DUI with Injury

DUI with Injury (VC 23153)

If you drove under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and while driving you injured another person, you may be convicted with VC 23153(b) “driving with a BAC of 0.08% or greater and causing an injury”.

Misdemeanor DUI with Injury:

Informal probation can range between 3 to 5 years with fines imposed up to $5,000, depending on the facts of the case and the injuries involved. You will be required to attend court approved alcohol or drug education programs ranging between 3, 9, 18 or 30 months. Your license may also be suspended for up to three years. You may also be required to pay restitution to any/all injured parties.

Felony DUI with Injury:

If convicted of a felony DUI with injury, the court will require State prison time between 2 to 4 years. If the victim suffers great bodily injury and/or there are multiple victims injured, additional prison time can be imposed for each additional victim. In addition, a “strike” may be placed on your record if anyone other than yourself suffers great bodily injury. Subsequent DUI with Injury offenses will permanently mark you as a Habitual Traffic Offender (HTO).

What happens if someone is killed or injured in a DUI?

If someone is killed or injured as the result of driving under the influence of alcohol, or while blood alcohol is 0.08% or more, the driver can be found guilty of a felony and could go to state prison for over a year, and possibly for up to four years, depending on whether it’s the driver’s first, second, or third offense. Prior convictions for misdemeanor under-the-influence or over-0.08% driving count as prior offenses for the purpose of increasing the prison sentence. So do prior convictions of alcohol-related reckless driving. The jury (and sometimes the judge) will have the option of reducing the offense to a misdemeanor, but even in such cases, the person convicted could still spend up to a year in the county jail—and probably will, since judges take DUI extremely seriously under these circumstances. Also, a person faced with a fourth drunk-driving charge over a ten-year period may be charged with a felony, even where no one was injured as a result of the offense.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Hit and Run

Hit & Run (VC 20002)

In California you may be charged with a hit and run if the following occurred if: you left the scene of an accident, failed to identify yourself to parties involved, and caused property damage.

A misdemeanor hit and run in California is concerned with property damage.
A Felony hit and run in California is concerned with injury; you may be charged with a felony if the other party sustained any injuries or death.

Penalties (VC 20002)

A misdemeanor hit and run can result in fines up to $1,000 or 6 months in county jail. Informal probation may be granted for a period of 36 months. Restitution fees to damages may also be imposed. The DMV will also count this as 2 points on your driving record.
A felony hit and run can result in fines up to a staggering $10,000. In most cases, a prison sentence of 3 years will be imposed. If death or serious injury occurs, the prison sentence could be raised to up to 4 years. A felony hit and run is considered a “wobbler” giving the prosecutor the discretion to consider the charge as a misdemeanor or felony.

What Is a Hit and Run Accident?

A hit and run accident is any accident in which a driver intentionally leaves the scene without providing contact information.

Examples of hit and run accidents include:

A car hits you and speeds off.
A driver hits your unattended parked car and leaves no contact information or way of collecting damages.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Conspiracy to Sell/Transport Controlled Substance

In California, conspiracy to sell drug crimes extend further than possession (HS 11350) and possession with intent to sell (HS 11351), charges. There are a variety of crimes that fall under these categories. Narcotics that fall under this section are cocaine, crack, heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, GHD, and even some prescription drugs such as Vicodin or Codeine (if the possessor does not have a valid prescription). Transportation of a controlled substance (HS 11352) charges stem from an individual causing the drugs to be moved from one location to another. The prosecutor only needs to prove minimal movement in order to successfully bring this charge. An individual may be charged with both transportation and possession of a controlled substance; they are two different criminal counts.

Selling (furnishing) a controlled substance means that the drugs “changed hands”. Money does not have to exchange hands. An individual may be charged with this crime so long as they received anything of value for the controlled substance.

There are various defenses that a qualified attorney may use in order to defend a client against these charges. Many people who are accused of these crimes are eligible for PC 1000 or Proposition 36. It is also important to know that as of November of 2014, Proposition 47 changed possession of a controlled substance (HS 11350) from a felony to a misdemeanor.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Identity Theft

Identity Theft (PC 530.5):

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in California. Identity theft is essentially the taking of another person’s identify for use in an unlawful or fraudulent manner. Several unlawful examples of identity theft include (but are not limited to): to secure a personal financial benefit by using another person’s bank information to obtain a monetary gain, to cause the victim whose identity has been stolen to suffer a financial or emotional loss, or to escape criminal liability by using another person’s identifying information.

