Carmen Montenegro, 51, was arrested at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday May 29, 2011 after Ontario police received calls that she was pushing a container with human body parts.

Montenegro allegedly walked with the wheeled trash can 200 yards along a sidewalk - from a home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue, where she may have lived, to the 900 block of East H Street, where she was arrested. She was seeking help from people to dispose of the body.

Police believe the unidentified man's remains were dug up from the back yard of the home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue.

The identity of the deceased man, his cause of death, the location of his death, and his connection to Montenegro remain unknown.

Authorities on Sunday continued to search the back yard where the body was reportedly removed from the ground, as well as the inside of the house.

Police said Montenegro is a resident of San Bernardino, but Crittenden said she may have previously lived in the home in the 700 block of North Holmes Avenue.

Multiple residents of the area said Montenegro's mother owns the home and lives there, and Montenegro has lived there on and off since for at least 15 years.

Montenegro faces murder charges.

Murder charges are the most serious charges a person may face.

Murder is the crime of intentionally causing another person's death without legal excuse or justification. State and federal laws regarding homicide and murder are the most complex of any criminal laws.

First degree murder, the most serious degree of murder, is the premeditated, deliberate, and/or malicious act of intentionally causing the death of another party. A conviction of  first degree murder can result in life imprisonment.

The laws regarding murder are complex. In order to convict a defendant of murder, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the acts in question under a specific mental state.

If you or someone you know is being charged with murder it is very crucial that you obtain a criminal defense attorney that is well seasoned and aggressive in fighting for the client.

At Hedding Law Firm, our Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys have handled thousands of criminal cases and we have a combined 75 years of experience.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation. Let us be your advocate in this stressful time of need.

An 18-year-old man told detectives he accidentally shot his 17-year-old friend to death at a San Pedro house, police said today.

Joseph Michael Hecker was arrested on suspicion of murder after the Tuesday afternoon shooting of 17 year old Dale Soto in the 900 block of West Basin Street.

Hecker claims that the shooting was an accident.

According to police reports, Soto came over to Hecker's house around 3 p.m. on Tuesday May 24, 2011 and Hecker opened the door with a shotgun and fired.  

Soto died at a hospital.

Hecker and Soto were friends. There was no indication the shooting was part of a bigger crime or gang-related.

Hecker is in custody at the Los Angeles Police Department jail and on $1 million bail.

A case like this can be devastating and can turn someone's life upside down.

Murder charges are the most serious charges and can result in a life sentence.

Justified or accidental, killings are considered homicide.

A killing is considered an accident if there was no criminal intent to harm; if the defendant did not act negligently; if the defendant was not otherwise engaged in unlawful activity at the time of the killing.

If all these 3 elements are met, then accident serves as a valid legal defense in California to a murder charge.

If your or someone you know has been charged with murder and your life is on the line, it is essential that you hire federal criminal defense attorney to help you get your life under control.

There are legal defenses to murder to be argued and the difference can be a decade of prison time.

At Hedding Law Firm, our murder defense attorneys have handled countless  murder cases over the years of practicing criminal defense in Los Angeles County. 

Let' s meet and discuss what is necessary to be successful.  We stand at the ready to help you.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

Larry P. Corbi, 36, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and has been sentenced 2 years in federal prison and $356,644 in restitution.

Corbi defrauded banks by seeking home equity lines of credit at the same time from four different federally insured financial institutions in 2008. He applied for four home equity lines of credit in amounts ranging from $122,000 to $191,000 from Washington Mutual Bank, GMAC ResCap, Countrywide Bank F.S.B. and Metlife Bank/PHH Mortgage Corp.

In November 2007, he bought a $620,000 home in Granada Hills in November 2007.

Corbi did not disclose to each financial institution that he was concurrently applying for other credit lines that would also be secured by the Granada Hills home. Three of the four lines were approved and funded.

In total, he obtained $672,144 in loan proceeds, which included $200,000 he borrowed to buy the Granada Hills house. Upon foreclosure, the banks that had loaned him money suffered a $356,644 loss that Corbi has to pay back as restitution in addition to his 2 year prison sentence.

Fraud is intentionally lying in order to induce someone to rely on the lie perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.

The federal bank fraud statute criminalizes the conduct of any party who knowingly executes, or attempts to execute a scheme or trick to defraud a financial institution, by means of false or fraudulent representations.

Bank fraud may also be tied to other crimes such as wire fraud or forgery.

Therefore it is essential that you contact a federal criminal defense attorney that is well seasoned and experience if you have been charged with bank fraud or any other type of  fraud.

At Hedding Law Firm we have successfully handled thousands of federal and state cases over many years of successful criminal defense practice in Los Angeles.

Contact us and set up a FREE consultation with our  Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys and let us help you and fight on your behalf.

David McMillion, 26, was arrested for robbing a man of $14 as he was leaving the bathroom in Alondra Park on Friday May 20, 2011.

McMillion performed the robbery with a knife and now faces charges of armed robbery and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail. The authorities found him off the description the victim gave and he had exactly $14 on his person.

To be convicted of robbery in Los Angeles, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant to property that did not belong to him; from another person's possession or immediate presence; against the person's will; using force or threat; with the intent to deprive permanently.

If a weapon is involved then the defendant would be charged with armed robbery.

Robbery is always considered a felony and the length of the sentence depends on whether the defendant is being charged with first or second degree  robbery and there are numerous legal defenses in favor of the defendant.

If you have been charged with robbery in Los Angeles, our  Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys will help you and fight on your behalf.

Contact us at Hedding Law Firm and set up a free face to face consultation with our criminal defense attorneys and we will immediately start evaluating and working on your robbery case.

James fayed, a Ventura County businessman, was found guilty Thursday of scheming the fatal stabbing of his estranged wife, Pamela Fayed, in 2008 in a Century City parking garage, a crime that was designed to fend off a messy and potentially expensive divorce.

Fayed was accused of hiring a worker from his Moorpark ranch to pull off the crime with the help of two recruited gang members.

Pamela Fayed was stabbed 13 times in the neck by a hooded attacker and her body was tossed into a rented SUV and driven from the scene.

The key prosecution evidence in the 2008 crime was a taped confession Fayed allegedly made to a jailhouse informant. Tapes of the alleged confession where played to jurors and included Fayed referring to his wife as a "money grubbing" person who would not listen to reason.

Authorities allege that Fayed had a fear of his estranged wife cooperating with federal authorities in their investigation of the Fayeds' international gold trading business which was suspected to be a multimillion dollar ponzi scheme.  

What is a Ponzi Scheme

• A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors, not from any actual profit earned by the organization, but from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors.

• The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering returns other investments cannot guarantee, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors to keep the scheme going.
  • The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments to investors.
  • Usually, the scheme is interrupted by legal authorities before it collapses because a Ponzi scheme is suspected or because the promoter is selling unregistered securities.
  • The federal government has handed down heavy jail time in financial fraud scams such as Ponzi schemes and charges for Ponzi schemes are often also coupled with other charges such as Tax Evasion, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Securities Fraud or other Financial Crimes.

  Fayed was convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He potentially faces the death penalty.

  The hired hands who allegedly took part in the murder plot face separate trials.

  The charge ofmurder is the highest crime known to man and therefore carries penalties that are extremely harsh.

  Most individuals convicted of murder will never be released from prison.  Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you hire an attorney that has a vast experience dealing with murder charges.

  At the Hedding Law Firm our attorneys believe that if you are being investigated or have been arrested formurder then it is critical to your case that you retain the services of an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney immediately.

  We will challenge the charges against you and make every attempt to have them lowered or dismissed completely.

  Your constitutional rights are very important to us! We will fight to obtain the best outcome for your particular case.

  Contact a lawyer at the Hedding Law Firm today for a free consultation regarding your  murder case.

   

   

Jeffrey R. Hall, 32, a regional director for the National Socialist Movement, was shot and killed by his 10 year old son on May 1, 2011 around 4 a.m.

