Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

A 29-year-old from Los Angeles has been arrested a second time in less than a month on suspicion of sexually assaulting women while impersonating a law enforcement officer, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Los Angeles Sex Crimes Lawyers believe that everyone deserves a fair trial where the state is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person is guilty of a crime. Luckily, the U.S. Constitution agrees. Law enforcement officers make arrests for crimes every day where there isn't enough evidence to collect. Sometimes, they have a good reason and sometimes they do not.

But it's our firm's goal to aggressively defense all Pasadena sex crime defendants from these serious charges.

According to The Times, the 29-year-old is charged with rape in connection with an incident in Rosemead. He was arrested a month earlier for an alleged sexual assault in West Los Angeles.

In the West Los Angeles case, the alleged victim told police the man responded to an Internet ad for an escort and when they met he identified himself as a police detective, handcuffed her and sexually assaulted her. It's unclear what the details of the Rosemead incident were or how police linked him to either crime.

In cases where a person is allegedly impersonating a police officer, law enforcement tend to want to make an arrest quickly. It's understandable that a criminal acting as a police officer can confuse citizens and leave them open to victimization.

But also in cases like this, police often rush to make an arrest. In an area the size of Southern California -- about 17.8 million people in 2009 -- there could easily be several people who could be committing these crimes.

There's also the credibility of the witnesses. If both alleged victims were escorts doing business over the Internet, an aggressive criminal defense lawyer would use all available information in defending a client.

Our firm is able to scrutinize any forensic evidence law enforcement intends to rely on in sexual-related cases. DNA and other evidence is crucial to these types of cases and having a lawyer with the scientific training and education can be a big advantage.

When police arrest someone and charge them with a sex crime, their whole life changes. Sex crimes not only carry steep penalties (see California Penal Code 261), but a conviction can require the defendant to register as a sex offender for the rest of their life. That means whenever they move, wherever they go, neighbors and law enforcement can see they have a criminal record.

Sex offenders also may be restricted in where they shop, where they socialize, whether they can be around children and other sanctions. While other crimes allow people to serve their time and move on with life, sex offenses linger forever.

So, fight these charges diligently and preserve your rights. Allow Los Angeles Sex Crimes Lawyers to do everything we can to help you if you are in this position. Fight the charges aggressively.

Continue reading "Los Angeles Man Arrested Second Time on Sex Assault Charge" »

A 23-year-old man recently pleaded guilty to kidnapping a woman at gunpoint and raping her in a 2008 case that had gone cold until last year, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Our Los Angeles Sex Crimes Lawyer is the only Nationally Board Certified Criminal Trial lawyer in California who is also educated as a Forensic Scientist. We not only have experience in criminal law, like other Los Angeles defense attorneys, but we have knowledge of science and how DNA and other areas of science work so we can best defend you from these serious crimes. Los Angeles sex crimes are serious and can send someone to prison for years and sometimes decades. So, trust a law firm that has knowledge the other lawyers don't.

According to The Times, the 23-year-old kidnapped the woman as she walked through the Compton Courthouse grounds and raped her in an area not visible to passersby, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said. Detectives said they developed a "DNA hit" last year that led them to the suspect.

DNA has become a valuable tool for law enforcement as the science of it has become more and more prevalent. Detectives are trained in how it can help them solve cases, especially sex-related cases, and some agencies have entire units dedicated to studying and testing items for DNA.

With penalties for sex crimes so tough in California, these charges must be well-defended. According to California Penal Code 261, rape is defined as sexual intercourse accomplished with a person not the spouse of the perpetrator, under a list of circumstances, most of which include by force, when the person was unconscious or otherwise unaware or unwilling.

According to the law, the crime is punishable by a minimum of three, six or eight years, but prosecutors often push for tougher penalties if other crimes are committed during the rape. Enhancements for kidnapping, use of a weapon or other factors may be applied.

While this case was solved by law enforcement getting a "DNA hit," likely through a database of criminals, not all DNA evidence is iron-clad. DNA almost never is an exact match to a person. For instance, when experts testify in court, they test samples of evidence and examine it with a sample of the suspect's DNA for comparison. How and why the sample was obtained, its age and the chain of custody are all valid defense considerations.