Penalties (PC 530.5):

Identity theft in California is considered a “wobbler,” giving the prosecutor the decision as to whether charge you with a misdemeanor or a felony.

If convicted with a felony under this statute, you can expect to serve up to three years in county jail and/or pay fines up to $10,000.
If convicted with a misdemeanor under this statute, you can expect to serve up to one year in county jail and/or pay a maximum fine of $1,000.
If you are convicted by the federal government, you face increased fines and up to 30 years in federal prison.

Legal Defenses (PC 530.5):

In order to be prosecuted with identity theft, the prosecutor must prove that you had criminal intent, and that there was an unlawful purpose in carrying out the crime. You may be the victim of mistaken identity or be falsely accused. Or you may protest that you did not use the information in connection with an unlawful or fraudulent manner. Our team of experienced defense attorney’s will review the evidence against you to create the best possible defense on your behalf.

IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft is someone taking personal information like your name, Social Security number, or financial account number and using it for an unlawful purpose. Everyday people, business owners, well-known celebrities, and children are prey to it. In California, all forms of identity theft are crimes (Penal Code section 530.5 et. seq.).

Identity thieves do many things in a victim’s name. They open new credit accounts, take out auto loans, enjoy medical services (and make insurance claims), and even commit crimes and generate criminal records.

Identity Theft Impacts

Identity theft does not discriminate. There were 13.1 million U.S. adult victims in 2013, or nearly one victim every two seconds. That figure represents 5.5% of U.S. adults, including over a 1.6 million Californians. The number of victims increased from 12.6 million in 2012.

Identity theft is also expensive. The total cost of identity theft in 2013 was $18 million, down from $21 million in 2012 . The decrease is the result of a sharp increase in the share of fraud involving existing credit/debit card accounts, which is less costly than other forms of identity theft.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Assault (Great Bodily Injury)

Assault with Great Bodily Injury (PC 240(a)):

Assault with “great bodily injury” refers to significant and substantial physical injuries. Emotional and financial do not fall under this category, nor do insignificant or even moderate injuries. It is also important to note that the injury does not have to be permanent or severe. However, damages such as brain damage or paralysis do fall under PC 240(a). What constitutes as a GBI is determined by several key factors: the severity of the injury, the resulting pain, and/or any required medical care.

There are certain crimes you can be charged with that include an additional GBI penalty. For example, if you receive a “UI causing injury” charge, and the car accident led to another person (who survived the accident) to suffer great bodily injury, you could receive a GBI enhancement.

Legal Definitions

245. (a) (1) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of
another with a deadly weapon or instrument other than a firearm shall
be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or
four years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a
fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the
fine and imprisonment.
(2) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison
for two, three, or four years, or in a county jail for not less than
six months and not exceeding one year, or by both a fine not
exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) and imprisonment.
(3) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a machinegun, as defined in Section 16880, or an assault weapon,
as defined in Section 30510 or 30515, or a .50 BMG rifle, as defined
in Section 30530, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state
prison for 4, 8, or 12 years.
(4) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury shall be
punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four
years, or in a county jail for not exceeding one year, or by a fine
not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment.
(b) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of another
with a semiautomatic firearm shall be punished by imprisonment in the
state prison for three, six, or nine years.
(c) Any person who commits an assault with a deadly weapon or
instrument, other than a firearm, or by any means likely to produce
great bodily injury upon the person of a peace officer or
firefighter, and who knows or reasonably should know that the victim
is a peace officer or firefighter engaged in the performance of his
or her duties, when the peace officer or firefighter is engaged in
the performance of his or her duties, shall be punished by
imprisonment in the state prison for three, four, or five years.
(d) (1) Any person who commits an assault with a firearm upon the
person of a peace officer or firefighter, and who knows or reasonably
should know that the victim is a peace officer or firefighter
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, when the peace
officer or firefighter is engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for
four, six, or eight years.
(2) Any person who commits an assault upon the person of a peace
officer or firefighter with a semiautomatic firearm and who knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer or
firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties, when the
peace officer or firefighter is engaged in the performance of his or
her duties, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison
for five, seven, or nine years.
(3) Any person who commits an assault with a machinegun, as
defined in Section 16880, or an assault weapon, as defined in Section
30510 or 30515, or a .50 BMG rifle, as defined in Section 30530,
upon the person of a peace officer or firefighter, and who knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer or
firefighter engaged in the performance of his or her duties, shall be
punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 6, 9, or 12 years.
(e) When a person is convicted of a violation of this section in a
case involving use of a deadly weapon or instrument or firearm, and
the weapon or instrument or firearm is owned by that person, the
court shall order that the weapon or instrument or firearm be deemed
a nuisance, and it shall be confiscated and disposed of in the manner
provided by Sections 18000 and 18005.
(f) As used in this section, “peace officer” refers to any person
designated as a peace officer in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section
830) of Title 3 of Part 2.