The boy has been charged as a juvenile and faces murder charges.

Krista McCary, 26, the stepmother of the 10 year old boy, was charged on Tuesday May 17, 2011 with 5 counts of child endangerment and 4 counts of criminal storage of a firearm (on the shelf in the house where five children have easy access to the .357 magnum). Additionally, the firearm did not have a trigger lock and was not in a lock box as required by law.

McCary faces a maximum of 8 years in prison and if no prior then will likely receive probation.

The boy has a history of aggression and violence and his father's neo-Nazi activities had an influence on him no doubt.
His next hearing date is July 22, 2011.

MURDER

The charge of murder is the highest crime known to man, it therefore carries penalties that are extremely harsh. Most individuals convicted of  murder will never be released from prison.  Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you hire an attorney that has a vast experience dealing with murder charges.  A person charged with  murder will typically only receive one chance to properly defend themselves, after that, if they are convicted of murder, it will be too late to help them. 

At Hedding Law Firm, we have handled countless murder cases over the years of practicing criminal defense in Los Angeles County.  If you or your loved one's life is on the line, lets meet and discuss what is necessary to be successful.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

Two Orange County Liquor stores were robbed on Tuesday May 17, 2011 within thirty minutes of each other.

The first robbery happened about 8:10 pm at a liquor store and the second  robbery happened at a deli market at about 8:35 pm.

Both robberies involved two men, one with a shotgun. They not only took money but also cigars and tequila from one of the locations.

They were described as wearing black clothing, hooded sweatshirts, and face masks. They fled in a dark colored Toyota Camry.

No one was injured.

If found and arrested, these men will likely be charged with armed robbery.

Robberyis a felony, punishable by a term in state or federal prison.  Robbery is the direct taking of property, including money from a person through force, threat or intimidation.

California Penal Code Section 211 defines robbery, which reads:

"Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear."

"Armed robbery" involves the use of a gun or other weapon which can do bodily harm, such as a knife or club, and under most state laws carries a stiffer penalty (longer possible term) than robbery by merely taking.

First degree robberyoccurs where the defendant acts in concert with two or more other people for the purpose of committing a  robbery in an inhabited dwelling house, vessel designed for habitation, trailer coach, or the inhabited portion of any other building.  Robbery in the first degree is a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 6, or 9 years. In all other inhabited structures not defined above, the punishment is imprisonment in the state prison for 3, 6, or 9 years.

Second degree robbery encompasses all other types of robbery, which are punishable in the state prison for 2, 3, or 5 years.

Common Defenses for Robbery

• Duress
• Force used in Self-Defense
• Lack of Intent to Permanently Deprive
• Abandonment of the Property
• Property Not Taken from Person or their Presence

If you or someone you know has been charged withrobbery or any other federal cirme,  contact us at Hedding Law Firm. We are committed to providing zealous representations, with only our clients' best interests in mind, and promise to make every effort to obtain the best result possible.

Our Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys are experienced in handling a wide variety of criminal offenses and have established a solid reputation with state and federal prosecutors and judges.

Contact us for FREE face to face consultation.

Jose Wilson Rojas Guzman, 30 was arrested this week in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 9-year-old Riverside girl which occurred on May 7, 2011.
The girl was asleep in her bedroom when Guzman entered through a window and kidnapped her.

He sexually assaulted her and then left her in an unfamiliar block barefoot, in shorts and a tank top in the middle of the night.

Guzman, who had previously rented a room at the Pike Street residence, was detained and questioned by investigators on May 9.

After questioning him, authorities said Guzman was taken into custody and held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an immigration violation.

Investigators with the Riverside Police Department obtained a search warrant for Guzman's DNA. It was then submitted to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab for comparison to DNA found on the girl.

Riverside investigators were told Monday that Guzman's DNA matched the DNA evidence found on the victim.

Guzman is charged with attempted murder,  kidnapping with injury and aggravated child sexual assault, each of which has a potential life sentence.

He is being held on $1 million bail.

Attempt

Attempt is to actually try to commit a crime and have the ability to do so. This means more than just thinking about doing a criminal act or planning it without overt action. It also requires the opportunity and ability.

Attempts can include attempted murder, attempted robbery, attempted rape, attempted assault, attempted arson, and a host of other crimes.

The person accused cannot attempt to commit murder with an unloaded gun or attempt rape over the telephone.

The attempt becomes a crime in itself, and usually means one really tried to commit the crime, but failed through no fault of himself or herself.

Kidnapping

Under federal and state law, kidnapping is commonly defined as the taking of a person from one place to another against his or her will, or the confining of a person to a controlled space.

Kidnapping charges and penalties will vary from state to state, however in general this is considered a felony in all areas. If an individual is bodily injured or dies during a kidnapping event the felony charge of murder in the first degree can be included in the charges.

Possible Penalties for Kidnapping

•Jail time with parole
•Jail time of life without parole
•Probation
•Parole
•Restitution
•Registration as a sexual offender - sexual assault cases

If you or someone you know is being charged with a federal crime, our Los Angeles based Federal Criminal Defense Firm has the federal background to defend your case with a skill set that is unsurpassed. We have successfully handled thousands of federal and state cases over many years of successful criminal defense practice in Los Angeles.

We place every effort to get the best results possible by gathering and contesting all the evidence presented against the client.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

Three men were arrested May 10, 2011 in San Bernardino County in a $102 million bribery scheme. A fourth, former Supervisor Paul Biane, remains a fugitive from justice.

The four individuals were indicted May 12, 2011 by the San Bernardino County Grand Jury on 29 counts ofconspiracy to commit bribery, misappropriation of public funds, improper influence, conflict of interest, and additional charges.

The indictments are the result of a combined effort by Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos. Their two agencies jointly investigated the case and presented it to the grand jury, and will share in prosecution of the charges.

Turning themselves in to authorities for arrest were:

 Mark Kirk, former chief of staff for a member of the board of supervisors and current director of government relations in the county administrative office.

Kirk was indicted for: Being a legislator receiving a bribe, embezzlement by a public official, asking and receiving a bribe, bribing a public official, conspiracy, conflict of interest and conspiracy to commit a crime. If convicted, he faces up to eight years, eight months in prison.

James Erwin, former chief of staff for a member of the board of supervisors;

Erwin was indicted for: Knowingly providing or offering false instrument or documentation to be filed in a public office,perjury, bribing a public official,  conspiracy to defraud, conflict of interest, conspiracy to commit a crime and obstruction of justice. If convicted he faces up to 14 years, eight months in prison.

Jeffrey Burum, a general partner of Colonies Partners, L.P., a developer.

Burum was indicted for: Being a legislator receiving a bribe, embezzlement by a public official, bribing a public official, conspiracy, conflict of interest and conspiracy to commit a crime. If convicted he faces up to six years, eight months in prison.

Former Supervisor Paul Biane did not turn himself in after the indictment.

Biane was indicted for: Theft of public funds, two counts ofconspiracy,  bribing a local official, accepting bribes, perjury, filing false or forged documents, conflict of interest and tax  fraud. He faces up to eight years in prison.

The case is part of a continuing probe by both the Attorney General and the DA into corruption in San Bernardino County.

The current charges, according to the indictment, stem from a $102 million settlement approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2006 with the developer Colonies over flood control improvements on 434 acres of land in Upland in which defendants engaged in a scheme to obtain the settlement by conveying threats, extortion, inducements, and bribery. The bribes were $100,000 each.

These are some very serious and overwhelming charges.

If you are faced with any type of criminal charge such as conspiracy, fraud, assault, murder, robbery, in Los Angeles County, we encourage you to come and sit down face to face with us and we will access your case and begin the process of designing a solution to your criminal related problem. 

The attorneys in our firm have credentials that are simply unmatched by other, less seasoned attorneys. 

We appear in court everyday, and the founder, Ron Hedding has personally won more jury trials this year alone than many of the other defense attorneys who advertise on the web have tried in their entire career.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

At the Hedding Law Firm, our Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys will fight for your rights! We will work to provide you with the personal care and dedication that is needed to help obtain a successful outcome for your case.

