-
10 Feb ' 11:47
February 10, 2012
Los Angeles Man Sentenced to 77 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme Resulting in More Than $18.9 Million in Fraudulent Claims to Medicare
WASHINGTON—A Los Angeles-area man was sentenced yesterday to 77 months in prison for organizing and leading a medical clinic fraud scheme that used the stolen identities of physicians to submit more than $18.9 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.
Eduard Aslanyan, 38, of Sherman Oaks, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall in the Central District of California. In addition to his prison term, Aslanyan was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $10.8 million in restitution.more..
February 09, 2012
Bite mark key in trial of detective in romantic rival’s death
Opening arguments are set to begin Monday in the case of Los Angeles Police Department Det. Stephanie Lazarus, who is accused of killing a romantic rival more than two decades ago. A bite mark, saliva and DNA evidence are expected to play central roles in the trial.
Lazarus was arrested 2½ years ago. Opening arguments begin today, and the case is expected to last a month.more..
-
07 Feb ' 20:19
February 08, 2012
Teacher arrests show 'complete failure' at L.A. school, attorney says
Accusations by a student at Miramonte Elementary School that she was a victim of two teachers accused of abuse raises troubling questions about oversight at the school, the attorney for her family said.
“Based on my experience, it appears to show a complete failure of the system,” attorney Matthew McNicholas said. “Schools act in place of the parent. … Schools are where kids are supposed to be safe.”more..
-
07 Feb ' 11:48
February 07, 2012
LAPD sergeant charged in second burglary case
SAN BERNARDINO - LAPD Sergeant Lucien Daigle has been charged in a second case of burglary after his arrest last week in Highland.
Daigle's lawyer, Pasadena-based Ira Salzman, said Friday evening that his client plans to resign from the Los Angeles Police Department.more..
February 06, 2012
Lance Armstrong doping investigation is dropped
Federal prosecutors will not file charges against the seven-time Tour de France winner and his cycling team
Federal prosecutors announced Friday that they have closed a two-year inquiry without filing criminal charges in a case that sources said related to doping allegations involving seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and his cycling team. more..
-
04 Feb ' 02:22
February 03, 2012
Los Angeles teacher charged with lewd acts
Allegations against a veteran Miramonte Elementary instructor leave many parents shocked and angry. The probe that led to 23 counts involving kids 7 to 10 began after disturbing photos were reported.
In the fall of 2010, a drugstore photo technician was running a batch of 35-millimeter film when a disturbing image tumbled out of the machine — a child, blindfolded with a white cloth and gagged with clear packing tape. From that first photograph, detectives spent the next year following a trail that led them to a South Los Angeles elementary school. more..
February 02, 2012
Coliseum officials made $1 million in cash payments to union
Bundles of cash were used to pay wages of IATSE members for concerts and other productions, with no controls on disbursement. The U.S. Labor Department is investigating.
For at least five years, officials with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum passed bundles of cash totaling more than $1 million to a union representative, sometimes in a suitcase packed with $100 bills.more..
February 01, 2012
Pinkberry co-founder pleads not guilty to tire iron assault
Pinkberry co-founder Young Lee pleaded not guilty Monday to felony assault for allegedly beating a homeless man with a tire iron over a sexually explicit tattoo.
Lee, who remains free on $60,000 bail, was granted a one-time dispensation by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra allowing him to travel to South Korea.more..
January 31, 2012
'Barefoot Bandit' gets federal sentence
A judge gives Colton Harris-Moore 6 1/2 years in prison for the theft of airplanes, boats and guns. 'I'm lucky to be alive,' the 20-year-old says in his first public statement since his arrest.
Reporting from Seattle— Colton Harris-Moore's nearly four-year odyssey as the "Barefoot Bandit" came to a conclusion Friday when a federal judge sentenced him to 61/2 years in prison for the theft of airplanes, boats and guns in an audacious swath of crime that stretched from Washington state to the Bahamas.more..
January 27, 2012
Suspected Mexican Mafia, gang members held in San Diego
Street gangs are targeted as authorities make more than 100 arrests in a wide-ranging investigation into alleged racketeering, firearms trafficking and drug distribution.
Authorities arrested more than 100 suspected gang members and associates throughout San Diego County on Wednesday morning as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged racketeering, firearms trafficking and drug distribution coordinated by the Mexican Mafia.more..
