California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

A Yorba Linda, California man is under fire from the Securities and Exchange Commission after an investigation revealed what appeared to be a Ponzi-like scheme to defraud investors while paying off older investors.

Matthew Jennings, 39, a resident of Yorba Linda, California, a pleasant suburb of Orange County, is looking at having all of his assets frozen by a federal judge while the government takes a look at his records to see how much money was inappropriately diverted from investors.

In one instance, the SEC alleges that Jennings took $300,000 from investment accounts and deposited it into his own accounts. In the SEC's view, it appears he was enriching himself wrongfully.

White Collar fraud takes many forms. investment fraud is one version, and requires a lot of effort to accomplish. In this case, many companies were created, possibly with a view to divert funds improperly, without being discovered. Whether or not Jennings intended to service these investment accounts will be an issue, in terms of degree of culpability. In any event, he will need an experienced White Collar defense attorney to assist him, to try and head off a criminal filing.

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Two unfortunate men standing on a street corner in Santa Ana the other day, were accosted by two suspected gang members who robbed and stabbed them.

According to the victims, a dark SUV pulled up and the passenger said, "where are you from", a well-known prelude to an attack, called a "hit up". If the two suspects are caught, they will be facing life in prison for attempted murder, robbery as well as multiple gang enhancements.

The two suspects will need an experienced Orange County criminal defense attorney to assist them in avoiding the worst consequences. Whether the robbery occurred in Tustin, Irvine, Newport Beach, Santa Ana or Westminster, the defendant will need a good Orange County criminal defense lawyer to assist him.

Continue reading " Santa Ana California Victims in Gang Stabbing and Robbery " »

Naomi Perez, of Brea, was sentenced to 150 days in Orange County Jail for having sex with a student at the high school where she taught.

The relationship was discovered after Perez vandalized the student's car when he broke off the relationship. This is always a troubling situation. The student, whether a male or a female, is not in an equal position to the teacher, either by virtue of age or power. Students can feel locked in a relationship they want to escape, fearing retribution if they speak out. That factor alone necessitates court intervention. I wonder if the defendant would have received a heavier sentence had he been a male. Since these cases rise and fall on their own specific facts, it's hard to compare. In either event, someone in Perez's situation will need a qualified Orange County molestation or sex crime attorney to help them sort through the applicable law and defenses to such charges. Good outcomes can be obtained with proper planning and investigation.

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Medical overbilling is a crime often overlooked by prosecuting agencies, probably because most insurance companies focus on overt, long-term acts of outright medical insurance fraud, where no services at all are rendered, or, as in the Unity case, unnecessary procedures were performed.

But charges were filed against several chiropractors and one lawyer today. Not too many details were revealed in this case, but it seems the chiros were billing for treatments that were never performed, on undercover DA investigators. A paralegal was charged with processing the claims and acting as a lawyer in the process.

If the over-billing can be documented, then there isn't much to say about it, other than for the defendant to get out his checkbook if he doesn't want to go to prison. But, the paralegal who was charged may have a valid defense that he wasn't practicing law, merely assisting the attorney for whom he worked.

Whether you or a loved one has been charged with fraud, you should contact a qualified Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney to assist you with legal counsel.

Continue reading " Orange County Chiropractors and Attorney Charged in Overbilling Scheme " »