Sven Koppler, 37, a German man convicted of shipping hundreds of live tarantulas by mail to the United States has been sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to a federal animal-smuggling charge and has also agreed to pay a $4000 fine.

He is described by a federal prosecutor as one of the "largest illegal importers of tarantulas".

Koppler had previously admitted that he shipped 247 live tarantulas to federal agents in L.A. who posed as buyers in a 10-month investigation known as "Operation Spiderman."

Koppler also shipped 22 Mexican red-knee tarantulas, or Brachypelma smithi, a species protected under international treaty, officials said. Prosecutors said Koppler made $300,000 by selling spiders to people worldwide.

Koppler, who lives in Wachtberg, Germany, could have received a maximum term of 20 years in federal prison.

Agents began investigating in March 2010 after a routine search of an international package revealed about 300 live tarantulas on their way to L.A.

A second package intercepted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents contained nearly 250 live tarantulas wrapped in colored plastic straws, including the Mexican red-kneed tarantulas.

Koppler received hundreds of thousands of dollars from sales of tarantulas in dozens of countries, including transactions with about nine people in the United States.

Koppler allegedly placed the spiders inside small plastic tubes. Federal prosecutors say agents posing as buyers ordered additional tarantulas from Koppler, who sent them from Germany to the agents in the United States.

The agents received a package in April that included about 70 live tarantulas and one dead spider and four packages last month that included several dozen live and dead tarantulas.

The undercover buys involved Brachypelma, which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Animal smuggling today is second only to drug smuggling as a major international illegal business. The animals are generally purchased from poor natives who, knowing nothing about the endangered status of such animals, sell them at throw-away prices.

Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure. Part I. Crimes. Chapter 27. Customs. § 545. Smuggling goods into the United States (goods includes animals)

Whoever knowingly and willfully, with intent to defraud the United States, smuggles, or clandestinely introduces or attempts to smuggle or clandestinely introduce into the United States any merchandise which should have been invoiced, or makes out or passes, or attempts to pass, through the customhouse any false, forged, or fraudulent invoice, or other document or paper; or

Whoever fraudulently or knowingly imports or brings into the United States, any merchandise contrary to law, or receives, conceals, buys, sells, or in any manner facilitates the transportation, concealment, or sale of such merchandise after importation, knowing the same to have been imported or brought into the United States contrary to law--

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.

If you or someone you know is facing any type of a federal crime, our Los Angeles based Federal Criminal Defense Firm has the federal background to defend your case with a skill set that is unrivaled. 

Whether your federal case requires a savvy negotiator or skilled trial attorney, we have the federal criminal defense knowledge to best represent you or your loved one. 

If you have a federal criminal case in the federal criminal court system in Los Angeles or anywhere in the nation, you must sit down with us face to face and allow us at Hedding Law Firm to educate you on how the federal criminal defense system works and design a plan to put you back on the road to a normal life.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential consultation

A Los Angeles Unified school police officer accused of faking his own shooting that triggered a massive manhunt in the West Valley in January was indicted today by a grand jury on six counts.

Jeff Stenroos, 30, pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of insurance fraud, workers' compensation fraud, preparing a false police report, preparing false documentary evidence and planting false evidence. He is also charged with one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency.

The indictment, returned by a grand jury on Thursday and unsealed today, added insurance fraud and planting evidence to the charges leveled against Stenroos in March, but dropped one count of perjury.

The city is seeking $361,289 in restitution for the 10-hour manhunt that sent more than 550 officers pouring into an eight square-mile area of the San Fernando Valley with dogs, assault weapons and helicopters.

LAUSD is also seeking $58,000 in medical costs incurred after Stenroos was treated and released from Northridge Medical Center the day of the alleged fraud. He also checked into Henry Mayo Hospital in Santa Clarita the next weekend after complaining of ongoing pain.

He was charged withinsurance fraud because he sought treatment for injuries he never sustained.

The district is still calculating total costs for keeping 9,000 students in lockdown at nine campuses that included El Camino Real High School and Hale Middle School.

Stenroos, of Santa Clarita, said he had been shot in the chest by a car burglar while he was on duty at El Camino Real High School in West Hills on Jan. 19. A Good Samaritan spotted Stenroos lying on the ground next to his patrol car and used its radio to call for help.

Stenroos, an eight year veteran of the force, reported that the burglar had escaped on foot, prompting law enforcement to lock down the schools late into the evening and close streets to local residents.

LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division later determined there was no shooting at the school and that Stenroos had made up the evidence.

The indictment eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is enough evidence for Stenroos to stand trial.

Stenroos is on paid administrative leave from the district.

He is scheduled to return to Van Nuys Superior Court on May 18. If convicted, he faces up to five years, eight months in state prison.

Insurance Fraud Penalties

Insurance fraud accounts for billions of dollars in lost taxpayer dollars and results in increasingly high insurance rates for everyone. The penalties for insurance fraud charges are significant and are typically stepped to reflect the seriousness of the fraudulent claim as well as the number of claims made in the particular charge. Each different insurance fraud will be treated as a separate count or charge, so rings that have operated several scams often have hefty penalties even on a first arrest.

Possible Penalties

• Jail time
• Significant fines
• Probation
• Parole
• Restitution
• Community service

If you or someone you know is being charged with any type of fraud, you need a skilled and experienced criminal defense attorney to fight on your behalf.

At Hedding Law Firm we will aggressively and diligently fight on your behalf.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

Alonzo Ester, 67, the owner of Dynasty Restaurant and Lounge in Inglewood was shot to death early morning of May 13, 2011 around 2:30 am, while sitting in his white $300,000 Rolls Royce, outside his home in the Crenshaw District.

According to a preliminary investigation, the Ester was sitting in his vehicle when another man walked up to the passenger side and shot him twice.

The investigation continues, but witnesses state that they heard the shots, and we have some reports that an African American male was seen leaving the location in a dark colored sedan.

Ester's wife stated she heard a gunshot and saw a man fleeing away.

Joseph Wright, the victim's brother, told Channel 7 his brother had left the nightclub shortly before the shooting.

Although investigation is in progress, authorities state that it appears that Ester was followed home.

Murder is the crime of intentionally causing another person's death without legal excuse or justification. Murder is a crime that falls under the category of criminal homicide. State and federal laws regarding homicide and murder are the most complex of any criminal laws. The classifications of homicidal and murder offenses are complex but are often divided into a handful of categories based on severity.

Penalties for murder can be life imprisonment with a possibility of parole. An experienced and aggressive criminal law attorney will use numerous defenses in a  murder case to improve its outcome.
Murder defenses that may be used in a trial include: self-defense, insufficient proof or evidence, factual innocence, insanity, and more.

In most cases, the individuals convicted of these murders were committing other violent crimes such as  rape, robbery,  kidnapping or arson.

First degree murder is when the killing was premeditated and deliberate; all other kinds of murders are classified as second degree murder.

In California, you may face the following sentences for 1st or 2nd degree murder:

1st Degree Murder:

2nd Degree Murder:

At the Hedding Law Firm our attorneys believe that if you are being investigated or have been arrested for murder then it is critical to your case that you retain the services of an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney immediately.

It is very important that your attorney at our firm can begin our own investigation as soon as possible in order to preserve evidence that may benefit your case.

At the Hedding Law Firm, as experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers we will challenge the charges against you and make every attempt to have them lowered or dismissed completely.

Your constitutional rights are very important to us! We will fight to obtain the best outcome for your particular case.

Contact a lawyer at the  Hedding Law Firm today for a FREE consultation regarding your murder case.

Darcey Greenfield, 39, a former Los Angeles police officer was charged with defrauding a handful of San Bernardino County people in an investment scam had been running real estate investment schemes for years and is suspected of bilking at least $2 million from fellow LAPD officers and other investors.

She surrendered Wednesday May 11, 2011 to investigators from the San Bernardino County district attorney's real estate fraud unit.

