California resident Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison on Sept. 13 for the role she played in the largest college admissions scandal in the nation's history. Huffman admitted in May that she paid a college counselor $15,000 to improve her daughter's...
Strategic Federal And State Criminal Defense
Federal Crimes
California man admits to using Bitcoin kiosk to launder money
Federal prosecutors in California have announced that a 25-year-old Westwood man has admitted to using a Bitcoin kiosk to launder approximately $25 million for a list of clients that included drug dealers who used illicit websites to sell narcotics on the dark web....
Method of delivery can impact your defense
The criminal defense strategy you choose can have a big impact on the outcome. One mistake that some defendants make is that they don't take the time to review all the options. Instead, they focus on one without thinking about whether any others could work with it....
Federal criminal charges have time limits
Many people don't realize that there are specific time limits regarding federal criminal charges. The statute of limitations addresses the maximum amount of time that can elapse between the crime itself and the date on which the case against the defendant can be...
Members of Hells Angels facing drug charges
Federal authorities say that the Modesto Hells Angels president and two others were taken into custody on multiple drug charges. Another person faces charges, but police are not sure where he is. Specifically, they were charged with possession with intent to...
Former California attorney pleads guilty to wire fraud
A former California attorney who was disbarred in 2017 and is accused of defrauding his clients out of more than $4 million has entered into a plea agreement. The 36-year-old former litigator pleaded guilty to a single count of felony wire fraud in the U.S. District...
What should defendants know about federal plea deals?
Facing federal criminal charges can be a difficult experience. For many defendants, the thought of having to face a federal prosecutor in a trial is not exactly appealing. People who admit that they did the crimes they are accused of might choose to look into the...
What federal charges go through the grand jury?
There are differences in the way that criminal matters are handled in the state courts and the federal courts. One is how the charges come about. Federal charges that are considered felonies have to meet strict requirements, so understanding this is beneficial....
California woman accused of selling drugs on the darknet
A Sacramento-area registered nurse was charged by federal agents on April 5 with selling thousands of opioid pills on what is known as the darknet. The 46-year-old woman faces narcotics distribution and conspiracy charges. The darknet is an area of the internet that...
Celebrity lawyer facing federal extortion charges
Lawyer Michael Avenatti is famous to many people in California for his representation of high-profile figures in the entertainment industry. He became nationally known after representing adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal action against President Donald Trump...