must be handled in the proper manner to avoid dire legal consequences. If you have been charged or under investigation for any type of federal crime, it is vital you contact a Los Angeles and United States federal criminal defense attorney to protect your legal rights. Contact us for a free, strictly confidential, consultation 24/7.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation to put some sex offenders in prison for life at a bittersweet ceremony for family and friends of a 17-year-girl who was killed after being abducted while running less than seven months ago.

Chelsea's Law is named for Chelsea King, who was murdered by 31-year-old convicted child molester John Gardner. He was sentenced to life in prison fter pleading guilty to murdering Chelsea and 14-year-old Amber Dubois. "Because of Chelsea, California's children will be safer. Because of Chelsea, this never has to happen again," said Schwarzenegger, an early backer of the legislation.

The ceremony began under a light drizzle then gave way to sunshine at an outdoor theater in Balboa Park, where Chelsea played French horn for the San Diego Youth Symphony. Many of the 200 people in the audience carried sunflowers, her favorite flower.

Brent and Kelly King, who traveled from their new home in suburban Chicago, thanked lawmakers for speeding the bill through the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support. Brent King said he was initially skeptical about the bill's prospects and had been preparing to sponsor a ballot initiative. Kelly King said the lawmakers were an example for young people.

The Kings, in an interview, said they plan to promote similar legislation in other states and have tentatively targeted Texas, Florida, Colorado and Ohio, the scenes of high-profile child abductions. They have not settled on a timetable.

The Kings have not been considering their new home state of Illinois for legislation because they want to shield their 14-year-old son Tyler from the spotlight. The avid baseball player has recently shown renewed interest in the game.

The Kings plan to use their nonprofit foundation, Chelsea's Light, to promote peer counseling programs  and to offer scholarships for college and other programs.

Chelsea's Law allows life without parole sentences for adult predators who kidnap, drug, bind, torture or use a weapon while committing a sex crime against a child. Life terms could be ordered for first-time and repeat offenders.

It also increases other penalties for child molesters, including requiring lifetime parole with GPS tracking for people convicted of forcible sex crimes against children under 14. Previous law permitted lifetime GPS monitoring, but most tracking ended when offenders leave parole.

Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, the San Diego Republican who spearheaded the Chelsea's Law legislation, said in an interview it would have resulted in a longer prison sentence, possibly life, and longer parole for Gardner in 2000 for molesting a 13-year-old neighbor. Gardner served five years of a six-year sentence and repeatedly violated parole. Supporters came to the ceremony wearing T-shirts with one of Chelsea's favorite quotations, "They can because they think they can," from the Roman poet Virgil.

If you have been arrested with a sex crime, you will need to consult a Los Angeles sex crime criminal defense lawyer who has the special knowledge of this area of the law. Attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are qualified Los Angeles and Beverly Hills sex crimes criminal attorneys to defend you. You will need the over 33 years of experience that our law firm can provide you with. Contact us for a free consultation, 24/7, strictly confidential.