She faces multiple felony charges, including the sale of false investment securities, the sale of securities without a license, and grand theft.

The criminal charges filed by San Bernardino County prosecutors stem from investments Greenfield allegedly solicited in 2007 and 2008.

Greenfield purportedly persuaded victims in San Bernardino County to invest their savings, totaling $265,000, in investment securities.

Greenfield told the victims that the investment money would be used to help homeowners in foreclosure, according to the district attorney's office. The victims were promised they would get back a high rate of return and their principal, but they received nothing.

She is suspected of taking money from victims outside of San Bernardino County as well. San Bernardino County officials allege she collected more than $3 million from Los Angeles residents.

At least 13 LAPD employees are known from Greenfield's court records to have invested with her, including four detectives and five supervising sergeants. Police officials say they suspect that the total was higher because officers were probably pooling their money and investing under a single name.

At least three officers, including Greenfield, have declared bankruptcy. Others went further into debt to pay back friends and relatives who gave them money to invest.

Greenfield is being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Her bail is set at $1,020,000.

Securities fraud, also known as investor or stock fraud, covers a range of activities that violate federal and state laws pertaining to buying, selling and trading securities. The most common forms of securities fraud include:

•Misrepresentation (presenting misleading or false information to investors about a company, or its securities)

•Accounting fraud (manipulating or falsifying books or records to misrepresent a public companies assets and liabilities)

•Insider trading (buying, selling or trading securities based on information that is not readily available to the general public)

Securities fraud is governed by both federal and state laws, and legal actions can be brought about by private investors or by a government agency, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Violations of federal securities laws are treated as serious offenses that can carry both civil and criminal penalties. Criminal investigations can lead to felony convictions that carry penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment.

Theft offenses are covered by the Penal Code.

Penal Code §484 is misdemeanor petty theft for the taking of property valued at less than four hundred dollars. 

A petty theft charge is a misdemeanor offense and can result in a 1 year jail sentence and restitution.

If the value is over four hundred dollars, the charge is grand theft under Penal Code §487. 

Grand theft is a "wobbler" meaning it can be prosecuted as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Either way grand theft is a serious charge and can result in lengthy jail sentences.

If you or someone you know is being charged with any type of fraud, theft, or any other state or federal crime, we at Hedding Law Firm have the qualifications and experience to defined you and fight on your behalf.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential, no obligation consultation.

Darcey Greenfield, 39, a former Los Angeles police officer was charged with defrauding a handful of San Bernardino County people in an investment scam had been running real estate investment schemes for years and is suspected of bilking at least $2 million from fellow LAPD officers and other investors.

She surrendered Wednesday May 11, 2011 to investigators from the San Bernardino County district attorney's real estate fraud unit.

She faces multiple felony charges, including the sale of false investment securities, the sale of securities without a license, and grand theft.

The criminal charges filed by San Bernardino County prosecutors stem from investments Greenfield allegedly solicited in 2007 and 2008.

Greenfield purportedly persuaded victims in San Bernardino County to invest their savings, totaling $265,000, in investment securities.

Greenfield told the victims that the investment money would be used to help homeowners in foreclosure, according to the district attorney's office. The victims were promised they would get back a high rate of return and their principal, but they received nothing.

She is suspected of taking money from victims outside of San Bernardino County as well. San Bernardino County officials allege she collected more than $3 million from Los Angeles residents.

At least 13 LAPD employees are known from Greenfield's court records to have invested with her, including four detectives and five supervising sergeants. Police officials say they suspect that the total was higher because officers were probably pooling their money and investing under a single name.

At least three officers, including Greenfield, have declared bankruptcy. Others went further into debt to pay back friends and relatives who gave them money to invest.

Greenfield is being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Her bail is set at $1,020,000.

Securities fraud, also known as investor or stock fraud, covers a range of activities that violate federal and state laws pertaining to buying, selling and trading securities. The most common forms of securities fraud include:

•Misrepresentation (presenting misleading or false information to investors about a company, or its securities)

•Accounting fraud (manipulating or falsifying books or records to misrepresent a public companies assets and liabilities)

•Insider trading (buying, selling or trading securities based on information that is not readily available to the general public)

Securities fraud is governed by both federal and state laws, and legal actions can be brought about by private investors or by a government agency, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Violations of federal securities laws are treated as serious offenses that can carry both civil and criminal penalties. Criminal investigations can lead to felony convictions that carry penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment.

Theft offenses are covered by the Penal Code.

Penal Code §484 is misdemeanor petty theft for the taking of property valued at less than four hundred dollars. 

A petty theft charge is a misdemeanor offense and can result in a 1 year jail sentence and restitution.

If the value is over four hundred dollars, the charge is grand theft under Penal Code §487. 

Grand theft is a "wobbler" meaning it can be prosecuted as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Either way grand theft is a serious charge and can result in lengthy jail sentences.

If you or someone you know is being charged with any type of fraud, theft, or any other state or federal crime, we at Hedding Law Firm have the qualifications and experience to defend you and fight on your behalf.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential, no obligation consultation.

Former ESPN sports personality Jay Mariotti strongly denied new felony stalking and assault allegations against him, calling them "fabrications" that will be disproved in court.

Mariotti pleaded not guilty Wednesday May 11, 2011 to three felony counts of stalking, domestic violence and assault, as well as two misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order.

Some evidence shows that he confronted his ex-girlfriend the same day a court ordered him to stay away from her. In addition, they say he argued with his former girlfriend again outside a Venice restaurant April 15. He allegedly pulled a chunk of her hair out and grabbed her cellphone while shouting at her, prosecutors said.

Mariotti remains on probation in connection with a misdemeanordomestic-violence case from August 2010. In that case, he pleaded no contest, and six other misdemeanor counts -- four domestic-violence-related counts, and charges of grand theft and false imprisonment -- were dismissed.

Mariotti, a former sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, appeared frequently on ESPN's "Around the Horn." He has not contributed to ESPN since his arrest.

His next court date is scheduled for June 1.

Theft offenses are covered by the Penal Code.
Penal Code §484 is misdemeanor petty theft for the taking of property valued at less than four hundred dollars. 
A petty theft charge is a misdemeanor offense and can result in a 1 year jail sentence and restitution.
If the value is over four hundred dollars, the charge is grand theft under Penal Code §487. 
Grand theft is a "wobbler" meaning it can be prosecuted as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Either way grand theft is a serious charge and can result in lengthy jail sentences.

Domestic violence is the mental, physical and/or verbal abuse of a spouse, child, family member, cohabitant or loved one. It may involve kicking, hitting, punching, pushing, name calling and intimidation. Domestic violence is considered to be a very aggressive crime in nature and is one of many violent crimes that often go unreported.

In Califronia there are different degrees of assault. 
Simple assaultis a misdemeanor and defined as an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another. This means that no injury or even contact has to have taken place for this offense to have occurred.
Assaukt with  a deadly weapon can result up

This misdemeanor offense can carry a sentence of up to $1,000 in fines and jail time of up to 6 months.

In a domestic violence case, even when the victim refuses to press charges against you, the district attorney's office can still prosecute you. 

If convicted of domestic violence in California you will be facing a sentence of up to 1 year in a county jail or 4 years in a state prison. You may also be ordered to pay a fine of $6,000 or more, restitution to the victim, and attend community service and anger management classes.

In addition, if this is your third felony offense or more under California's three strikes law you may also be looking at a lifetime sentence behind bars.

Due to this, it is important to work with an experienced defense attorney who can protect your rights if you are accused of domestic violence.

If you have been accused of petty or grand theft you should hire a  criminal defense lawyer in order to protect your rights and help you obtain the best case result. Failure to retain the services of a qualified attorney will greatly increase your chances of receiving the maximum penalties for the crime being charged if convicted.

Contact us at  Hedding Law Firm for a FREE face to face consultation.

We place every effort to get the best results possible for our clients by gathering and contesting all the evidence presented against them.