January 26, 2012
Serial arson suspect faces 100 counts related to 49 fires
When Harry Burkhart, the suspect in a string of serial arsons, appears in court Tuesday afternoon, he will be facing 100 counts related to 49 fires set during a four-day fire spree that left the Los Angeles area on edge.
Burkhart has now been tied by prosecutors to 49 of 51 blazes set earlier this month from Hollywood to Burbank in the largest arson spree in decades, officials said.more..
January 25, 2012
Campus, professor lawyer up to fight criminal negligence charges following lab death
Note: This story has been changed to clarify that a jury convicted Lori Drew of three misdemeanors and hung on a fourth count, and that the judge later threw out the convictions.
A chemistry professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who faces felony charges following a student's death in a lab accident has retained Thomas O'Brien, the former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. more..
January 24, 2012
CHP officer found guilty of murdering her husband
California Highway Patrol officer Tomiekia Johnson was convicted Monday of murdering her husband more than two years ago.
As the verdict was read, Johnson collapsed and fell below the desk where she was sitting with her attorney. Her condition was unknown, but paramedics were called and a stretcher was brought to Judge Robert Perry's ninth-floor courtroom, which was cleared.more..
January 23, 2012
Jail probe panel can't promise anonymity to deputies who testify
A court could compel the panel, which is looking into allegations of deputy brutality against inmates, to reveal the identities of those who provide testimony, the panel's lawyer
A commission investigating allegations of deputy brutality inside Los Angeles County jails cannot guarantee confidentiality for deputies who want to testify, dealing a blow to efforts to combat what has been described as a code of silence among some jail guards.more..
January 20, 2012
Two men charged in '08 deaths at homeless camp
The gang members killed one man near the 405 and 710 freeways in Long Beach over a drug debt, then shot the others to ensure that there were no witnesses, police say.
In November 2008, police say, two gang members entered a secluded homeless encampment covered by brush and trees near the intersection of the 405 and 710 freeways in Long Beach.more..
-
18 Jan ' 23:12
January 19, 2012
Pinkberry founder Young Lee felt ‘threatened,’ attorney says
The Pinkberry co-founder accused of beating up a homeless man with a tire iron felt "at risk" and "threatened" before the assault, his attorney told The Times.
Young Lee, co-founder of the Pinkberry frozen yogurt chain, has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a June 2011 assault on a transient on a 101 Freeway off-ramp.more..
-
18 Jan ' 04:28
January 18, 2012
Long Beach officer charged in domestic violence case
A Long Beach police officer was charged with multiple counts of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with nearly half a dozen incidents, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.
Brandon Preciado, 29, was charged with 21 counts in five incidents dating back to Sept. 18, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. They include 10 counts of corporal injury to a spouse, nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of making a criminal threat.more..
January 17, 2012
U.S. troops need better training on laws of war, experts say
Commanders must do a better job of translating the rules for modern circumstances, experts say. A court-martial over the killing of civilians in Haditha, Iraq, highlights the issue.
The court-martial of Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich at Camp Pendleton for his role in two dozen civilian deaths in the Iraqi village of Haditha has highlighted a legal peril for modern military personnel: determining who is the enemy.more..
January 16, 2012
1st charge filed in FBI probe of L.A. sheriff's deputy misconduct
The case involves former Deputy Gilbert Michel, who admitted smuggling a cellphone and other contraband into Men's Central Jail for an inmate who promised him $20,000.
Federal prosecutors filed their first criminal charge in the ongoing investigation of deputy misconduct in the Los Angeles County jails, saying that an ex-guard has agreed to plead guilty to felony bribery and is cooperating with the FBI.more..
January 13, 2012
Deputy allegedly smuggled drugs in a burrito into courthouse jail
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been charged in connection with allegations that he smuggled heroin stuffed inside a burrito into a courthouse jail, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Henry Marin, 27, surrendered to fellow deputies Wednesday morning at the sheriff’s South Los Angeles station. He pleaded not guilty to charges of bringing drugs into a jail and conspiracy to commit a crime.more..
January 12, 2012
Trial begins in former CHP officer's slaying of husband
At Tomiekia Johnson's murder trial, the prosecution says the 2009 killing on the side of a road in Compton was intentional. The defense says it was self-defense.
No one disputes that former California Highway Patrol Officer Tomiekia Johnson had a tumultuous relationship with her husband. What's in question is whether she fatally shot him in the head two years ago by accident or in cold blood.more..
