Orange County Criminal Defense Team

Assault and battery accusations are serious charges that can lead to jail time, probation, fines, and loss of custody. They can also lead to the inability to own/purchase/possess a firearm, job loss, losing your reputation, and a permanent record that could frustrate your efforts to secure employment, holding particular job positions, or even renting an apartment.

These kinds of charges are among the most wrongly filed in the California judicial system. They are also notorious for depending on the vindictive victims’ testimony. For this reason, you want to seek advice from a lawyer skilled in fighting and defending assault and battery accusations immediately after you are under arrest.

Attorneys at Orange County Criminal Defense Team will move swiftly and vigorously to defend your legal rights at any stage of your criminal case. In addition, our lawyers will work to coordinate your defense where child custody, child support, alimony, or an unresolved property or divorce settlement are involved in an assault dispute.

Our attorneys have defended several clients against assault and battery allegations. Therefore, they have the experience and knowledge required to defend any client facing severe work-related sanctions because of an assault charge, especially military personnel, and police officers about to lose their career and the right to carry or own a gun if found guilty. In addition, we offer a cost-free consultation to evaluate your case and advise you on your legal rights if you’re facing a battery or assault charge.

Types of battery and assault charges in California include:

• Assault (PC 240)
• Assault with a deadly weapon (PC 245)
• Terrorist threats/criminal threats (PC 422)
• Battery (PC 242)
• Throwing a dangerous object at a vehicle (VC 23110(b))
• Assault with caustic chemicals (PC 244)
• Assault on a public officer (PC 217.1(a))

We understand the embarrassment, frustration, and anger that usually come with domestic violence accusations. Too often, these kinds of charges are brought in the middle of a pending divorce or child custody battle. Frequently, they’re unjustified. Domestic violence-related cases we handle are:

• PC 422 – criminal threats
• PC 368 – elder abuse
• PC 273d – child abuse
• PC 273a – child endangerment
• PC 273.5 – corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant
• PC 243(e)(1) – domestic battery

Whether facing misdemeanor or felony charges, domestic violence accusations are very severe. They can result in job loss, inability to interact with your children, strained relationships with friends and family, loss of reputation, and immediate eviction from your home (if restraining orders are involved).  A domestic violence conviction will also deny you the legal right to carry or own a gun and prevent you from holding given job positions.

Consulting a domestic violence lawyer right away is critical to protecting and defending your legal rights. Hiring an expert defense firm right away will significantly help your defense since the attorneys will start investigating the case and developing your defense strategy without wasting time. Also, strict time frames apply when it comes to challenging restraining/protective orders. Once affected, a protective order may prohibit you from visiting your child or returning home for the rest of the period a domestic violence case would last.

If facing domestic violence charges, contact us as soon as possible for a cost-free, comprehensive, and confidential case evaluation. 

Driving crimes accusations can be overwhelming as you are just one step away from losing your freedom. A conviction will result in jail/prison time, substantial fines. Particularly in Orange County, where motorists spend much of their time on roads, a simple mistake or failure in judgment can result in an accident, which can have long-lasting effects. California’s common driving-related charges are vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, driving on a suspended license, evading an officer, and driving without a valid license.

The consequences of a driving crime conviction depend on whether another person was killed or injured and whether you have a past criminal record. Apart from the fines and jail/prison sentence we mentioned, you can also lose your privilege to drive or your job, especially if you are a commercial driver.

The good news is that you shouldn’t panic or rush into pleading guilty when facing driving crime charges in Orange County. So, call us at Orange County Criminal Defense Team, and we’ll help you.

California has strict DUI (driving under the influence) laws that are aggressively and vigorously enforced by the CHP (California Highway Patrol) and local law enforcement agencies like municipal police departments and county sheriff’s departments. There are two charges the prosecution presses— VC 23152(a) and VC 23152 (b) in all the state’s DUI cases.

VC 23152(a) is the standard DUI law, which states that it’s unlawful to drive while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or both. The DA will try proving this charge by looking at recorded driving patterns and other intoxication signs that the arresting officer will have included in the official arrest report. The symptoms include alcoholic odor on your breath, unsteady gait, supposed poor field sobriety test performance, and bloodshot or watery eyes.