After twelve days of deliberation and two months of trial, a jury found Manhattan, New York's former hedge fund entrepreneur Raj Rajaratnam guilty on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud after a high-profile trial at the heart of a federal hit on insider trading.

The government accused Rajaratnam of making more than $50 million in illicit profits by trading on inside information given to him by associates at some of America's corporate standard bearers, including Google, Hilton and Goldman Sachs.

Lawyers for Rajaratnam, whose tenure at the helm of hedge fund operator Galleon Group made him a billionaire, argued that he traded stocks based on legitimate research employing information that was already public.

During the nearly seven-week trial prosecutors presented extensive evidence, including text messages, trading records and wiretapped phone calls.

Rajaratnam is set to be sentenced on July 29.
Each of the nine securities fraud counts carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Rajaratnam is free until sentencing on a $100 million bail.

Securities Fraud

Securities fraud, also known as investor or stock fraud, covers a range of activities that violate federal and state laws pertaining to buying, selling and trading securities. The most common forms of securities fraud include:

•Misrepresentation (presenting misleading or false information to investors about a company, or its securities)

•Accounting fraud (manipulating or falsifying books or records to misrepresent a public companies assets and liabilities)

•Insider trading (buying, selling or trading securities based on information that is not readily available to the general public)

                Insider Trading

Insider trading is the use of nonpublic information in making a securities transaction or the distribution of such information for the purpose of influencing a transaction. Anyone who gives or receives confidential information that leads to a profitable stock trade could be found guilty of insider trading. Guilty parties may include the employees or directors of a public company, who may make trades themselves or convince private investors to do so; the investors who receive the information and make the trade; or independent parties that may hold information that is material to a company's success or failure.

Insider traders maybe subject to criminal prosecution.

Securities fraud is governed by both federal and state laws, and legal actions can be brought about by private investors or by a government agency, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Violations of federal securities laws are treated as serious offenses that can carry both civil and criminal penalties.
Criminal investigations can lead to felony convictions that carry penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) may impose civil fines against corporations or individuals convicted of securities fraud.

The Federal Government takes the crime of fraud very seriously and large fines and long term prison times are imposed.

If you or someone you know is facing such charges, we at Hedding Law Firm have the experience, qualifications, and aggressiveness to get your criminal matter under control and get the best results possible.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation and our federal criminal defense attorneys will get right on your case.

Contact the  Hedding Law Firm today !

An eighty year old robber is on the loose in Fontana, California. This eighty year old "granny bandit" has been linked to two armed robberies in shopping center parking lots.
Mother's Day was when the first victim was approached in a Kohl's parking lot at 100:00 am. The second victim was approached the next day in a Target parking lot in a similar manner.

The "granny bandit" covered her face with a floral scarf and sunglasses and held up a gun demanding the purses of the two victims.

The "granny bandit" fled in a dark colored Dodge Neon with tinted windows.

Robbery
Robbery is a felony, punishable by a term in state or federal prison.  Robbery is the direct taking of property, including money from a person through force, threat or intimidation.

California Penal Code Section 211 defines robbery, which reads:

"Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear."

"Armed robbery" involves the use of a gun or other weapon which can do bodily harm, such as a knife or club, and under most state laws carries a stiffer penalty (longer possible term) than robbery by merely taking.

If you or someone you know has been charged with robbery, contact us at Hedding Law Firm. We are committed to providing zealous representations, with only our clients' best interests in mind, and promise to make every effort to obtain the best result possible.

We are experienced in handling a wide variety of criminal offenses and have established a solid reputation with state and federal prosecutors and judges.

Contact us for FREE face to face consultation.

James Arthur Booker, 37, and five others were charged on May 4, 2011with 29 felony counts of bank fraud (defrauding banks out of more than $3 million).  

According to the indictment, primary suspect Andrea Lorraine Avery, 44, of Los Angeles and the other defendants stole the identities of people with good credit scores to establish lines of credit and used the money for personal expenses.

In addition to Avery and Booker, those charged are Kirkland Charles, 46, of Beverly Hills; William Earl Gordon, 59, of Little Rock, Ark.; Bill James Releford, 51, of Los Angeles; and Annita Hawes, 46, of Los Angeles.

Avery also is charged with making false statements to the banks. Avery, Releford, Charles and Gordon are also charged with aiding and abetting the false statements.

The group obtained dates of birth, Social Security numbers, credit profiles, FICO scores and driver's license numbers to complete fraudulent applications for business lines of credit at Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank branches.

The stolen identities also were used to create phony corporate officers of shell corporations that did not exist, the FBI said.

Phony corporate officers were also created. In order to fool bank employees who made on-site inspections, the defendants created fake offices where they posed as employees to make it look like the corporations were legitimate.

Once the applications were approved, banks deposited money into the accounts, usually in amounts of $100,000.

The defendants liquidated accounts in a few days, making checks payable to themselves. Avery received 10 to 15 percent of the credit line. The remainder was shared among the rest.

If convicted of all counts, the defendants face maximum sentences ranging from 750 to 870 years in prison.

Fraud is an extremely serious felony charges. It can result in long term prison time and very large fines.

If you or someone you know is being charged with any type of fraud, you need an experienced, qualified, and aggressive criminal defense attorney to fight on your behalf.

We at Hedding Law Firm have the diligence, zeal, and experience to help you.
We place every effort to get the best results possible for our clients by gathering and contesting all the evidence presented against them.

Contact us for a FREE face to face strictly confidential and no obligations consultation

A Tustin-area Mother's Day shooting rampage resulted in a woman killing her husband and wounding her son before the gun was wrestled away from her by her 9-year-old son during a Mother's Day shooting rampage.

Annamaria Magno Gana, 41, was charged Monday May 9, 2011 with  murder and attempted murder with sentencing enhancements, after she was taken into custody Sunday afternoon.

Gana allegedly shot Antonio Potenciano Gana, 72, to death and wounded her 16-year-old son.

Authorities said the woman had fired a bullet into the ceiling of a bedroom. When her husband and their 16-year-old son ran into the bedroom in response to the gunshot, she turned the gun on her husband and shot him in the chest.

She allegedly shot her 16-year-old son as he attempted to escape.

When Orange County sheriff's deputies responded to the shooting in the 18400 block of Manning Drive, the woman's 9-year-old son was holding what investigators suspect was the murder weapon -- "a high-powered handgun".

Sheriff's detectives have not released a motive for the shooting. Gana is being treated for injuries sustained during the attack

Attempt

Attempt is to actually try to commit a crime and have the ability to do so. This means more than just thinking about doing a criminal act or planning it without overt action. It also requires the opportunity and ability.

Attempts can includeattempted murder, attempted robbery, attempted rape,  attempted assault, attempted arson, and a host of other crimes.

The person accused cannot attempt to commit murder with an unloaded gun or attempt rape over the telephone.

The attempt becomes a crime in itself, and usually means one really tried to commit the crime, but failed through no fault of himself or herself.

Murder

Murder is the crime of intentionally causing another person's death without legal excuse or justification. Murder is a crime that falls under the category of criminal homicide. State and federal laws regarding homicide and murder are the most complex of any criminal laws. The classifications of homicidal and murder offenses are complex but are often divided into a handful of categories based on severity.

Penalties for murder can be life imprisonment with a possibility of parole. An experienced and aggressive  criminal defense attorney will use numerous defenses in a murder case to improve its outcome.  Murder defenses that may be used in a trial include: self-defense, insufficient proof or evidence, factual innocence, insanity, and more.

In any case, the laws regarding murder are complex and a skilled and qualified criminal defense attorney can help get the best results possible.

At Hedding Law Firm, we have dealt with numerous criminal cases ranging from murder to  robbery to  kidnapping to assault to white collar offenses as well as Federal matters all over the country.

If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges contact us for a FREE face to face consultation and let us fight for you and be an advocate for you.

Responding to a tip from a neighbor, deputies broke up the backyard rooster fight about 9 a.m. Sunday May 8, 2011 in Bakersfield, CA and arrested 12 adults and two juveniles. Apparently there was a whole cockfighting operation occurring there frequently.