January 11, 2012
California Supreme Court voids death penalty in 1998 killing
Justices rule that a juror was improperly removed because she was uncertain about her views on the death penalty.
The California Supreme Court, which upholds the vast majority of capital sentences it reviews, decided unanimously Monday to overturn the death penalty for a convicted Long Beach murderer because a prospective juror was improperly removed for having ambivalent views on capital punishment.more..
January 10, 2012
Assembly member pleads no contest to shoplifting charge
Mary Hayashi is fined and sentenced to probation. Her lawyer says a benign brain tumor may have affected her behavior.
Reporting from Sacramento -- A California legislator pleaded no contest Friday to charges that she tried to shoplift $2,500 in clothes from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.more..
January 06, 2012
Former drug kingpin pleads guilty to racketeering, conspiracy
The leader of Mexico's Arellano Felix drug cartel avoids life term under a plea agreement that baffles many legal observers and law enforcement officials.
Reporting from San Diego -- Former drug kingpin Benjamin Arellano Felix pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal racketeering and money-laundering conspiracy charges, marking the end of a decade-old case that targeted what once was Mexico's most powerful organized crime group.more..
January 05, 2012
L.A.-area arson suspect 'motivated by rage against Americans'
Hollywood arson suspect Harry Burkhart was "motivated by rage against Americans" and sought to terrorize as many people as possible when he torched dozens of Los Angeles-area cars, homes and garages over New Year's weekend, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in charging documents filed Wednesday.
Prosecutors said they filed 37 felony counts against the 24-year-old German national -- 28 for alleged attacks on property and nine involving inhabited structures -- and that further charges could be forthcoming as investigators continue their work on the arson spree.more..
January 04, 2012
Fallout From a Lab Tragedy
Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji, a 23-year-old University of California at Los Angeles staff research assistant, died three years ago after suffering massive second- and third-degree burns when a chemical she was handling caught fire. After her death, UCLA beefed up its policies on compound handling and training for laboratory work. UCLA itself issued several new requirements to rectify some of the lapses in safety that resulted in a state agency fining the university nearly $32,000.
Now, a new development in the case is likely to reinvigorate the training and safety discussion not just at UCLA, but at any college or university where chemical work is performed: prosecutors last week filed felony charges against the UC regents and the chemistry professor who oversaw the lab, Patrick Harran, marking what researchers believe is the first criminal indictment stemming from an accident in the history of American academe. more..
January 03, 2012
Charges Brought In UCLA lab Death
Lab Safety: UC system, professor face felony counts in death of Sheri Sangji
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against the University of California and UC Los Angeles chemistry professor Patrick Harran on Dec. 27, 2011, for felony violations of California labor laws in the death of a staff research assistant three years ago.
Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji, 23, died on Jan. 16, 2009, from injuries sustained in a fire 18 days earlier in a UCLA chemistry laboratory. Working with tert-butyllithium, which ignites spontaneously in air, she was drawing the chemical from a bottle into a syringe when the plunger came out of the syringe barrel (C&EN, Aug. 3, 2009, page 29). Sangji was not wearing a lab coat, and the chemical splashed onto her clothes and set them on fire. Sangji was burned on her torso, arms, and hands. more..
January 02, 2012
Long Beach pipeline company charged in oil spill
A Long Beach pipeline company has been charged with causing a massive oil spill that polluted the Dominguez Channel and Port of Los Angeles in Wilmington, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Crimson Pipeline Management Inc. faces a 61 misdemeanor count complaint that alleges the company and its operators "unlawfully caused, allowed, permitted, and contributed to the discharge of large quantities of oil into the city's storm drain system," Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman Frank Mateljan said. more..
December 30, 2011
California Courts Will See a Raft of New Judges
SACRAMENTO (CN) - Gov. Jerry Brown went on a judge-appointing rampage this week, naming a dozen new judges to benches throughout the state, including six in Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles' six new Superior Court judges are Kerry Bensinger, 51, of San Marino; Michelle Williams Court, 45, of Los Angeles; Holly Fujie, 56, of Los Angeles; Michael Garcia, 54, of Alhambra; Roberto Longoria, 48, of Pasadena; and Michael Raphael, 43, of Los Angeles.more..