VC 23152(b) is the law that states that it’s illegal to drive with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of .08% or more in your system. The DA will try proving this charge by looking at the chemical test results. Chemical tests include blood tests, breath tests, and in rare cases, urine tests. For DUI cases that involve only drugs, you’ll only face charges under VC 23152 (a).

Based on the circumstances and facts of the specific case, you can face a misdemeanor or felony charge for your DUI crime, and a conviction comes with a wide range of penalties. Factors that can enhance DUI-related penalties include:

• Chemical test refusal
• Past DUI convictions
• Property damage
• BAC of 0.15% or higher
• Traffic accidents
• Having a minor in the auto while DUI
• Death or bodily injury caused due to your DUI

Even though being arrested for DUI can be confusing and intimidating, it’s critical to know you have rights. At Orange County Criminal Defense Team, our experienced lawyers will carefully assess your case to determine what weaknesses exist in the DA’s case and the strength of the defenses you have.

In any given case, making all these determinations requires a DUI lawyer to aggressively request the prosecution and arresting police agency to hand over various documents and items that aren’t included in the first discovery packet. It takes a skilled lawyer to determine what discovery items to request, given the facts of your specific case.

We are dedicated to defending our clients’ rights, as we have done for more than a decade. For more information on your legal right and options, call today a free and confidential consolation.

After a single misunderstanding or misstep, you may unexpectedly find yourself facing fraud accusations. For example, a business or person may claim that you secured money or property you were not entitled to. Proving your innocence of fraud charges can be daunting. You would be confused about what to say or do. The right step you can take when in this fix is remaining silent and contacting an experienced lawyer. Once you have expert legal counsel fighting for you, you can participate in a police investigation without the fear of self-incrimination while you and your attorney build a defense strategy.

At Orange County Criminal Defense Team, our lawyers can help you navigate the fraud law. During a police investigation, they’ll protect you from self-incriminating questioning and police overreach. If you’re charged by the DA and indicted by a jury, the lawyers may move to have the prosecutor reduce or drop charges. And if the case goes to trial, our attorney will build the strongest defense strategy that includes defenses like:

• Lack of fraudulent intent
• Mistaken identity
• False allegations
• Insufficient proof
• Police entrapment

To learn more on how we can help you when accused of fraud, schedule a free consultation with one of our expert lawyers by calling 714-467-2772.

California is tough on gun and weapon crimes. If you’ve been charged with any offense under this category, you need an expert and attorney who is serious about fighting for you.

At Orange County Criminal Defense Team, we have skilled defense lawyers who vigorously defend clients facing weapon charges. Gun and weapon charges may be misdemeanors or felonies, which can lead to harsh criminal punishments. Even if you are a first-time offender, you may go to prison.

Several sentencing enhancements also apply to gun and weapon charges. A sentence enhancement is the additional prison time added to the original sentence. You could be subject to additional ten or twenty years or life imprisonment under the state’s 10-20-life gun law.

We will apply our experience, knowledge, and aggressiveness to work for you. In gun and weapon charges that didn’t appear defensible at first, we have achieved exceptional results. Understanding how to build a strong defense and vigorously defend you during trial is how we achieve the most favorable outcome for our clients.

At Orange County Criminal Defense Team, we believe children deserve the benefit of the doubt and should have the chance to enter adulthood with a fresh start and clean record. Unluckily, young offenders are often denied access to an expert defense lawyer, and parents often think their children’s crimes won’t follow them into adulthood. At times, our children make mistakes. Defending a teenager or adolescent requires experience and knowledge of handling juvenile offenses and California laws as they apply to juvenile offenders.

Encumbering a child with a severe criminal record before they enter adulthood could have severe long-term repercussions. Leaving a child in the criminal system to teach them a lesson could also be tragic because the minor spends much time with juvenile criminals rather than the society showing them the positive role models they should mirror.