Our firm is committed to using our own experience and that of hired experts to challenge evidence in the course of defending a case a preserving our clients' rights.

Continue reading "Palmdale Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life After "DNA Hit" Solves Rape Cold Case" »

Text messages from a teacher's assistant at Shadow Hills Intermediate School were located on a cellular phone that belonged to a 13-year-old boy. He was a student at that school. The student's parents supposedly discovered some inappropriate text messages and contacted the local police about the alleged Los Angeles sex crime.

Detectives arrested the teaching assistant under the suspicion of having sex with the students in an empty classroom at the school, according to the LA Now.

The boy was interviewed by investigators and officials say that the boy claimed he and the teaching assistant had sexual intercourse a number of times over the last two weeks at the school.

Our Los Angeles sex crime attorneys understand how devastating these kinds of allegations can be -- for both parents and for a hardworking, loyal school district employee. It is not uncommon for a child to falsify these types of reports. Kids and students have been found to make up these types of stories for attention, for revenge or for acceptance. It is important for you to contact an experienced attorney if you find yourself facing any such charges as a lawyer can help to save your reputation, to protect your rights and to protect your financial well-being.

The teacher's assistant that was accused of these acts was booked by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and is facing four felony counts of lewd acts with a child. She was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

The Sheriff's Office reported that the teacher's assistant had been tutoring the boy before and after school over the last few weeks. According to the neighbors of the teaching assistant, she lives nearby with her husband and four children.

'We entrust our children to teachers and school instructors and in this case that trust was violated,' said Sergeant Brian Hudson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

If you are facing such allegations, you are urged to contact an attorney experienced in sex crimes cases as early as possible in the process. Talking to investigators without a lawyer present is not a good idea as you may make certain statements that help incriminate you or that conflict with future defense strategy. It's understood that you would want to explain your innocence in these scenarios, but it's best to just remain quiet and let an attorney help to take the best course of action.

An attorney can help you to avoid undeserving ramifications of a sex-offender conviction.

Defending yourself and your reputation may be most important when you're a teacher and you're held in the public eye. In all such cases, you need someone who understands the court system, can recognize weak cases and knows how to disprove them.

Continue reading "Teacher's Assistant Charges with Sex Crime in Los Angeles" »

A man who posed as a 17-year-old boy online was recently sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in Los Angeles after he convinced several young girls to perform sex acts during online video chats.

The high school dean convicted of the Los Angeles sex crime was ordered to pay almost $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims, according to Mercury News.

The defendant pleaded guilty in December to the federal charges of using the Internet to induce a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and producing child pornography.

Our Pasadena sex crime attorneys understand that the top priority of anyone facing these allegations is to acquire a strong defense team to save your reputation and to fight for your rights. Defending yourself in court is oftentimes not strong enough. Defending your reputation and fighting for your rights when it comes to terms of probation and the requirements of sex offender registration can be equally critical. If you are facing arrest or investigation, you are urged to seek the immediate advice of a qualified lawyer.

According to court records, the man created a false MySpace profile and used it to disguise himself as a 17-year-old boy named "Jamie." He then enticed girls to engage in sexual acts during webcam chats and uploaded the videos online.

The increasing popularity and efficiency of the Internet has led to a rise in such charges. These charges are all too often misfiled. There have been a number of documented cases of file-sharing networks and computer viruses that are found responsible for the presence of such illicit images and videos. In many cases, when child porn or any other type of pornography is found on a computer, it may be someone other than the computer's owner responsible for the images or videos. Shared networks run a high risk of unknown file transfer as well.

In all cases it is critical to contact an attorney experienced in sex crimes as early as possible in the process. Speaking to investigators without an attorney present is not in your best interest. Too often, defendants will attempt to talk themselves out of trouble. The embarrassment of facing sex crime charges may also give police leverage in encouraging defendants to talk when it would be in their best interest to remain silent until first speaking to a qualified criminal defense attorney. Even in cases where a defendant is offered probation, or other desirable sentencing option, the devil is often in the details. The terms of probation and the long-term ramifications of sex-offender registration must also be considered.

Continue reading "Man Sentenced for Posing as 17-year-old Boy in Los Angeles Sex Crime" »