Federal Crimes
Federal Agents Charge Members Of An Alleged Antiquities Smuggling Ring
United States federal agents arrested and charged four men who are allegedly members of an international smuggling ring. According to federal authorities, it is the first time an alleged antiquities smuggling ring has been dismantled within the United States. The men are charged with conspiring to smuggle artifacts and money laundering. Under federal law its illegal to engage in money laundering. The law porhibits anyone from conducting or attempting to…
Read MoreWHY IS THE SENTENCING IN THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM SO TOUGH?
One can only hope to never be charged with a Federal crime. But if you are, Federal crimes carry much harsher sentences than State Court. Why? 1. Federal statutes have harsher and tougher sentencing laws than State statutes on crimes that can be filed in State or Federal Court. 2. Generally, the maximum punishment for Federal crimes is much higher. 3. Federal prosecutors have much less discretion in negotiating plea…
Read MoreBorder Patrol Agent Accused of Housing Illegal immigrants In San Diego – U.S.C. section 1324 (a)(1)(A)(iii)
A U.S. Border Patrol Agent was arrested and taken into custody in San Diego on January 11, 2011 for allegedly harboring illegal immigrants including his father. According to the FBI, Marcos Gerardo Manzano Jr. was arrested at the Imperial Beach Boarder Patrol Station and was being held in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown San Diego pending his initial appearance in federal court. A federal SWAT team raided Manzano's house…
Read MoreUpdate on the New York City Times Square Terrorist Bombing Suspect
On May 1, 2010, the country was tense as it was revealed that a SUV filled with explosives was driven into the heart of New York's Times Square. The act of terrorism could have endangered the lives of hundreds of people. Fortunately, the explosives failed to detonate. 53 hours later, the FBI arrested the suspected perpetrator, Faisal Shahzad, an American citizen from Pakistan, moments before his flight bound for the…
Read MoreFormer U.S. District Judge Resigned From San Diego Bench to Protest Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Guidelines – How an Experienced Southern California Criminal Defense Firm Can Help You
In 1990, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Irving resigned from his San Diego Bench to protest Congress' decision to pass mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines that removed judges' discretion to impose sentences. Irving considered his position to be his "dream job," but found the federal mandatory sentencing guidelines "unconscionable." The case behind his decision to resign stemmed from an enormous drug cartel prosecution in which he deemed many of the 98 defendants…
Read MoreBroadcom Case Dismissed: William J. Ruehle and Henry T. Nicholas Exonerated
Some members of the local legal community were surprised on Tuesday, December 15, 2009, when a U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney acquitted former Broadcom chief financial officer William J. Ruehle, and dismissed charges of fraud and backdating stock options against former Broadcom CEO Henry T. Nicholas. However, the judge did more than just dismiss the case with prejudice on the ground of prosecutorial misconduct, which is likely to preclude…
Read MoreCompliance with Time Limits is Crucial to Securing Your Rights
If your sentence for committing a federal crime contains some type of error, you must challenge the sentence within the time limits set by law, or you risk waiving your rights to contest the sentence altogether. In U.S. v. Aguirre-Ganceda (2010) 2010 DJDAR 890, the defendant filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the United States Supreme Court to review his conviction for error. The United States Supreme…
Read MoreWhy You Need a Skilled Federal Criminal Defense Law Firm at Your Side when Facing a Federal Drug Offense
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), through the help of Congress has assembled a categorized list of drugs known as the schedule list. The list includes almost all of the drugs, and their derivative compounds, that can be found in the legal or illegal market. There are five "schedules" or categories; each with its own definition, limits, and punishment. Schedule One: (A) The drug or other substance has a high potential…
Read MoreRiverside County Man Sentenced to 100 Years for Operating Ponzi Scheme
In September, a Federal Judge in Riverside County sentenced Richard Monroe Harkless to 100 years in prison for operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of about $35 million. Federal prosecutors boast that the sentence is the longest ever imposed for a financial crime in Southern California. Harkless ran the scheme form 2000-2003 through a company he called MX Factors and dozens of the company's estimated 700 investors wrote the…
Read MoreFederal Criminal Case Judges Can Reject Plea Bargains
Judges have the power to reject plea bargains in federal criminal cases; hiring an experienced federal criminal attorney can assist you in obtaining a positive result in your case A federal judge recently rejected a plea bargain made between the accused and the prosecutors that would have given an Orange County billionaire probation for lying to regulators about his role in an alleged $2.2-billion stock-option scam. The defendant was facing…
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