Lawrence Wolf - Part 15

Marina Del Rey Deputy Sentenced in Teen Sex Case

prison_1616955 A former 46-year-old Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced for having sexual relations with a minor. According to The Marina Del Rey Patch, the investigation began when an informant contacted the Los Angeles County Child Abuse Hotline. Officials say the deputy had sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl.

On August 10 he pleaded no contest to felony charges of oral sex with a minor. He must spend 60 days in jail and could end up serving an additional 30 days under house arrest with electronic monitoring. Additional penalties include supervised probation for five years and mandatory sex offender counseling.

The Consequences of Driving Under the Influence in Los Angeles

According to The California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP), there were 195,879 people were arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in California in the year 2010. The average blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of convicted DUI offenders was .15 percent in the year 2009. That is nearly twice the legal limit. In California, individuals with a BAC of .08 percent or higher can face serious penalties.

Drivers convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol face mandatory jail time of at least 48 hours, three to five years of court probation, fines and court fees between $1,400 and $1,800, a six-month driver’s license suspension, and enrollment in DUI school. These charges may increase if the driver is a repeat offender or if someone was injured in the DUI collision.

Los Angeles Drug Bust Leads to 2 Arrests, Seizure of 1,000 Marijuana Plants

marijuana foliage

A drug bust in Los Angeles culminated in the arrest of a 54-year-old Lawndale man and a 50-year-old Los Angeles man. According to The Acorn, the drug bust occurred at a residence on Oakfield Road in Hidden Hills. Officials executed a search warrant to seize 1,000 marijuana plants, 40 pounds of processed marijuana, and a semiautomatic handgun. The two men face multiple felony charges for transporting, selling, and cultivating marijuana.

In California, it is a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison and a $10,000 fine to grow just one marijuana plant. It is possible to have a cultivation charge reduced to simple marijuana possession if the amount of marijuana was clearly only for personal use. If, however, there is a large number of plants, or if the defendant intended to sell the drugs, the penalties can be severe.

San Fernando Valley Driving School Owner Accused of Molesting Teenager

The owner of a San Fernando Valley driving school is facing accusations of molesting a teenage boy. According to a CBS News report, the 44-year-old man has been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery after a 17-year-old boy told officials that the instructor molested him. The teenager said the driving instructor touched him inappropriately. Police believe that there may be other victims and an investigation is still ongoing.

According to California Penal Code Section 243.4 (a): “Any person who touches an intimate part of another person while that person is unlawfully restrained by the accused or an accomplice, and if the touching is against the will of the person touched and is for the purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification, or sexual abuse, is guilty of sexual battery.” A conviction is punishable by up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000. If convicted of a felony, individuals could face up to four years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.

More than 2,000 Arrested in 18-Day DUI Crackdown in Los Angeles

Businessman being handcuffed and placed under arrest in front of his home.

Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies arrested 2,098 people for driving under the influence (DUI) through sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, and regular routine patrols as part of the Avoid the 100’s anti-DUI campaign. According to The Glendora Patch, the arrests occurred over an 18-day period leading into the long Labor Day weekend. Officials made 2,795 arrests during the same period in 2011. The DUI campaigns are likely to get even more intensive during Halloween and later during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays. The campaigns are made possible by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

When cities conduct sobriety checkpoints or saturation patrols, we often observe that police officers are eager to catch as many drivers as they can. A number of organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) even have awards ceremonies to commend police officers who make the maximum number of DUI arrests each year.

Losing a DMV Hearing for a Los Angeles DUI is Not the End of the World

After receiving an adverse ruling from the DMV relating to a Los Angeles DUI charge and having your driver’s license suspended, it is normal to think of appealing their decision. This may be in response to a belief that the DMV ignored evidence, misapplied the law or that the effects of a license suspension harm one’s employment, health or schooling.

However, there are only two options to review the Hearing Officer’s decision. The first option is to file a Request for Administrative Review with the DMV in Sacramento within 15 days after the ruling. You need to request for the decision to be reviewed and you must state the reasons why you believe the hearing officer ruled incorrectly. You must also send in $125.00 as a filing fee. The DMV will respond to your request within 60 days. During this time, your license will remain suspended. If your suspension is overturned, you get your license back.

If you lose the Administrative Review, you may also apply for a Writ of Mandate with the Court in your county within 34 days after the DMV renders its Notice of Findings. A Writ of Mandate is a more effective way to challenge the DMV suspension on your license, but it is more costly. It requires you to send in a $395.00 filing fee for Writ of Mandate. You must also pay $155.00 to get a certified copy of the transcript from the DMV. It is advised and will be more beneficial to use an experienced Los Angeles DUI Attorney to handle this for you. The court will then hold a hearing to determine whether your license was properly suspended by the DMV. If the Court rules in your favor, the Court will order the DMV to reinstate your license.

