California Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

What kind of man steals a computer? Apparently, one who can't squeeze under a fence. Looks like Garnica Gutierrez is. He couldn't get his booty under a chain-link fence and was nabbed by the cops.

Seems ol' Garnica tripped the alarm and the campus cops snuck up on him and slapped the cuffs on the miscreant.

Santa Ana is a self-insured district. This means that they can choose to replace the computer or not, maybe reducing the stock of computers on which the kids can learn.

Computers are often stolen to sell to others to get drugs. In these tough times, people will do anything to get drugs. Garnica will likely be charged with grand theft and burglary and may face prison time and have to pay restitution.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Irvine or Yorba Linda, if you have been charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

Continue reading "Santa Ana Computer Thief is Nabbed" »

Julieta Pimentel was arrested today for stealing items off of a FedEx truck parked outside of a Wendy's restaurant in Glendora in September. Pimentel apparently stole items such as designer purses, luggage and clothing and then sold them from her apartment on South Occidental Blvd. After police received a tip that Pimentel was selling stolen items, they raided her apartment and found more than 300 stolen items exceeding $155,000 in value. Pimentel was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

You can be charged with receiving stolen property if you knowingly buy, sell or receive stolen property. Besides being charged with the crime, the suspect can also be sued in civil court by the person they stole from. Punishments include jail time, probation & restitution. Defenses include claim of right or lack of knowledge that the items are stolen. Whether you live in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel or Brea, if you are charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

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Clifford Polston, the former head of the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin for 30 years, pleaded guilty to stealing around $114,000 from the Club, taking over $6,000 in unauthorized car allowances and creating a fictitious job for his wife that paid her $75,000 a year. Polston has to pay back all the money that he took and also faces prison time for his acts. Friends and people who knew him were shocked that Polston could have done such a thing and thought he was really helping out the community.

Grand theft in California is the taking of another's property valued above $400. If you take something that has a value of more than $50,000, you will receive a sentencing enhancement as well. The only defenses for grand theft are consent or claim of right. Just because you return the money, that does not mean you will not be charged. Whether you live in Laguna Beach, Santa Ana or Yorba Linda, if you are charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

Continue reading "Head of Boys & Girls Club in Tustin Guilty of Theft" »

Last weekend, over $10,000 of copper cable was stolen from two Southern California Edison power stations. The thieves stole over 1,000 feet of the cables that were being used to ground towers at substations. Edison officials estimate that the cost to fix these cables is $50,000.

Copper is often stolen to sell to others since the value of copper is increasing nationwide. Other valuable precious metals that are being stolen more in this rough economy include: silver, gold, platinum and palladium. In these tough times, people will do anything to make a few dollars. Once these thieves are caught they will likely be charged with grand theft and vandalism and may face prison time and have to pay restitution.

Whether you live in Santa Ana, Villa Park or Yorba Linda, if you have been charged with theft, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

Continue reading "Copper Stolen From Lake Forest Power Station" »

Susana Duran had been working for a 92-year-old woman in Laguna Woods since June as a caretaker. Allegedly, while working there, Duran stole at least $35,000 from her client. Duran would take the woman's credit card and pin number from her nightstand and withdraw $1,000 at a time and then put it in her personal bank account. She would then send the money in her account to her family in Mexico. She would also buy things with the credit cards and when the bills came in the mail, Duran would not show the client.

One day, Duran was sick so a substitute caretaker came to the victim's home to take care of her. A credit card bill came and the substitute caretaker showed the client. The client did not recognize many of the charges and so she called the company that had placed Duran in her home. An investigation was launched and police found out that at least $35,000 had already been stolen. Investigators claim that by the time the investigation is over, they expect to find around $100,000 stolen. Duran was arrested and is being held in jail until trial.

If charged and convicted of theft and fraud of an elderly person, Duran will likely have to spend a few years in prison. Whether you live in La Palma, Yorba Linda or Huntington Beach, if you are charged with theft, fraud, or elder abuse, call an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist you.

Continue reading "Laguna Woods Caretaker Arrested for Stealing Client's Money" »

Chrystina Rene Bock was arrested this week for allegedly stealing $200,000 from her Aliso Viejo church. She worked at the church as someone who collected donations. She told congregates to just write "CB" on the checks instead of the full church's name, Compass Bible Church. The letters "CB" were also her initials, so she would take the checks and deposit them into her own account. Officers got notice of the incident about a year ago and started investigating the books and her account. Once they realized she was likely stealing, they arrested her on suspicion of grand theft.

Stealing is a serious crime and can be looked at as immoral. Stealing from a church is at another level and it makes people cringe at the thought of doing. In these tough economic times though, people are getting desperate and will do whatever it takes to have money. Since grand theft is such a serious charge, Bock will need an experienced criminal defense attorney to assist her in court. Whether you live in Irvine, Trabuco Hills or Buena Park, if you are charged with theft, you will need an experienced Orange County attorney to assist you.

Continue reading "Ladera Ranch Woman Stole $200,000 From Church" »

Jorge Velasquez Fernandez, Luis Rico Humberto, Ignacio Fernandez Mendez, Gabino Rodriguez Perez and Marco Antonio Mendoza will all be arraigned on Thursday in Fullerton for the alleged theft of over 50 Toyota Tacomas in Orange and Los Angeles County. These 5 men, who are residents of Anaheim and Orange, had an auto theft ring which involved stealing the trucks from Los Angeles County, changing license plates and forging new titles and then selling them to unsuspecting Orange County buyers for $5,000-$10,000. After the men were caught, some of the cars were recovered and returned to their rightful owners if the insurance company had not already compensated them.

In 2008, there was a 19% drop in auto thefts in Orange County compared to 2007. In California, the rate dropped about 12% to about 199,766 cars with an estimated value of around 1 billion dollars. About 87% of the cars were found and returned.

These 5 men will likely be charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful taking of a vehicle and grand theft. They will need experienced defense attorneys to assist them in reducing their charges and their sentences.

Continue reading "5 Orange County Men Charged With Over 50 Car Thefts" »

Westminster police responded to a typical disturbing the peace call last week--but instead of finding disgruntled family members, they fell upon a herd of wicker reindeer in the living room, yards of Christmas lights, faux Christmas trees, several snowmen and many inflatable Santa Claus figures. According to the L.A. Times, it all seemed just a little much to police, even for the most devoted holiday fanatic.

Then police remembered the theft reports. For weeks, residents of a Westminster neighborhood had been making reports of missing holiday decorations to police. Westminster police found a stockpile of holiday decorations in the home, on the roof and in the backyard. Police had to use two city trucks and a police truck to take all the property to the police station.

The Grinch, aka Vuong Pham, faces felony charges for grand theft and possession of stolen property.

Continue reading "Police arrest Westminster man after finding home full of lights, snowmen and inflatable Santas" »

The weak economy has forced people to find creative ways to supplement their income. The Los Angeles Times reports that a surge in the price of copper has produced an outbreak of theft of copper wires from light poles. And, according to reports, there have been at least eight thefts in the Hollenbeck area since August-- jeopardizing the lighting and safety in the community.

Copper prices peaked at $4.06 a pound earlier this summer but have dropped to $2.53 a pound. According to a representative from The L.A. Department of Power and Water, interference with power distribution and transmission systems not only destroys city lights, thieves also risk their own lives.

Anyone with information can call Hollenbeck detectives at (323) 526-3000. Callers can also use a 24-hour toll-free number, (877) LAWFULL (529-3855), send an anonymous text message with a cell phone to "CRIMES" or visit www.lapdonline.org.

Continue reading "Copper wire thefts reaching epidemic levels" »