Los Angeles Criminal Defense Law Blog

Pharmacists, like doctors, can face insurance fraud charges

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

Pharmacists are highly educated professionals who sometimes find that their career isn't as satisfying or rewarding as they had hoped during school, which can lead them to make questionable decisions to increase their income.

Like general practice physicians, pharmacists go to school for many years in order to practice their chosen career. They use all of that training in the proper dispensation of medication and controlled substances for patients with a valid prescription from a licensed physician. Wage stagnation and corporate competition have made pharmaceutical careers less rewarding than they once were.

Embezzlement charges for men accused of taking product from work

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Embezzelment on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

White collar crimes, such as embezzlement, can take many forms. When a person is facing allegations of this specific criminal charge, it can potentially result in serious penalties and time behind bars. Often, embezzlement involves the improper handling of money, but it can sometimes involve the theft of company property as well. Two men in California are facing criminal charges that claim they embezzled cheese products from their employer.

The two were arrested and formally charged with taking $50,000 of product from their company, the Leprino Foods Plant in Lemoore. For a period of two years, they supposedly took cheese from work. Over time, the dollar amount of the missing inventory added up, and the men were supposedly making a profit by selling the items they had taken. They were supposedly selling in flea markets, over social media and going from door to door, but specific evidence of their wrongdoing was not mentioned.

2 men facing possible enhanced sentencing for white collar crimes

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in White Collar Crimes on Tuesday, October 8, 2019.

When dealing with a criminal situation, the details of each case will play an important part in the charges filed, the available defense options and numerous other aspects of the proceedings. If individuals are charged with white collar crimes, they often stand accused of fraudulently obtaining substantial amounts of money. In such cases, parties may have a long road ahead as they attempt to defend against the charges.

It was recently reported that two men in California are facing this type of ordeal. A 49-year-old man and a 41-year-old man are accused of participating in activity resembling a Ponzi scheme. They allegedly convinced individuals to buy liens on real estate as an investment through a company owned by one of the men. However, the men purportedly misrepresented the information, and the individuals who invested lost their money.

How embezzlement charges can affect your professional future

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Embezzelment on Monday, October 7, 2019.

Financial professionals often need to handle large amounts of money on behalf of their employers or clients. Mistakes, bad investments and other unfortunate circumstances could give rise to allegations of embezzlement.

Allegations of embezzlement, even inaccurate ones, can tarnish your reputation as a financial professional in California.

Chamber of Commerce ex-president suspected of embezzlement

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Embezzelment on Monday, September 23, 2019.

Crimes involving money are taken very seriously. Often, such activities fall into the category of white collar crimes and can lead to steep consequences for the accused parties if they are convicted. In particular, individuals accused of embezzlement need to focus on how to fight back against the allegations.

One man in California is likely on such a path after recently becoming the subject of an investigation. According to reports, the man worked as a city's Chamber of Commerce president and is suspected of embezzling funds from a nonprofit community foundation. The man acted as the foundation's treasurer. It is unclear how he came under suspicion, but the foundation claims that the man has embezzled over $220,000 from the nonprofit group and distributed the funds to multiple bank accounts that he owns.

Mail fraud, other serious charges brought against 4 in California

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Mail & Wire Fraud Defense on Tuesday, September 10, 2019.

Facing serious criminal allegations can turn anyone's life upside down. Of course, some charges are more serious than others and could come with more severe potential consequences. Because any accused individual wants to make the best out of his or her case, finding the most viable legal options when facing mail fraud charges is important.

It was recently reported that at least four individuals have been charged in a federal district court in California with serious criminal allegations. Apparently, the individuals worked for a marketing agency and allegedly hijacked IP addresses in a spamming campaign. The parties purportedly provided false information to hosting services in order to obtain inactive IP addresses by claiming that they had the authorization to use the addresses. They then reportedly used those addresses to send out spam emails on a massive scale.

Facing RICO charges?

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in RICO Charges on Friday, August 30, 2019.

A quick Google search will bring up many stories in the news of people being arrested and charged with racketeering. Racketeering is, by its most basic definition, running an organized illegal business or embezzling money through a legitimate company. The Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act was passed in 1978 to fight this type of organized crime. The consequences California residents could face if convicted on RICO charges can be severe.

What are some examples of racketeering? For a long time, some of the most common forms of racketeering have been drug trafficking, counterfeiting and illegal weapons trafficking. Eventually, those behind these schemes used their resources to steal from other companies or hide behind legitimate organizations in order to carry out illicit activities.

Mail fraud is a federal criminal charge

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Mail & Wire Fraud Defense on Friday, August 30, 2019.

Mail fraud is a serious federal criminal charge that can have severe consequences, such as a large fine and/or time in prison.

Using the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to commit a crime makes it easy for the federal government to step in and take action. The same holds true if you use a private interstate carrier to carry out some type of fraudulent activity.

Defending yourself from bribery allegations

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in Bribery on Monday, August 26, 2019.

Bribery is a type of corruption, and it can be exercised in business, governmental or political sectors. In many situations, it can be charged as a serious crime. If you have been accused of bribery in California, it is important that you first gain a good understanding of the elements of the crime. From there, you will be able to apply this knowledge to your situation and go about building a defense.

Bribery is the act of offering a person something of value in exchange for influence. A bribe can come in the form of gifts and money, but it can also be in the form of services, favors and privileges. The following are some of the elements of the crime of bribery and the possible defense options.

From corner office to under the bus: Execs deserve counsel

On behalf of The Kaufman Law Group posted in White Collar Crimes on Sunday, August 18, 2019.

When trouble strikes, companies often use the tried-and-true strategy of blaming someone at the just right level and position to plausibly be at fault.

Many professionals are emotionally and legally unprepared for the role of scapegoat, especially if they've made valuable, influential and loyal contributions for a long time. They may need a reminder that corporate counsel represents the corporation. Professionals have a right to their own attorney.