They were charged on suspicion of conspiracy, participation in a cockfight and being a spectator at a cockfight.

About 50 people who had gathered for the event fled when the deputies entered the backyard.

Thirty-three roosters, 18 of them dead, were seized by animal control officers, as well as one injured rooster with a gaff, a razor-like blade, still attached to one leg.

The officers also found rooster-fighting supplies, along with containers used to transport the birds, which will be used as evidence against the arrestees.

Although cockfighting is not yet a felony in California but a misdemeanor, the crime of conspiracy is a felony.

A southern California legislator wants to increase the penalties for cockfighting.

Under Senator Ron Calderon's Senate Bill 425, the fine for keeping birds for the purpose of fighting would be $1,000. The penalty for being a spectator would go up to $500.

The bill already has the support of the Humane Society. The Senate Public Safety committee has passed it.

Conspiracy is when two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner of for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years or both. 

If however, the offense, the charge of which is the purpose of the conspiracy, is a misdemeanor, such as cockfighting, only the punishment for such conspiracy shall not exceed the maximum punishment provided for such misdemeanor.

The actual crime is not necessary to prosecute a conspiracy case - only the stated intent to break the law. This means that even if the ultimate crime was not committed, the conspirators can be prosecuted under federal law.

Our federal criminal defense attorneys at Hedding Law Firm can help you if you facing any type of criminal charges.

We are well known, well respected, and have a combined 75 years of experience.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential consultation.

We will fight on your behalf striving to get the best results possible!

Salvador Acevedo, 45, was driving with his girlfriend, Iris Oseguera, 33, their twin 5-year-olds and three other children about 9 p.m. Saturday when the two adults began to fight.

Acevedo shot her and their 5-year-old twins in the family SUV, but spared the lives of three teenage children also inside (relationship to three children undisclosed).

After shooting the 3 victims, Acevedo apparently dropped off the three teenagers at a relative's house, who then called the deputies.

The deputies found the SUV with Acevedo in it, dead. He had shot himself.

The bodies of his girlfriend, Iris Oseguera, 33, and the two dead children were inside.

Acevedo and Oseguera were pronounced dead at the scene. The boy and girl were declared dead at County-USC Medical Center.

Had Acevedo been found alive, he would have likely been charged with second degree murder or maybe voluntary manslaughter.

Voluntary Manslaughter

Voluntary manslaughter is when someone kills as a result of heat of passion. The provocation must be adequate and an argument will likely not be sufficient as adequate provocation.

If the charge is reduced to manslaughter, the defendant faces a maximum of 11 years in prison.

Second degree murder

The California Penal Code defines second degree murder as "all other kinds of murders" that are not first degree murder. It defines first degree murder as "all murder which is perpetrated by means of a destructive device or explosive, a weapon of mass destruction, knowing use of ammunition designed primarily to penetrate metal or armor, poison, lying in wait, torture, or by any other kind of willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing

The penal code states that any person found guilty of second degree murder will face 15 years to life in a state prison.

The penal code lists special circumstances under which someone may be sentenced to life in prison. These include previous convictions of either first or second degree murder.

There are a few defenses to a murder charge; provocation (reduces murder to voluntary manslaughter), self defense, insanity to name a few.

If you or someone you know is being charged with a serious crime such as murder, you need an experienced, aggressive, and skilled Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to fight for you and contest all the evidence presented against you.

At Hedding Law Firm we have handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from  murder to  robbery to battery to  white collar offenses as well as Federal Matter all over the country.

We place every effort to get the best results possible and have our client's best interest as top priority.

Contact us for a FREE face to face, strictly confidential consultation.

Yi Qing Chen, 47 from Rosemead, CA was sentenced today to 25 years behind bars for conspiring to smuggle Chinese-made surface-to-air missiles, which are designed to shoot down aircraft, into the United States.

Chen was convicted last October of five felony counts by a Los Angeles federal jury that heard two weeks of testimony.

Co-defendant Chao Tung Wu died awaiting sentencing.

The guilty verdict in relation to the missile plot was the nation's first conviction at trial under an anti-terrorism statute that outlaws the importation of missile systems designed to destroy aircraft, federal prosecutors said.

Evidence in the case showed that Chen and  Wu met with an undercover FBI agent and agreed to arrange the importation of shoulder-fired QW-2 missiles, as well as launch and operation hardware for the missiles, from the People's Republic of China.

According to the U.S. Government, the missiles were never delivered because Chen and Wu were arrested in 2005 before the deal was concluded.

In addition to being convicted of conspiracy to import missile systems designed to destroy aircraft, Chen was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, distribution of cocaine,  trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes and trafficking in contraband cigarettes.

U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer also ordered Chen to pay restitution of about $520,000 to Philip Morris in connection with the counterfeit cigarettes.

The case against the men was the result of "Operation Smoking Dragon," an FBI-led undercover investigation into smuggling operations in Southern California.

The probe and a related investigation in New Jersey led to the indictment of 87 people on charges related to international conspiracies to smuggle counterfeit currency, drugs and other contraband into the country.

The operation resulted in four indictments in Los Angeles that named 34 defendants, all of whom have been convicted.

These are the type of charges that can result in a very long prison terms and very large fines.

If you or someone you know is facing charges of conspiracy, trafficking,  smuggling, we at Hedding Law Firm have the experience and qualifications to help defend you and fight on your behalf.

We have a combined 75 years of experience and our Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys are well known and respected all throughout Los Angeles County courthouses.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential consultation.

The Fullerton Police Department asked Friday for the public's help in finding the people who stabbed two men during a Cinco de Mayo party at a fraternity house near Cal State Fullerton.

A group of people were socializing in front of a fraternity house near Cal State Fullerton in the 2100 block of Teri Place at about 1:40 a.m. Friday May 6, 2011 when they were approached by six to eight men in which an argument erupted.

No one really knew what the argument was about, but witnesses said it could have been a dispute over the party.

After getting verbal with one another, one of the suspects pulled out a knife and stabbed the two guys.

A 21-year-old man was seriously wounded in the middle upper back, and a 22-year-old man was stabbed in the middle lower back.

The assailants ran north on Teri Place after the altercation according to the authorities, and witnesses did not see a vehicle.

It was unknown if the men involved are fraternity members or attend the university.

The two victims were listed in stable condition Friday at UCI Medical Center.

If these men are arrested they will likely face assault with a deadly weapon charges or attempted murder charges.

Assault With a Deadly Weapon:

California Penal Code 245(a)(1)

A Penal Code 240 "simple assault" is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on another person. California Penal Code 245(a)(1) defines assault with a deadly weapon (commonly referred to as an ADW or aggravated assault) as an assault that is committed with any type of deadly weapon or by means of force that is likely to cause great bodily injury to another.2

An ADW charge is what's known as a wobbler. A "wobbler" is a crime that...depending on the circumstances...prosecutors can opt to file as either a misdemeanor or a felony. With respect to a California aggravated assault charge, this decision is primarily based on three factors:

1. The type of weapon or instrument used to commit the alleged ADW,

2. Whether the person whom you allegedly assaulted sustained an injury (and if so, the severity of the injury), and

3. The nature of the victim (that is, whether the alleged victim an officer, firefighter, or other "protected" person).

Penalties may include 4-5 years in prison or large fines up to $10,000.

Attempted Murder:

In order to convict you of violating California's "attempted murder" laws, the prosecutor must prove the following two facts:

1. That you took at least one direct (but ineffective) step towards killing another person

2. That you intended to kill that person

Some legal defenses:

You did not have the specific intent to kill; you did not take the required direct step; you were falsely accused or wrongfully arrested; you acted in accordance with California self defense laws.

Attempted murder is a felony. And like Penal Code 187 PC California's murder law, it is divided into two degrees: first and second-degree attempted murder.

If convicted of first-degree attempted murder, which means that the attempted murder was willful, deliberate, and premeditated, you face a life sentence in the California state prison with the possibility of parole.