Some juvenile offenses aren’t automatically sealed and are even considered strikes in adulthood, subjecting your full-grown child to the state’s three-strikes law. An adult found guilty of a strike as a child may be subject to prison time almost twice as long for a simple felony like drug possession. Being convicted of two felonies as a grownup could lead to possible life imprisonment.

Our lawyers are readily available to help if your child is facing criminal charges. We offer complimentary and confidential case evaluations to children and their families throughout Orange County and the surrounding areas. Call us at 714-467-2772 today.

Under California law, criminal behaviors that involve sexual activity are known as sex offenses. Sex offenses can be felonies or misdemeanors based on the facts and circumstances of every case and the law. Note that the State considers all sex offenses as serious crimes that deserve court action and investigation. Common sex offenses under the Penal Code include:

• PC 261(a) – date rape
• PC 288(a) – child sexual abuse
• PC 314 – indecent exposure
• PC 290.018(a) – failure to register as a sex offender
• PC 288(a) – lewd acts with a minor
• PC 288(a), b(1) – oral copulation by fear or force
• PC 647(a) – lewd conduct
• PC 311.1(a) – possessing child pornography
• PC 261(a) – rape
• PC 647(b)(1) – prostitution

A sex offense conviction comes with several consequences, including the requirement to register as a sex offender, lengthy prison sentences, and substantial fines. For this reason, you want to hire an experienced and dedicated defense lawyer as soon as you’ve been arrested. Your freedom, livelihood, and rights are on the line. A professional defense lawyer may negotiate a lesser included offense in a plea bargain or have your sentence reduced or dismissed altogether.

The Orange County Criminal Defense Team lawyers have a comprehensive understanding of local courts and an in-depth knowledge of the state’s criminal justice system. If you’ve been charged with any sex offense, we’ll analyze all your case’s facts and develop a defense strategy that’ll help you receive the most favorable outcome.

California property offenses, including theft, are among the most prevalent criminal charges filed in the Orange County area. Often, theft charges depend on proof obtained by law enforcement officers, either via a car stop, search warrant, or searching the accused’s possessions. Other times, these charges are based on the witnesses’ testimony, which is among the most notoriously unreliable sources of evidence.

Theft crime defense lawyers at Orange County Defense Team have defended hundreds of clients facing theft-crime charges throughout Orange County and beyond. We use all the weapons we have at our disposal to protect your legal rights. These weapons include contesting the lawfulness of the police search or admissibility of proof, investigating to have all facts of your case, seeking to have your case reduced/dismissed, or preparing to go to trial. Theft-related charges we help fight include petty theft, grand theft, robbery, carjacking, and burglary.

Criminal conduct categorized as violent offenses involves using force or threats of force to hurt a victim or put them in a state they fear for their lives. A dangerous/deadly weapon doesn’t necessarily need to be used when committing a violent offense, though the presence of one can enhance charges. Mostly, violent crime penalties are severe, and that’s why if you’ve been accused, you should consult an expert criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.

Our lawyers have hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases to handle. Given our in-depth experience and knowledge in criminal defense, we have garnered a reputation for success from fellow attorneys and clients. If you require a vigorous defense lawyer known to thrive not only at the negotiations stage but also at trial, contact Orange County Criminal Defense today for a complimentary case evaluation.

White-collar offenses usually refer to the unlawful actions committed by entrepreneurs, businesses, public officials, etc., through deception for financial gain purposes. White-collar offenses involve a wide array of criminal conducts that come under the purview of the federal or state government. If you’re facing a white-collar-related charge, please contact a skilled attorney for further guidance and counsel. The most prevalent white-collar offenses in California are embezzlement, forgery, bribery, extortion, and perjury.

It’s naïve to think white-collar offenses won’t be aggressively prosecuted. Irrespective of whether you’re facing federal or state charges, you want to treat them seriously. Being convicted can have dire repercussions, including losing your career or business. Your reputation may also be stained, and a shadow of doubt cast on your integrity.

Our experienced defense attorneys are experienced in defending against white-collar crimes both at the federal and state level. Contact us now, and we’ll protect your legal rights, freedom, and precious reputation.