Mexican Cartel Plead No Guilty to Federal Drug Offense

Reported by Associated Press today, the U.S.-born man accused of being a drug cartel lieutenant, Armando Villareal Heredia, pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and drug charges yesterday. He was extradited from Mexico to the United States to face federal racketeering (RICO) and drug offense in the Southern District of California after being held at a prison in Veracruz State for almost a year. Villareal is the lead defendant among 43 people charged with drug crime allegedly committed between 2008 and 2010 and if convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Most Mexican states, especially the ones along the border with the US, have witnessed a high level of drug-related violence in recent years as rival drug cartels fight each other for control of the lucrative smuggling routes. U.S. authorities continuously show efforts to work with the government of Mexico to combat organized criminal activity along the southwest border. In Mexico, smugglers often advertised work as security guards, housecleaners and cashiers, telling applicants they must drive company cars to the United States. New hires would then be told to drive company cars across the border, and when they arrive, they are often told there will be no work after all that day and must leave the car and walk back to Mexico after being paid a small amount. People are often tricked into this false advertisement and inclined to investigate prior if they are desperate for work. These cases can be challenging for prosecutors because drivers may not know they are smuggling drugs.

Border security in California and other states is meant to reduce crime and criminal charges. Raids of supposed criminal organizations can be especially problematic in a court of law. That is, while some individuals may in fact be guilty of the infractions of which they are accused, other individuals may simply be innocent bystanders having been lumped together with other, more serious offenders. If you’re facing a drug charge, the experiencedLos Angeles drug offense attorneys at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf can help you protect your rights and fight for the best possible outcome in your case. To learn more, call us today at 866-390-7373 for a free and confidential consultation.

Hate Crime and Same-Sex Marriage

President Obama has recently expressed his support for the Respect for Marriage Act. His view on the idea of marriage has evolved since taking office and President Obama has now confirmed that he supports gay marriage. In contrary, new research based on FBI data shows that gay men face higher rates of hate-motivated physical violence than lesbians, bisexuals or other federally protected groups with high rates of hate crimes. California hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation rose by 25 percent just last year. The most dramatic shifts took place in Palm Springs and San Francisco – both cities with significant gay and lesbian populations. The most recent case was a transgender woman gunned down in Oakland last month.

California and federal hate crime laws impose severe punishment for harming, threatening or harassing someone because of the person’s race, national origin, disability, religion, sex, gender, or sexual orientation. There are cases in which a perpetrator used religious texts condemning homosexuality to justify behavior, which at that point investigators have a case of competing rights — the right to religious belief and the right to be free from discrimination. And if the victim of a hate crime is not out already, simply laying a criminal complaint could out them as a victim of an anti-gay hate crime, putting them at risk for what is called “secondary victimization”.

With that being said, it’s not uncommon for people to get wrongly accused of hate crimes. This often stems from false accusations, misidentification, or a rush to judgment merely because the alleged victim is different from the accused. If you are arrested for a violent and/or hate crime, our experienced Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys can help you better understand the laws, penalties and legal defenses pertaining to the charges. To have your rights and your freedom protected, contact Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, a highly skilled defense attorney in Los Angeles. Call [number type=”1″].

Los Angeles DUI and Driver’s License Checkpoints This Weekend

According to Patch.com, Officers will be contacting drivers passing through the checkpoint throughout Los Angeles this weekend, looking for signs of alcohol and/or drug impairment.

Most checkpoints looking for Los Angeles DUI occurs between the hours of 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Other than checkpoints, DUIs are often and commonly discovered when a vehicle is pulled over for a minor infraction such as a malfunctioning tail light or an expired tag. How well or poorly a driver does on the standardized field sobriety tests are often key pieces of evidence in the prosecution’s case charging a driver with a DUI in California. The consequences of a drunk driving conviction can be serious. Drivers caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, and insurance increases, as well as fines, fees, DUI classes, court probation and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police said. DUIs can be detrimental to careers and families for years to come.

If you have been stopped at a DUI checkpoint, and have either been arrested, or have had your vehicle impounded, please call an experienced a Los Angeles DUI attorney at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf at (866) 390-7373 for a free consultation. Our skilled attorneys will help build on your behalf the best possible defense of your case.

Mass Shootings Create Critical Time for Second Amendment Gun Rights

Nine people were shot at a private religious college in East Oakland, and the police officials believed that seven have been pronounced dead, according to ABC News. The shooting took place on Monday morning, April 2, 2012 at Oikos University, an independent Korean Christian school that offers undergraduate courses in ministry and nursing, among other degree. Authorities tracked down the gunman more than a mile away in an Alameda shopping mall an hour after the shooting. A suspect was detained, and Pastor Jong Kim, the school founder, said the shooter had previously been a nursing student at Oikos but was no longer enrolled. He was unsure whether the shooter had been expelled or dropped out voluntarily.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said most of the victims appeared to be from the city’s Korean-American community, and the city was working to find multilingual counselors to help survivors. “No American mayor wants to have this situation,” she said. “It seems over the last decade, we’ve gotten used to seeing senseless mass killings like this, and we’ll have to question the availability of guns and the need for other services in our community.“

After the Trayvon Martin case, this incident offers another crucial test of Second Amendment rights that could have repercussions for California’s sweeping slate of state and local gun control laws. Conceal-carry permits are now allowed in 49 states (Illinois and Washington D.C. do not have conceal-carry laws), and “Stand Your Ground” laws are on the books in 21 states. Bay Area counties from Alameda and Marin to San Mateo have enacted laws that forbid the sale or possession of guns on government property, effectively banning gun shows at some of the best spots to hold them.

If you are charged with the illegal possession of a gun, or have been accused of a firearms-related crime, you should contact the Los Angeles violent crime defense attorneys at The Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf by calling [number type=”1″]. Our goal is always the complete dismissal of charges. Avoiding prosecution and jail is possible with the help of our experienced team of legal experts.