If you’ve been spurred to action to help protect their neighbors, friends, and family members who may be targeted by the ramped up ICE raids, do your research before taking action. While social media users have a lot of “advice” for how to protect people from ICE and Border Patrol raids, much of their suggestions […]
The Entrapment Defense Under California Law
One of the most commonly cited legal myths is that if you ask someone if they are a police officer, they have to tell you, or it is entrapment. Not only is this untrue, but it also underscores how little the average person understands about this legal concept. Unfortunately, entrapment is a complex area of […]
Is an IP Address Enough to Convict Someone of a Crime?
As the internet has become a standard part of our lives, judges have tried to figure out how our existing laws and precedents apply in the digital age. The courts must balance law enforcement’s need to investigate crimes with the Constitution’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Similarly, they must balance the government’s interest in […]
Kidnapping Charges in California: 207, 208, and 209 (PC)
When most people envision kidnapping, they imagine a person snatching a young child off the street, but what California law defines as kidnapping is quite different. In many cases, kidnapping does not involve the abduction of a child at all. When it does, the offense is filed as an enhanced charge punishable by even more […]
Is Jareth, The Goblin King, Guilty of More Than Just Kidnapping?
The villain of The Labyrinth, played by David Bowie, is one of the most charming bad guys in any fantasy film, even though he kidnaps a baby in a strange attempt to seduce a 15-year-old. But while being charismatic is a great thing, it’s not enough to change the fact that Jareth committed some pretty […]
Pyramid, Ponzi, and Endless Chain Schemes in California
Most people are only aware of a few types of fraud based on things they’ve seen on television. They can imagine a con man fast-talking someone into losing money, someone using identity theft to trick others into trusting them, or someone setting up a pyramid or Ponzi scheme to convince people to “invest” their money […]
186.10 (PC): Money Laundering in California
It’s pretty obvious that someone is getting income in a questionable manner when they start buying new cars, expensive tech, and luxury goods that should be totally out of their budget. Money laundering allows people to make illicitly earned funds appear to come from legitimate income sources so the money can be spent without raising […]
