California Criminal Attorney Blog

Christopher Ontiveros, 42 of Huntington Beach is a history teacher at Oxford Academy in Cypress. Orange County Prosecutors allege that Ontiveros sent sexually explicit text messages to a 17-year-old student. A search warrant revealed 11 pages of text messages Ontiveros is alleged to have sent to the victim.

Ontiveros tutored the victim after-school and from there, some sort of relationship developed. The victim went to the school principal and showed her the text messages which started off the investigation. Ontiveros is charged with seven counts, including one misdemeanor. If convicted, Ontiveros faces state prison and registration pursuant to PC 290 or better known as sex offender registration.

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Michael Smith, 44 of Laguna Hills plead not guilty to charges of grand theft and sentencing enhancements for loss over $100,000. Smith, a commentator for the Los Angeles Clippers and former NBA player is accused conning a friend into using the friend’s home as collateral in a real estate development project.

Orange County prosecutors allege Smith and an alleged accomplice Bruce Furst, 57 of Laguna Hills made false statements to the victim, a retired school teacher to induce the former teacher to put up his paid off home in Dana Point as collateral for a business deal. The school teacher alleges he put up his $735,000 for what he was told was a no-risk and 100 percent guaranteed.

The victim, 65 suffers from an inoperable brain tumor and prosecutors are going to be taking his testimony via videotape for a future court trial.

If convicted, as charged, Smith could face mandatory state prison time and is currently out on $25,000 bail.

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Danielle Everman, 18, of Fountain Valley was arrested on charges of felony driving under the influence after crashing her vehicle and severely injuring a passenger last month. Everman was released on $100,000 bond.

On December 5, 2009, Everman was involved in a single car crash on Ward Street and Talbert Avenue. The SUV driven by Everman, hit a curb and then collided with the guardrail. Jacob Dearman, a passenger in Everman’s SUV was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered severe injuries and was taken to a trauma center.

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A man walked into a U.S. Bank in the city of Lake Forest, California and robbed a teller at gun point. Authorities say the man is approximately six feet tall and about 170 lbs, wearing a bicycle helmet.

Sheriff spokesperson Mike Jansen says the man walked into the bank,showed the teller a note and a weapon, collect money and leaves without being followed. Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the F.B.I are investigating.

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A man suspected of residential burglary on Caribbean Drive in Dana Point was spooked and fled the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived after receiving a call from a woman who reported a man was trying to break into her home at 10:45 a.m.

When deputies arrived they saw a man matching the description of the suspect running away from their approaching vehicle. The suspect fled in a Ford Mustang heading north on PCH towards Laguna Beach. Deputies reported the suspect “floored it” ultimately crashing into four vehicles at the corner of Oak Street and PCH. The suspect then exited his vehicles and ran on foot, hiding in a detached garage.

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In what is considered a very unusual case, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney set aside the guilty plea of Broadcom Co-Founder Henry Samueli and then dismissed the entire information against him.

Judge Carney heard Samueli testify in the trial of William Ruehle, who was Broadcom’s CFO. Broadcom, an Irvine based company, is in the business of manufacturing of semi-conductors. During the conclusion of his testimony, Carney, set aside the plea and dismissed the case against him without giving the U.S. Attorney’s Office a chance to protest.

The dismissal comes on the heels of prosecutorial misconduct conducted by U.S. Attorney Andrew Stolper. Judge Carney found prosecutorial misconduct when Stolper told another Broadcom executive, David Dull, that if his testimony in the William Ruehle case was similar to his earlier deposition, Dull could face perjury charges.

Judge Carney is also the judge who previously would not accept a plea agreement between Samueli and Federal Prosecutors. In that agreement, Samueli was to plead guilty, serve 5 years of probation and pay $12 Million to the federal Treasury. Carney felt that by accepting this agreement, it would leave the impression that “justice was for sale.”

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A Yorba Linda resident was charged today with raping three women, two he met online on MySpace. Jason Erpinal, 20 was charged with the multiple counts of sexual assault and faces a 45-year-to-life prison term if convicted. Erpinar is being held at Orange County Jail on $1 Million bail

Erpinar, is accused of inviting an 18-year-old girl he met online to a party in Yorba Linda. While at the party, the victim alleges Erpinar raped her in a bathroom after she was too intoxicated to resist.

Three weeks later, he invited another woman to a hotel in Newport Beach after meeting her on MySpace. This woman who is 22-years-old told officers of a similar experience in that she was raped by Erpinar after being too intoxicated to resist. When she woke up, she had a chipped tooth and scratches on her face.

During the course of the investigation, officers learned from Erpinar’s ex-girlfriend that he raped her on several occasions back in 2007-2007.

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Chino Institute for Men, a California Department of Corrections Prison concluded their investigation on what started a riot that injured 240 inmates last summer. Department of Corrections spokesperson Terry Thornton said the fight began between two Los Angeles County gangs, one black and one Hispanic. Soon after the fight broke out, other inmates joined the melee.

Officials say they have charged 222 Chino Prison inmates with rules violations that will likely lengthen their stay. In addition, officials say they have 25 criminal cases pending with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for crimes including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assault by inmate and conspiracy to commit murder. Jeremy Carrasco, the Lead Deputy District Attorney for the Chino Branch Office says no cases have been forwarded to his office for review.

There were no fatalities, injuries to prison personnel, no hostage situations and no escapes during the riot. However, 55 inmates were transported to area hospitals for treatment.

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A man accused of being the mastermind behind a $144 million securities and mortgage fraud scheme had his bail lowered from $144 million to $5 million. After a bail reduction hearing, Richard Fields, a Riverside Superior Court judge reduced James Duncan’s bail however, he did say he wants a hearing if Duncan can post the bail and where the money came from.

Duncan and several other co-defendants are accused of bilking hundreds of investors out of $17 million and causing over 200 homes to go into foreclosure. Investors are from Arizona and California.

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Alan Mazon was arrested in Riverside on Monday for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender. Those convicted of certain sex offenses are required under the law to register as a sex offender in the city in which they reside on their birthday. Failing to register as a sexual offender could mean new criminal charges.

Mazon was booked at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside and is suspected to be in violation of the law for not registering under penal code 2909.

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San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested two women in connection with robberies of elderly residents. Katherine Flores, of San Bernardino and Sofia Alvarenga of Ontario were arrested and booked at the West Valley Detention Center.

On November 26, 2009 at 11:00am a 75-year-old woman was approached by a woman in the Vons parking lot. The woman grabbed the elderly ladies purse and drove off with an accomplice. On November 27, 2009 another 73-year-old woman was robbed after returning to her residence from Vons Market. Credit cards from both victims were used at stores in Rancho Cucamonga and Colton.

Investigators were led to a motel in San Bernardino where Flores and Alvarenga were staying.

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A couple of Upland CVS store clerks were faced with a handgun and demand for money by a suspect authorities identified as a black male, 6 foot tall and wearing a baseball camp and hooded sweatshirt.

When the suspect entered the Upland pharmacy, he tried to purchase alcohol and was turned away. When he returned, he had a handgun in his waistband and directed the two store workers to the safe. When the suspect stole an undisclosed amount of money, he ran out of the store.

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