December 29, 2011
Felony charges filed against UC and a UCLA chemistry professor after fatal laboratory fire
A research assistant was fatally burned when chemicals burst into flame. Her death three years ago has focused attention on safety issues.
Felony charges have been filed against the University of California and a UCLA chemistry professor in connection with a laboratory fire that killed a staff research assistant three years ago.more..
December 28, 2011
Man charged with forcing girl into prostitution
Michael Vincent Pree is freed on $50,000 bond for allegedly pimping and sexually assaulting a minor.
A Los Angeles man faces several criminal charges stemming from his arrest last week on suspicion of forcing a child into prostitution and sexually assaulting her, police said.more..
December 27, 2011
ID errors put hundreds in L.A. County jails
Wrongful incarcerations totaled 1,480 in the last five years, a Times inquiry finds.
Hundreds of people have been wrongly imprisoned inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department jails in recent years, with some spending weeks behind bars before authorities realized those arrested were mistaken for wanted criminals, a Times investigation has found.more..
December 23, 2011
Some Occupy L.A. protesters may get a lesson in free speech
Prosecutors say they can avoid court trials by paying $355 to a private company for an educational program. The irony is not lost on the anti-corporate activists, who see it as patronizing.
Many Occupy L.A. protesters arrested during demonstrations in recent months are being offered a unique chance to avoid court trials: pay $355 to a private company for a lesson in free speech.more..
December 22, 2011
USDOJ: Attorney Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Stock Fraud
WASHINGTON – An attorney for a South Carolina health care device company, Signalife, was arrested on December 18, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport on charges related to his alleged role in a multi-million dollar market manipulation fraud scheme, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced today.
An indictment unsealed yesterday in United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida charges attorney Mitchell J. Stein, 53, of Hidden Hills, Calif ., and Boca Raton, Fla ., with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, three counts of securities fraud, three counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of the proceeds of the offenses. more..
December 21, 2011
Former Santa Clarita Building Inspector Pleads Guilty
LOS ANGELES – A former Santa Clarita building inspector pleaded guilty today to accepting more than $30,000 in bribes while issuing and signing off on building permits, the District Attorney’s office announced.
Deputy District Attorney Sean Hassett with the Public Integrity Division said Craig Allen Ingraham, 59, was immediately sentenced by Superior Court Judge David Horwitz to two years in state prison, which was suspended. Ingraham also was placed on five years probation, ordered to pay $32,000 in restitution and to complete 750 hours of community service.more..
December 20, 2011
Concealing of evidence highlighted in Texas wrongful conviction
Activists say the case of Michael Morton, exonerated of murder after 25 years in prison, underscores a problem of prosecutors withholding material that could help defendants.
Reporting from Houston and Washington— The case of a grocery store clerk wrongly convicted of murdering his wife has rocked the legal system across Texas, and not just because an innocent man served 25 years of a life sentence.more..
December 19, 2011
Lawyers for Rizzo, Spaccia ask judge to dismiss charges
Attorneys for ex-Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo and his former assistant asked a judge Wednesday to throw out charges of misappropriation of public funds and other counts, but the judge did not immediately rule on the request.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy said she wanted time to mull over the issues before deciding whether prosecutors can move forward with their cases against Rizzo and Angela Spaccia, who were indicted in March on charges of misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and hiding and falsifying official records. more..
December 15, 2011
Conrad Murray: I'm broke and need a court-appointed attorney
Surrounded by a team of lawyers and experts during his closely watched trial, Michael Jackson’s former doctor is on his own for his appeal.
Dr. Conrad Murray filed papers this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court saying he is broke and needs the government to pay for a lawyer to handle the appeal of his involuntary manslaughter conviction. more..
December 14, 2011
DANGEROUS JAILS: THE PRINCE
Six years ago, (Los Angeles) Men’s Central Jail commanding officer Captain John Clark had had enough.
Plagued by a spate of bad press over some high-profile incidents, plus calls for reform from the ACLU and the County Board of Supervisors over the dangerous conditions inside his jail, Clark sent his operations lieutenant, Casey Bald—second in command in the jail behind the captain himself—to read his supervisors the riot act.more..
December 13, 2011
Molester who worked in casting held on offender registry charges
Officials say Jason James Murphy failed to file a name change and change of address, felonies that could lead to three years in prison. His lawyer says he had been in compliance with state rules.
