When Super Bowl 50 was played in Santa Clara, California in January 2015, it wasn’t the only game in town. Federal agents were busy as well, arresting multiple individuals accused of selling over a half-million dollars in counterfeit NFL merchandise. Selling counterfeit goods in Santa Clara County is a serious offense. California Penal Code Section …
You don’t need to actually tag a building to be charged with a graffiti-related crime in Los Angeles. If you just intend to commit an act of vandalism, mere possession of tools or other items that you were going to use in the act is enough to get you charged with a crime. California Penal …
In specific circumstances, you can avoid criminal liability for carrying a concealed weapon in California without a permit by showing that you are in grave danger from another person. California’s concealed carry law, Penal Code 25400 PC, makes it a crime for most people to carry a concealed firearm on their person or in their vehicle, …
If your passions get the best of you and an intimate partner while out and about in Ventura County, California and you have sex in public, you could be charged and convicted for violations of California law. Disorderly Conduct California law makes it a form of disorderly conduct to engage “in lewd or dissolute conduct …
As high school seniors across San Diego County approach graduation, some of them may be thinking about the time-honored tradition of pulling a “senior prank.” But if that prank includes damage to property, it can also constitute vandalism – a criminal offense in California that can come with serious consequences. Vandalism is a crime in …
Wrongful convictions based on coerced confessions, unreliable eyewitness testimony, prosecutorial misconduct or other reasons are a widespread tragedy in California. Such injustices cost innocent Californians years of their freedom. They also cost California taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars according to a new report. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, a recent study of …
If you use counterfeit money to pay for up to nine hundred fifty dollars ($950) worth of merchandise at a California store, you are guilty of shoplifting under PC 459.5, California’s shoplifting law–and not of a more serious crime like PC 459 burglary. Penal Code 459.5 PC, California’s new shoplifting law, was created by Proposition 47. This …
In dorms, rec rooms, basements, or elsewhere, you’ve probably seen highway or road signs used as decorations. But if you steal a road sign in San Diego to fill that empty spot on your wall, or deface or post something on such a sign, you are committing a crime. California Penal Code Section 602(f) makes …
When we are provoked or we hear or witness something that strikes a deep emotional chord – such as walking in on your spouse and someone else “in the act”- we can act impulsively and angrily. That is sometimes referred to as acting in the “heat of passion.” When a homicide is committed in San …
As reported in The Washington Post, when Pope Francis visited Mexico City early in 2016, his plane was hit by a laser strike – likely from a handheld laser pointer – as it descended. If you aim a laser pointer at a plane, helicopter, or other aircraft flying over the San Francisco Bay area or …
Whether or not it is either right or effective to discipline your child by spanking him or her is a subject of much controversy. But can spanking your child in Oakland, California get you charged with a crime for violating California’s child abuse laws? It can, if the spanking is found to be “cruel and inhuman,” …
As a parent in San Bernardino County, California, it’s bad enough if your child gets in trouble with the law and is facing California criminal charges. It can get even worse, however, as parents themselves can be convicted of crimes for their kids’ misdeeds. California has a “parental responsibility law” that can impose criminal penalties …
In December 2015, a 20-year-old man was arrested and is facing criminal charges for vandalizing the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Buena Park, California. Such acts against houses of worship, especially mosques, has been on the uptick over the past year. Whether it is a mosque, church, synagogue, or any other house of …
Mislabeling or inaccurately describing restaurant food on a menu isn’t just a dangerous business practice. It’s also a crime under California Health & Safety Code 114087 HS. The crime of mislabeling food in California consists of presenting food for human consumption in a way that misleads or misinforms the consumer. People who might be charged …
In the mountains and deserts of San Bernardino County, weather conditions can get extreme. If you leave your pet outside in harsh or dangerous cold or heat, you could face California animal abuse charges. “Animal abuse” or “animal cruelty,” while broadly defined under California law, is focused on deliberate or malicious acts of cruelty and …
If you feel the need for speed and go drag racing in Santa Clara County, California you could wind up driving straight to jail. “Speed Contests” and “Exhibitions of Speed” California Vehicle Code Section 23109 makes drag racing, or what it refers to as a “speed contest,” on a public California street or highway a …
People–especially children and teenagers–have been making “prank calls” since telephones were invented. But in this day and age, parents need to wonder whether their children are exposing themselves to criminal liability with this game. In fact, “annoying telephone calls” is a crime in California. Under Penal Code 653m PC, you can be charged with a …
If you are charged with a crime in Alameda County, California, you should hire your own Alameda County criminal defense lawyer. Relying on an Alameda County Public Defender instead of your own private attorney is a risky proposition. “You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed …
If you are convicted for manufacturing drugs near an Orange County school, be prepared to serve an even longer prison sentence than you would if the crime was committed anywhere else. In August 2015, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 212 into law. New Health and Safety Code Section 11379.6 permits judges to tack on up …
The terrorist organization known as ISIS uses social media and other means to actively recruit individuals around the globe, including Americans, to join them in the Middle East. If you attempt to travel abroad with the intent of joining ISIS or any other terrorist group, you will be charged with a serious federal offense and …
You want to see “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for the 20th time but don’t want to pay. But if you sneak into a movie you haven’t paid for in San Jose, you are technically committing a crime and could face criminal charges. Trespassing When you buy a ticket at a movie theater box office, …
There are a large number of defenses and ways to beat DUI charges in San Diego. But a new one may have recently appeared. A rare disorder that causes the body to produce alcohol on its own was recently used to successfully defeat DUI charges in New York state. Would it work in San Diego? …
We all have a constitutional right to a fair trial. When events happen during the course of a California criminal trial which put that right at risk, or if a jury is unable to reach a verdict, the judge may declare a mistrial. What is a “Mistrial”? Just like a “misfire” of a gun is …
If you lie to an agent from the FBI, DEA, or any other federal agency while they are conducting a criminal investigation, you are a committing a serious federal crime. You definitely have a right to remain silent or consult with an attorney when speaking with federal agents or investigators. However, you do not have …
Whether it is a fake Rolex watch, a pirated CD or DVD, or any other imitation or unauthorized product, selling counterfeit goods in San Francisco is a violation of California law and can get you arrested and charged with a crime. California Penal Code Section 350 prohibits the manufacturing, sale, or possession for sale of …