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Gang Related Crimes/Gang Enhancements

Gang-Related Violence/Gang Enhancements (PC 186.22):

Penal Code 186.22(a) is the crime of participation in a gang and Penal Code 186.22(b) is defined as the gang sentencing enhancement. The second part (b) is an actual sentence enhancement (an addition to the penalty) for anyone who commits a felony for the benefit of the crew. The first part of the law makes it illegal for anyone to participate in a street crew and/or assist in any felony criminal conduct.

California law punishes crew members on a grand scale and much more harshly than those people who have no gang ties; Penal Code 186.22 is part of the “STEP Act” (California Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act), which punishes gang members, and those who associate with gang members. In order to be convicted under Penal Code 186.22(a), these three elements of the crime must exist: that you actively participated in a criminal street gang, you know of the gang’s criminal activity and the members engaged in it, and you willfully assisted/promoted felonious criminal conduct by gang members.

Penalties (PC 186.22):

The participation in a criminal street gang (PC 186.22(a)) is a wobbler in California law; the prosecutor decides whether to charge you with a felony or misdemeanor. The maximum sentence you can receive if convicted under 186.22(a) PC is 1 year in county jail and/or fines up to $1,000.

If you are convicted of a felony, you may face 16 months to 2 years in the California State Prison. Penal Code 186.22(b) sets forth the actual California criminal gang sentencing enhancement. Assuming that the prosecutor can prove all the “elements” of the sentencing enhancement, a PC 186.22(b) conviction could mean anywhere from 2 to 15 years, or even 25 years-to-life, in prison.

Legal Defenses (PC 186.22):

Potential legal defenses that can be used against a Penal Code 186.22 PC charge include (but are not limited to): arguing that you did not commit the underlying felony, that you are not an “active participant” in a criminal street gang, that you were not acting for the benefit of the crew, and/or arguing that the gang sentencing enhancement would go against “the interests of justice.”

May 5, 2015May 7, 2015

Lewd Conduct

Engaging in or Soliciting Lewd Conduct in Public (PC 647 (a)):

Under Penal Code 647 (a), it is illegal to engage in lewd or dissolute conduct in any place, or to solicit someone else to do so. Lewd conduct is defined as touching your private parts (or another person’s private parts) with the intention of receiving sexual gratification or to annoy or offend someone else. Private parts refer to: genitals, buttocks, or female breasts.

Penalties (PC 647 (a)):

A violation of PC 647 (a) is a misdemeanor and is punishable by up to 6 months in county jail and/or a fine up to $1,000. If prosecutors decide add a PC 314 “Indecent Exposure” charge, then you will have to abide to the lifetime sex offender registration requirement.

Legal Defenses (PC 647 (a)):

Legal defenses to lewd conduct include (but are not limited to): You were not in a public place or in a place open to public view, you reasonable believed no one was present who would be offended by your actions, you did not touch the private parts for sexual gratification, and/or you did not actually touch your private parts or someone else’s.

1. The legal definition of “lewd or dissolute conduct in public”

You violate California Penal Code 647(a) when:

you engage in… or you solicit anyone to engage in…
lewd or dissolute conduct…
in any public place or in any place open to the public or exposed to public view.

To establish this, the prosecutor must prove five facts (called “elements of the crime”):

you willfully engaged in the touching of your own or another person’s genitals, buttocks, or a female breast;
you did so with the intent sexually to arouse or gratify yourself or another person, or to annoy or offend another person;
at the time the you did so, you were in a public place or a place open to the public or to public view;
someone else who might have been offended was present; and
you knew or reasonably should have known that another person who might have been offended by your conduct was present.