A convicted child molester who spent recent years helping cast Hollywood movies under an alias was arrested Friday on suspicion of violating sex offender registry laws, a move his attorney decried as an injustice born out of nationwide outrage over pedophilia scandals.more..
December 12, 2011
Should the feds have more power to seize domain names?
Before Congress gives the Justice Department more power to seize domain names, maybe it should consider what the government does with the power it already has.
Lawmakers are considering bills in the House and Senate that would authorize the DOJ to seek court orders seizing the domain names of online piracy hotbeds based outside the United States. One concern about the measures is that they don't do enough to protect the due-process rights of site operators.more..
-
10 Dec ' 10:04
December 09, 2011
Lawyer for Lakers' Devin Ebanks denies sex assault allegations
The attorney for the Lakers' Devin Ebanks on Wednesday strongly denied allegations that the player sexually assaulted a woman and said his client was a target after prosecutors announced they would not seek criminal charges in the case.
"Everyone in this city knows that high-profile people are often targets for those seeking money or attention," said attorney Jeff Rubenstein, who is representing Ebanks. "There is nothing here, This is not a case, end of story." more..
December 08, 2011
California and Nevada join forces in mortgage probe
The two states' attorneys general announce plans to jointly investigate misconduct and fraud in the mortgage business.
An alliance by California and Nevada to jointly investigate misconduct and fraud in the mortgage business further divides efforts by the nation's attorneys general to bring the home-lending industry to account for improper foreclosure practices.
The two states, which are at ground zero of the nation's housing bust, will join forces to probe allegations of foreclosure fraud and other wrongdoing in the mortgage markets, including the packaging and selling of mortgage-backed securities by Wall Street players and scams by smaller players offering to help troubled borrowers. more..
December 07, 2011
Mueller enlists Sheen's lawyer in Aspen cocaine case
ASPEN — Aspen criminal-defense attorney Richard Cummins on Monday entered his appearance for celebrity Brooke Mueller, who was arrested outside of a downtown nightclub Saturday on cocaine and assault charges. Cummins also was a member of actor Charlie Sheen's defense team for his Christmas Day 2009 domestic violence case involving Mueller, who was his wife at the time of the incident.
Cummins said Mueller, 34, waived any potential conflict concerning his representation of Sheen. more..
December 06, 2011
D.A. in the dark on jail probes
L.A. County Sheriff's Department does not always share with prosecutors the results of investigations of possible inmate abuse.
Even as a sergeant shouted, "Stop hitting him! Stop hitting him!," Deputy Marcos Stout continued punching an inmate in the head. Then, with the inmate on the concrete floor, Stout landed his knee on the man's skull.more..
December 05, 2011
Ousted L.A. Housing Authority chief leaves with $1.2 million
Critics see Rudolf Montiel's departure pay as a symbol of misplaced priorities and poor management at the agency. The authority's board chief says the deal was in the agency's best interests.
Rudolf Montiel seemed remarkably sanguine last spring, sitting in a meeting room at the Los Angeles Housing Authority headquarters as he was publicly castigated by tenants just before being fired as the head of the largest public housing operation west of the Mississippi.more..
December 02, 2011
Manager of young actors arrested in molestation case
Martin Weiss of Santa Monica is held on suspicion of sexually assaulting a boy over a three-year period. Police believe there may be other alleged victims.
A Hollywood manager who specializes in representing young actors has been arrested on suspicion of molesting one of his clients, and police suspect there may be other possible victims.more..
December 01, 2011
Wal-Mart pepper-spray attack caused 'total pandemonium,' says LAPD
Los Angeles police detectives described a chaotic scene when a woman pepper-sprayed 20 shoppers during a Wal-Mart Black Friday sale.
Authorities said they received a call around 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night to report that someone had discharged pepper spray at a videogame display at the Porter Ranch Wal-Mart, where the store was offering games at half their normal $60 price.more..
November 30, 2011
Conrad Murray gets four years for role in Michael Jackson's death
The judge voices shock at Dr. Conrad Murray's lack of remorse and criticizes the physician for recent comments suggesting Michael Jackson 'entrapped' him.
The trial of Dr. Conrad Murray in the drug overdose death of Michael Jackson ended with a resounding rebuke from the trial judge, who lambasted his treatment as "money for medicine madness."more..
