What exactly is money laundering? When money is acquired through criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, prostitution, or theft, the money cannot be spent without raising suspicions. The authorities can track large sums of cash being deposited into financial institutions or being used to make large purchases. For this reason, money laundering became necessary. The primary goal of money laundering is to make…
Have you or family member been accused of extortion? If so, you probably have many questions going through your mind. What is extortion? What are the possible penalties? How can I defend myself? According to the California Penal Code Section 518-527, extortion is wrongfully obtaining property from another person through force, threats, or using official right. This use of fear or force could…
In what is being called a betrayal of trust, four LAX Transportation Security Administration screeners have been arrested for taking bribes. Rather than carry out their responsibility, they instead accepted cash to turn a blind eye to drugs that were being smuggled through security. It is estimated that they took $2,400 in cash in return for allowing suitcases of cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamines…
The California Penal Code Section 470-483.5 gives information regarding the offenses of forgery and counterfeiting. Forgery is defined as signing the name of another person, real or fictitious, with the purpose of committing fraud. If an individual was found to counterfeit a seal or handwriting of another person, they could also be guilty of forgery. This crime also extends to include: wills, checks,…
Wine collector and dealer, Indonesian R.K., was arrested in Los Angeles following attempts to sell over $1.3 million incounterfeit wine. He was well known for his taste and expertise and his mere interest in a wine could drive up the prices. He sold to millionaires and billionaires and even had an unconditional return policy on his wines. The first hint of suspicion arose…
Identity theft could happen to anyone at any time. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has estimated that approximately nine million Americans are victims of identity theft every year. This crime consists of individuals stealing personal information like social security numbers, credit card numbers, names, and addresses. In many cases, victims do not even know that anything is wrong until they see purchases…
According to the California Penal Code Section 92-100, bribery is giving or offering a bribe to a judicial officer, juror, referee, or any person who settles a controversy. The intent is to influence their decision in their favor. Being accused of bribery is serious as it could be punished by up to four years in person. Not only is it serious to offer…
On Monday, October 3rd, H.G. was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for accepting bribes. This Los Angeles building inspector had been systematically accepting bribes while working for the Department of Building and Safety. H.G. is not the only one who had been under investigation; this case is part of a larger investigation that has led to other arrests and…
What exactly arewhite collar crimes? According to the Nolo Law Dictionary, white collar crimes involve “a variety of nonviolent financial crimes, generally committed by businesspeople or public officials, involving commercial fraud, consumer fraud, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement, bribery, or other dishonest schemes.” Many of these crimes are committed by an individual who was in a place of trust. For…
