Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer Blog

According to the Pasadena Star News, a father and his daughter have pleaded guilty to California conspiracy charges. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to avoid paying taxes by making cash deposits at banks. Reports indicate that Anthony Luna and his daughter, Dianne Sanchez, and brother, made deposits of less than $10,000 into several accounts in order to evade federal tax reporting requirements.

Conspiracy charges can be complex. It is important to contact a Los Angeles conspiracy defense lawyer if you are under investigation or have been arrested with any type of conspiracy charge.

Conspiracy is defined as two or more people agreeing to commit a crime, with at least one person completing an "overt act." An "overt act" may be any action that is taken to further the conspiracy, even trivial actions such as making a phone call, renting a car or delivering a package. A common defense is that one of the parties charged never joined, or withdrew from the conspiracy.

Conspiracy is a separate from the underlying charge, and those involved may charged with both conspiracy and the underlying charge.

Continue reading "Montebello Man And Alhambra Woman Plead Guilty To Conspiracy Charges" »

The L.A. Times reports that a judge has thrown out all the guilty verdicts on drug charges, including conspiracy, except one misdemeanor conviction handed down this fall by a jury in the Anna Nicole Smith drug trial.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry cleared Howard K. Smith of all convictions and dismissed two conspiracy counts against psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich. One of her felony convictions was dismissed and another reduced to a misdemeanor. Acknowledging that in some cases doctors make a living being "pill pushers," Perry stated that this was not the situation here. The charges were thrown out due to the prosecution's misunderstanding of conspiracy law.

An experienced L.A. Criminal Defense Lawyer can challenge erroneous charges and poke holes in a lack of evidence.

Here, observers note that the judge saw through the prosecution's "misapplication of the law ... lack of preparation and lack of foresight." The defendants were simply trying to protect Anna Nicole Smith's privacy and acting out of a "heartfelt desire to help a friend" rather than conspiring to commit a crime.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Drug Conspiracy Verdicts Thrown Out" »

A jury acquitted one of Anna Nicole Smith's doctors - Dr. Sandeep Kapoor - of all charges stemming from his role in prescribing drugs to the model for chronic pain syndrome and illnesses including seizures, migraines and spinal pain. Prosecutors had alleged that he was part of a conspiracy with Smith's boyfriend and psychiatrist to feed an addiction rather than relieve emotional or physical pain. Both her boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, and her psychiatrist were convicted.

Conspiracy is defined as two or more persons agreeing to commit a crime, where at least one of the persons completes an "overt act" in furtherance of the conspiracy. To be convicted of "conspiracy" it is not necessary to actually commit the underlying crime, all that is necessary is that you "conspired" to commit the crime and that one member took an action that went beyond the planning stage.

In the Smith conspiracy trial, the judge noted "To violate (the law) a defendant must willfully and knowing prescribe, administer or dispense a controlled substance to an addict for a non-therapeutic purpose."

Here, the boyfriend and doctor were convicted of conspiring to provide drugs using false names.

Continue reading "One Acquitted and Two Convicted In Los Angeles Drug Conspiracy Trial" »

According to the Los Angeles Times, two San Bernardino brothers were charged with over 100 felony counts of white collars crimes in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

White-collar crime is typically defined as "an illegal act characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust." Charges included embezzlement, identity theft, forgery and conspiracy.

Most white-collar crime offenders are ordinary people who make impulsive or poor decisions. One of the brothers pleaded not guilty. His bail was raised from $3 million to $5 million, while the other brother has been hospitalized, and will be arraigned later.

Contradictory stories exist regarding whether the brothers were trying to assist those in need stay our of foreclosure or whether they were involved in fraudulent behavior. Often well-intentioned acts are misinterpreted as deceitful and criminal.

Continue reading "Two Brothers Charged With Alleged Conspiracy And Fraud" »