If convicted of second-degree attempted murder, which is any murder attempt that isn't willful, deliberate, and premeditated, you face a five, seven, or nine-year state prison sentence.

At Hedding Law Firm we have the experience, skill, and qualifications to defend any criminal charges you may be facing.

Our Firm has handled thousands of criminal matters over the years, ranging from murder, to attempted crime to DUI to white collar offenses as well as Federal matters all over the country.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential consultation.

Robert Allan Lehmann, 36, is charged with two felony counts of special circumstances murder with sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon, multiple murders and lying in wait.

[Lying in Wait - To constitute murder by lying in wait there must be an intentional infliction upon the person killed of bodily harm involving a high degree of probability that it will result in death and which shows a wanton disregard for human life. The concept of lying in wait does not relieve the prosecution from the burden of proving that the defendant harbored malice aforethought . . .Lying in wait is a waiting and watching for an opportune time to act, together with a concealment by ambush or some other secret design to take the other person by surprise. The lying in wait need not continue for any particular period of time provided that its duration is such as to show a state of mind equivalent to premeditation or deliberation.

According to California criminal law, the phrase "lying in wait" describes both a special circumstance and a theory of first degree murder. The factual situation necessary to sustain a jury's finding of lying in wait as a special circumstance is: " `an intentional murder, committed under circumstances which include (1) a concealment of purpose, (2) a substantial period of watching and waiting for an opportune time to act, and (3) immediately thereafter, a surprise attack on an unsuspecting victim from a position of advantage. ]

Lehmann's ex-wife, 32-year-old Emily Ford, and her father, 62-year-old Russell Ford, went to Lehmann's home in the 3400 block of Santa Clara Circle about 5:30 p.m., Tuesday May 3, 2011, to pick up the 7-year-old daughter that Lehman and Ford had together.

That same day, an Orange County Superior Court judge that day ruled in Ford's favor in the child-custody dispute with Lehmann.

According to the prosecutors, Lehmann sent his current wife out of the house with the girl to get ice cream before his ex-wife and Russell Ford came to pick up the daughter.

Emily Ford left her baby, who she had with another man, in her car while she went up to Lehmann's door to get her daughter.

Lehmann opened the door and opened fire on Emily and Russell Ford and kept shooting as they ran away.

Authorities said that as the two victims were on the ground, bleeding, Lehmann reloaded his weapon and shot them both in the back of the head execution style.

Lehmann was arrested at the scene. He's being held without bail.

If convicted, Lehmann faces two life terms behind bars or the death penalty.

If you or someone you know is facing criminal charges, we at Hedding Law Firm can help defend your case. Our Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys place every effort to get the best results possible by gathering and contesting all the evidence presented against you.

Our firm has handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from murder to weapon charges to drug possession to white collar offenses as well as Federal matters all over the country.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

It's pretty common these days for robbers to target homes where marijuana is being grown. A home in San Bruno, California growing 800 marijuana plants was robbed Friday April 29, 2011. 

It all began when neighbors heard loud banging coming from the women's home on Valleywood Drive, nestled in between Skyline Boulevard and Interstate 280.

Then they saw two men, later identified as Kitae Chae, 38, and Kenny Kong, 34, breaking down the front door and lingering inside for a few minutes before driving off in a BMW.

The neighbors called police, and officers who stopped the BMW in South San Francisco found the men with $12,000 in cash, marijuana packaging material and seven ecstasy pills.

When they arrived at the Valleywood Drive home, investigators found a substantial pot-growing operation: more than 800 marijuana plants, $3,000 in cash and a bypass through which electricity was being stolen from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Officers arrested the occupants; 72-year-old Aleen Lam and Virginia Chan Pon, 65. It's not Pon's first run-in with the law: She is already facing charges in Yolo County for allegedly passing more than $40,000 in bad checks over a three-day period at Cache Creek Casino.

The two women face a variety of drug charges, and Chae and Kong are accused of drug and  burglary counts. All four have pleaded not guilty and are being held at San Mateo County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail each.

Large-scale federal marijuana growing-operations charges are serious and carry severe consequences. As a federal offense, your case would be handled in the federal court system, which places strict sentencing guidelines on convictions. It is important that you retain a lawyer who has experience trying cases at the federal level.

Burglary

Burglary is typically defined as the unlawful entry into almost any structure (not just a home or business) with the intent to commit any crime inside (not just theft/larceny). No physical breaking and entering is required; the offender may simply trespass through an open door. Unlike robbery, which involves use of force or fear to obtain another person's property, there is usually no victim present during a burglary.

Possible Penalties for Burglary
•Jail Time
•Probation and electronic monitoring
•Fines and court costs

At Hedding Law Firm we understand the federal court system inside and out and have dealt with thousands of criminal cases ranging from  drug possession to  burglary to  robbery to  murder as well as  white collar offenses. We will evaluate your case from every angle to determine the best course of action.

Contact us at  Hedding Law Firm for a FREE face to face consultation

Thomas L. Mitchell, 64, operated or used several companies to perpetrate The Ponzi scheme, which targeted retirees from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

He was accused of running a 15-year-long Ponzi scheme that conned retired Los Angeles County train and bus operators out of about $7 million pleaded guilty Thursday to mail fraud.

For more information on mail fraud click on: http://www.federalcriminaldefenseadvocates.com/Areas_of_Practice/Mail_Wire_Fraud.aspx

Federal prosecutors said Mitchell portrayed himself as a successful investment adviser, falsely promising high investment returns through stocks, bonds or real estate. He also insisted his investments were safe, falsely telling at least one victim that her money was insured by the federal government.

With these and other bogus claims, Mitchell persuaded victims to transfer their money from their employers' retirement plans into accounts that he controlled, according to the government.

Mitchell's Ponzi scheme, which operated from 1995 to 2010, placed only a minute fraction of the retiree victims' money in legitimate investments and instead of taking steps to protect the retiree victims' principal investments, Mitchell misappropriated virtually all of their money to, among other things, live a abundant lifestyle, which included a luxury apartment, three luxury automobiles, expensive vacations, high-end restaurants and tickets to sporting events and shows.

Mitchell faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced August 15, 2011. As part of his plea agreement, Mitchell agreed to pay restitution of about $7 million.

What is a Ponzi Scheme

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors, not from any actual profit earned by the organization, but from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors.

The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering returns other investments cannot guarantee, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors to keep the scheme going.

The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments to investors. Usually, the scheme is interrupted by legal authorities before it collapses because a Ponzi scheme is suspected or because the promoter is selling unregistered securities.

The federal government has handed down heavy jail time in financial fraud scams such as Ponzi schemes and charges for Ponzi schemes are often also coupled with other charges such as Tax Evasion, Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, Securities Fraud or other Financial Crimes.

If you or someone you know is being charged with any kind of fraud, a federal crime, we at  Hedding Law Firm have the experience and the qualifications to help you get your matter under control.

Contact us for a FREE face to face confidential consultation.

A man was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder for the slaying of a man who was wrongly perceived to be a snitch in the racially motivated  murder of a 14-year-old black girl in Harbor Gateway.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about two days before finding 33-year-old Robert Gonzales guilty in the December 28, 2006 slaying of Christopher Ash, who was stabbed 62 times.

Gonzales is the third person to be convicted in Ash's slaying.

Jonathan Fajardo, 23, was sentenced to death April 22, 2011 after his conviction in Ash's murder and the December 15, 2006, shooting death of the teen, Cheryl Green.

Co-defendant Daniel Aguilar, 24, was convicted of first-degree murder for Ash's slaying and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for taking his best friend to Carson ( aiding and abetting), where the 25-year-old victim was killed in a garage.

Gonzales is scheduled to be sentenced May 23 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse. He faces 25 years to life in state prison.

Meanwhile, Ernesto Alcarez, 24, is awaiting trial for being the alleged lookout in Green's killing, and co-defendant Raul Silva, 35, is awaiting trial in Ash's slaying.