-
29 Nov ' 13:39
November 29, 2011
Criminal defendants find an unlikely friend in Justice Scalia
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has led the charge in reversing convictions, citing the 6th Amendment and the right to challenge witnesses. For him there are no shades of gray.
Reporting from Washington— Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court's most outspoken and combative conservative, is not often described as friendly to criminals. more..
-
28 Nov ' 18:19
November 28, 2011
The hidden impact of three strikes
State law is widely used to coerce plea bargains
Across California, hundreds of criminals convicted of non-serious, non-violent, non-sexual crimes last month were no longer sent to prison under the state's massive inmate realignment — but this group of "low level" offenders does not include more than 2,200 inmates currently imprisoned for the exact same crimes.
They are serving life sentences under California's three-strikes law. more..
-
27 Nov ' 01:21
November 23, 2011
Ex-Beverly Hills school official convicted
A former Beverly Hills School District official was convicted Monday of conflict-of-interest charges for taking more than $1.3 million through a contract she steered to herself, authorities said.
Karen Anne Christiansen, 53, the district's former facilities director, encouraged school officials to borrow money for a building campaign while she planned to direct the management contract to herself, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.more..
November 22, 2011
Riverside County to make inmates pay jail costs
A judge will decide whether and how much each convict is able to pay. Riverside County officials say the state probably won't cover the costs of putting inmates in county jails instead of state prisons.
Struggling with an $80-million budget shortfall and an influx of thousands of felons to local jails, Riverside County is turning to a captive audience to raise some much-needed cash: Convicts. more..
November 21, 2011
Discord Over Strategy on Dr. Conrad Murray's Defense Team
The lawyers representing Dr. Conrad Murray in Los Angeles Superior Court had no reason to cheer on Nov. 8, but it wasn't just the guilty verdict that created tension on the trial team.
For much of the trial, discord dominated relations between Houston lawyer Ed Chernoff, who led the criminal-defense team for Murray, and his co-counsel J. Michael Flanagan of Glendale, Calif.'s Flanagan Unger Grover & McCool. Neither lawyer plans to represent Murray on appeal.more..
November 18, 2011
Charles Manson's 'right hand man' seeks parole for 14th time after becoming a born-again Christian in prison - and gets denied
Charles 'Tex' Watson appeared before a parole board in California to seek release after being denied over a dozen times before - and was denied again.
Watson, 65, made a plea for his freedom yet again during a hearing Wednesday at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, 50 miles southeast of Sacramento.more..
November 17, 2011
Former Bell council members seek dismissal of corruption charges
Six ex-lawmakers contend Bell's status as a charter city allowed them to exceed state regulations on salaries
Six former Bell council members are asking a Superior Court judge to dismiss corruption charges against them, arguing that voters in the small Los Angeles County city gave them the authority to draw the annual salaries of nearly $100,000 that prosecutors say amounted to thievery.more..
November 16, 2011
Wilberle Vereus: US Resident Deported To Haiti, Reveals Brutal Conditions And Severe Health Risks In Jail
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – When longtime Los Angeles resident Wilberle Vereus arrived in Haiti after being deported from the United States, he was taken to the Petionville jail above Port-au-Prince and placed in a 20-by-10-foot cell along with three other deportees and a group of Haitian prisoners.
Vereus, 22, had committed no crime in Haiti.
"We walked into the jail, and the first thing I smelled was urine," Vereus said. "They threw us in a jail that had no beds, no toilets, no shower, nothing but just concrete. It had a little toilet bowl that didn't work that had urine and trash and all that stuff up in there."more..
November 15, 2011
Attorney's Apology for Flouting Court Order Can't Support Sanction Absent Actual Breach
An attorney's immediate apology after a judge sustained an objection against him for violating a pretrial evidentiary order in his summation could not support a sanctions order when a careful review of the transcript showed no actual violation of the order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held Oct. 27 (Miller v. Los Angeles, 9th Cir., No. 10-55235, 10/27/11).
In an excessive force case involving a Los Angeles police officer, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski said the city's attorney could not have acted in bad faith—a prerequisite for a sanction based on the district court's inherent power—if he did not violate the court's order.more..
November 14, 2011
For teen program's chief, tough love may have turned criminal
The operator of a Pasadena 'boot camp' aimed at turning around troubled lives with military-type discipline faces trial on charges of kidnapping and extortion for his treatment of a girl and her family.
The surprise visit to Alberto Ruiz's house was swift.more..
Search the Site
