Recent Posts in Firearm Crimes Category

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 identified as a drug kingpin and a key defendant in a federal gang sweep was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for overseeing the racketeering and drug activities of the Varrio Hawaiian Gardens street gang. George Manuel Flores was arrested in 2009 as part of Operation Knockout, one of the nation's largest gang sweeps. He was labeled a leader in the Hawaiian Gardens gangs and was accused of ordering gang members to collect taxes from drug dealers in this Los Angeles county city. He pleaded guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy, being a felon in possession of ammunition and other drug charges. Flores was sentenced by a United States District Judge, who is presiding over the 57-defendant racketeering indictment. Prosecutors portrayed Flores as a drug lord.

As part of his guilty plea, he admitted to distributing mass quantities of drugs, including more than 30 kilograms of heroin, more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine, more than 1.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, more than 15 kilograms of narcotics that contained methamphetamine, and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.

The investigation began after Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Jerry Ortiz was murdered in 2005 by a gang member he was attempting to arrest. In 2009, about 170 gang members were taken into custody in the massive operation. Flores is the last defendant to be sentenced in this federal prosecution. Marcos Romero was sentenced last November to 291 months in federal prison for being a primary wholesaler of narcotics. Brian Viramontes was sentenced in September to 210 months in federal prison for distributing narcotics. This case also revealed a link between the Nazi Low Riders and the gang. Frank Wayne Henley, a member of the Nazi Low Riders gang, was sentenced last November to 262 months in federal prison for supplying members of the Hawaiian Gardens gang with methamphetamine and heroin.

Federal crimes can be labeled as such by falling under federal legislation of Title 18 of the United States Code. A federal crime is defined as a crime that is either made illegal by falling under this legislation, or because of occurring on federal property. Federal crimes are normally investigated by the FBI and are tried in the Federal Court system. Federal courts have their own governing rules and regulations which are different from California State laws. If you are facing federal criminal charges, you will need to discuss your case with a federal criminal defense lawyer who has the special knowledge of this area of the law. At Marks & Brooklier, we have qualified Los Angeles federal criminal defense attorneys to represent you.

Federal criminal defense attorneys Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier are uniquely qualified to represent you in court. They have represented defendants in virtually every major organized crime case prosecuted in Southern California. In 1980, Marks & Brooklier was lead counsel in the "Los Angeles Mafia" case in a major RICO conspiracy case. Conact our office anytime, 24/7, for a free case evaluation. All consultations are strictly confidential.

A United States Attorney in San Diego, California announced that Augustin Jaime Lopez-Ceballos was sentenced to serve 181 months in prison after his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. United States District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller, who imposed the sentence, previously ordered Lopez-Ceballos to forfeit his interests in ten firearms, including handguns, shotguns, and rifles, and ammunition that were seized in connection with the offense.

The sentence imposed on Lopez-Ceballos resulted from an investigation begun in 2008 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the East County Regional Gang Task Force. The investigation identified Lopez-Ceballos as a methamphetamine distributor operating out of Spring Valley, California. According to court documents, Lopez-Ceballos used conspirators, including a juvenile, as couriers to distribute methamphetamine in east San Diego County.

Lopez-Ceballos is the final defendant to be sentenced from this investigation. The court previously sentenced co-defendants Dianne Lynn Pinal to serve 48 months in prison; Rafael Gaspar-Alvorado to serve 48 months in prison; and Felipe de Jesus Lopez-Lopez to serve 30 months in prison.

Federal criminal defense lawyers Donald Marks and Anthony Brooklier have been representing clients on drug conspiracy and distribution crimes for over 30 years. We are well aware of all the issues and complexities that can arise from such drug charges and have successfully handled hundreds of cases. When faced with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine charges you need an experienced Los Angeles and United States drug conspiracy and distribution criminal defense lawyer with experience in representing clients for federal drug crimes. If you have been charged with a drug distribution crime in California, we recommend you contact us in order to begin to prepare your case for a successful defense.