Murder, in the first or second degree, is an extremely serious charge. Murder charges can result in life imprisonment, often with no possibility of parole.

If you or someone you know is facing murder charges, you need an experienced, qualified, skilled, and aggressive criminal defense attorney to help get your criminal matter under control.

At Hedding Law Firm we have handled thousands of criminal matters ranging from  murder to drug possession to weapon charges to  DUI as well as white collar offenses.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation. Let us be your advocate.

Eleven members and associates of two Central Coast gangs were arrested Tuesday May 3, 2011 after being charged in federal indictments with drug trafficking.

FBI special agents and local police detectives penetrated the drug trafficking network of a Lompoc-based subset of the Six Deuce Brims Bloods and the Northwest (Santa Maria) street gang, the largest Latino gang on the Central Coast, which is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang.

The gangs are believed responsible for a significant amount of the region's narcotics dealings and firearms sales, as well as various violent crimes in the coastal communities.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles recently returned five indictments that charged a total of 10 defendants with conspiracy and distributing methamphetamine. Nine defendants named in the indictments were arrested Tuesday during dawn raids. One federal suspect remained at large.

Two others were arrested Tuesday morning on state violations in connection with the investigation, and two other state defendants were already in custody. They are expected to be prosecuted by the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office.

The nine federal defendants arrested are: Freddie Sutton, 51, of Oceano; Mike Shepherd, 50, of Santa Maria; Christopher DeLong, 50, of Arroyo Grande; Keshon Cole, 34, of Santa Maria; Randy Fuston, 29, of Santa Maria; Melvin Braddock, 40, of Santa Maria; Eduardo Sanchez, 27, of Santa Maria; Jesus Buenrostro, 23, of Santa Maria; and Sergio Godinez, 30, of Santa Maria.

The raids followed a year-long investigation. The nine arrested were charged in federal indictments with conspiracy and distributing methamphetamine; the others were wanted on state charges.  

These charges can result in heavy fines and long term prison time.

If you or someone you know is being charges with a drug offense or  conspiracy, we at Hedding Law Firm have the qualifications and experience to help defend your case.

We place every effort to get the best results possible.
Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

A six-hour large-scale operation that started in San Diego on Friday April 29, 2011 and ended in Orange County resulted in the capture of four illegal aliens accused of smuggling illegal aliens along the Mexico/California coastline.

The smugglers dropped off illegal immigrants at a beach in Carlsbad in San Diego County and took them by van to a drop house in Anaheim, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Investigators with a multi-agency task force raided the apartment Friday and found nine illegal immigrants from Mexico, their clothes still wet and caked with sand.

Mario Echeverria, 24, a U.S. citizen who lives in Tijuana, was charged with being one of the leaders of the ring. Also charged were Mexican residents Javier Gomez-Dominguez, 30, the alleged caretaker of the drop house; Jose Sevilla, 26, the suspected captain of the boat; and Fernando Medina-Gonzalez, 43, who officials say was the navigator.

After an initial appearance in federal court, the four men were ordered detained and are expected to be arraigned in three weeks, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles.

The men are being charged with conspiring to bring, transport and harbor illegal aliens and face up to 10 years.

If you or someone you know is being charged with smuggling illegal aliens or immigration fraud, both which are federal crimes, we at  Hedding Law Firm can help.

We have handled thousands of criminal cases all throughout Los Angeles County courthouses.

Contact us for a FREE consultation and we will get started on your matter striving to get you the best results possible by gathering and contesting all the evidence presented against you.

In a federal court appearance more than a decade in the making, one-time drug kingpin Benjamín Arellano Félix pleaded not guilty Monday May 2, 2011 to a list of charges that identify him as the mastermind of the money-spinning and pitiless cartel that bears his family name.

He is charged under an indictment filed in 1997 and unsealed in 2003. It accused him of racketeering, money laundering and drug smuggling in the United States, and has been amended seven times since 1997.

Authorities allege the cartel generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, using the money to bribe Mexican military and law enforcement officials and to purchase weapons that enforcers would use to torture and kill enemies in Mexico and the San Diego area.

The effects of Arellano Felix's iron-fisted rule are felt to this day. Many families in Baja California are still searching for the whereabouts of people who disappeared during his years in power. The cartel popularized the use of chemicals to dispose of enemies, disintegrating bodies by dumping them into vats of lye and acid.

Arellano was extradited to the United States on Friday April 29, 2011 by Mexican authorities, who had arrested him in 2002 and convicted him in 2007 on organized-crime and drug-trafficking charges in that country.

Arellano is now on a high-security floor at the downtown San Diego federal jail, where he is locked in his cell 23 hours a day and has limited contact by phone and in person with outsiders.

Charges against him include conspiracy, money laundering, drug trafficking and organized crime.

Another hearing is set for May 23, 2011.

Conspiracy crimes can include conspiracy to engage in criminal activity such as money laundering, conspiracy to violate federal laws, or conspiracy to manufacture drugs or weapons.
The federal maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years in prison; however, this may be compounded by other state and federal violations. Depending on the nature of the conspiracy, it may be prosecuted by different entities including the FBI, Department of Justice, or state and local law agencies.

The penalty for federal money laundering can up either a fine up to $500,000, or double the amount of money that was laundered, whichever is greater. The court is also authorized to sentence the defendant to a term of 20 years in federal prison.

Drug trafficking penalties depend on the type of drug being trafficked.
Here is a link to more information http://www.justice.gov/dea/agency/penalties.htm

Any person who commits an organized crime shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for a term of five years to 15 years and a fine of up to $500,000.

These are obviously some very serious charges that can turn your life upside down.

We at Hedding Law Firm have the qualifications and experience to help you if you are facing criminal charges such as these mentioned.

Our Firm has handled thousands of criminal matters over the years, ranging from DUI to murder, to white collar offenses as well as Federal matters all over the country.

Contact us for a FREE face to face consultation.

We place every effort to gather and contest all the evidence presented against you striving to get you, our client, the best results possible.

Osama Bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight with elite American forces Sunday May 1, 2011, then quickly buried at sea in a stunning finale to a furtive decade on the run.

U.S. special operations team landed by helicopter at the Pakistani compound housing Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader.

During the continuous gun battle for the next 40 minutes, the team cleared the two buildings within the fortified compound in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, trying to reach Bin Laden and his family, who lived on the second and third floors of the largest structure.

Bin Laden resisted and refuse to give in to and was killed by U.S. gunfire in the larger building toward the end of the operation. He fired on the assault team, a U.S. official said, and may have tried to use his wife as a shield. The woman also was killed.

After the firefight, the special-operations force quickly gathered papers - valuable intelligence on Al Qaeda, and other materials in the two buildings and got back on helicopters, taking Bin Laden's dead body with them.

"This wasn't an execution," one U.S. official later said. "The assessment going into it was that it's highly unlikely that's he's going to be taken alive, but if he decided to lay down his arms, he would have been taken captive."

Bin Laden's body was taken to the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier, in the northern part of the Arabian Sea and buried at sea Monday at around 1 a.m. EDT.

Pentagon officials said the decision to bury Bin Laden at sea was made because no country was willing to take the body for burial. But it also seems clear that the United States wanted to avoid him being buried on land for fear that the location could become a shrine for Bin Laden's supporters.

According to Senior Intelligence Officials, before learning of the compound in Abbottabad last August, the U.S. had had little hard information about Bin Laden's whereabouts for many years.

But after learning the identity of one of Bin Laden's couriers, they tracked him to the facility, which immediately raised suspicions because of its elaborate security and relative luxury compared with the surrounding neighborhood. Additional information was obtained from detainees held by the U.S. and from past interrogations of 9/11 brains Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Now, a decade later, the Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden has been killed. His death marked the end to a manhunt that consumed most of a decade that began after 9/11 when Bin Laden's hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center twin towers in Manhattan and the Pentagon across the Potomac River from Washington.

The main question now remaining is: Is it over? Does the threat remain?