Category: Federal Crime Defense
A review of the overall crime in the South Bay and Harbor Area of Los Angeles County shows that crime has increased by one percent in the year 2012. According to an assessment of the California Crime Index by The Daily Breeze, homicides dropped from 54 to 45, including a drop of 12 homicides in the Harbor Division. Overall Robberies were up four percent, primarily because of significant increases in Carson and Gardena. In the year 2012, there were 836,350 people living in South Bay. During that year there were: 45 homicides; 122 rapes; 1,177 robberies; 2,295 assaults; 3,996 burglaries;… Read More
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… Read More
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… Read More
According to FBI statistics, as reported by The Los Angeles Times, approximately 10.3 million crimes were reported in 2010. Of these, 9 million were property crimes and 1.2 million were violent crimes. Although these are very large numbers, both violent crime and property crime rates declined from previous years. Violent crime decreased by 6 percent from 2009, continuing its declining trend for a fourth consecutive year. Property crime dropped 2.7 percent from 2009, making 2010 the eighth consecutive year it has decreased. The data used for the FBI’s 2010 “Crime in the United States” report was compiled from over 18,000… Read More
Computer hackers who cause financial losses are prosecuted more harshly and given more severe sentences than those who merely commit “mischief,” according to a recent article in the International Business Times. The U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act allows prosecutors who catch computer hackers to prosecute them if the hacker caused some kind of financial loss to the victim. Charges may be filed even if the hacker didn’t steal any information. For instance, a hacker who causes software damage that requires an experienced technician to fix may be prosecuted because the owner of the computer is out the repair costs—even… Read More
Five individuals who are reported to be members of a powerful Israeli crime family were recently charged in Los Angeles with drug trafficking and racketeering, according to The Los Angeles Times. The men have been accused of using a gang based in the San Fernando Valley to distribute ecstasy, and prosecutors also allege that they paid a gang member to kill a man who stole a shipment of drugs. The men were recently arrested in Israel and were extradited to the United States by U.S. Marshalls. They will be held in custody until after the trial, which is expected to… Read More
