San Francisco & Bay Area Criminal Defense Lawyers

The California First District Court of Appeal last week struck down a state law that required the collection of DNA from anyone arrested on suspicion of committing a felony. The Court concluded that the state Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search and seizure prohibited the DNA collection (by use of a cheek swab). The law was initially approved by voters in 2004 and allows for the collection of DNA upon an arrest - even before criminal charges are filed. The ruling could still be appealed and therefore, it is unclear whether law enforcement will immediately stop the collection of DNA from anyone arrested for a felony , particularly since the Court did not issue an immediate order stopping police.  The court's ruling also recognizes that DNA is fundamentally different and more invasive than the collection of fingerprints.

September 24, 2014 Holder Memo on § 851 Enhancements in Plea Negotiations. Notable lines: "An § 851 enhancement should not be used in plea negotiations for the sole or predominant purpose of inducing a defendant to plead guilty." Holder is making sure his message on drug policies is heard loud & clear before he departs!   http://sentencing.typepad.com/files/ag-letter-regarding-enhancements-in-plea-negotiations.pdf

On July 11, 2014 a new federal policy governing custodial interrogations by federal law enforcement agencies went into effect. That policy, documented in a May 12, 2014 Memo from Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole and supplemented by a videotaped statement by U.S. Attorney Eric Holder (apparently setting the example) established a presumption that the following agencies will electronically record statements made by individuals in their custody in specified circumstances: the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). The new policy “strongly encourages” the use of video recording in circumstances where an individual is in a place of detention following arrest, but prior to an initial appearance before a judicial officer. Interviews in non-custodial settings are excluded from the presumption. The policy describes “places of detent...

In United States v. Edwards, 2014 WL 3747130 (9th Cir. July 31, 2014) the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressed two issues: the first one was whether the stop of Edwards was only an investigatory stop or a de facto arrest and the second was whether there was enough reasonable suspicion for the police to stop and detain Edwards. The facts of the case are as follows: an anonymous call to the Inglewood Police Dept said that there was a young black male shooting at passing cars and entering the “Penny” liquor store. The anonymous 911 caller described the suspect as being 5’7’’ to 5’9’’ and wearing a black jacket and khaki pants. Police arrived at the described location and 75 feet away from the liquor store they saw Edwards who was 5’11’’ wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and grey pants. The police held Edwards at gunpoint and handcuffed him. They conducted a pat search of his person and discovered a .22 caliber handgun. The caller did not want to participate fu...

Written By: Paul J. Wallin , Senior Partner of Wallin & Klarich, A Law Corporation. If you have been convicted of a felony crime, you have options available to you. A guilty verdict does not necessarily have to be the final judgment. Many criminal convictions may be reversed or modified on appeal. I cannot stress enough the importance of conducting meticulous research before selecting an attorney to represent you.  Regarding trial lawyers, attorney Julia Jayne handles all of her cases fairly and ethically, she is also a tenacious fighter who will work vigorously to make certain that her clients obtain the justice they desire and deserve. If you were found guilty of felony charges because you were unable to retain a trial attorney of Ms. Jayne’s caliber, you may still have a second chance through an appeal. However, this time you must ensure that you conduct the adequate research necessary to select the right lawyer to handle your appeal. An attorney who is experience...

The California Supreme Court recently resolved the issue of whether a single act resulting in two strike-able felony convictions can be used as two strikes. In People v. Vargas , 14 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 7786, 2014 Daily Journal D.A.R. 9070, Darlene Vargas was sentenced to a third strike under the three strikes law for her burglary conviction in 2008. Vargas had two prior convictions from 1999 for carjacking and robbery which were for the same act; Vargas pled guilty to carjacking and robbery in return for a plea deal of 3 years. For the 2008 burglary conviction the lower court counted the two convictions as two separate strikes for sentencing purposes. Under the three strikes law Vargas would have to serve 25 to life for the third strike. On Appeal, the California Supreme Court concluded that the 1999 conviction should only count for one strike. This meant that Vargas’ sentence should be calculated as a second strike rather than a third which would be consistent with the legislative i...

The Supreme Court of the United States in Abramski v. U.S . , 134 S.Ct. 2259 (2014) held that misrepresenting oneself as an actual firearms purchaser versus a “straw purchaser” was a material misrepresentation. Abramski was convicted of making a false statement that was material to the lawfulness of a firearm sale and making a false statement with respect to information required to be kept in the records of a licensed firearms dealer. The law in part reads that it shall be unlawful to “make any false or fictitious oral or written statement ..., intended or likely to deceive such [dealer] with respect to any fact material to the lawfulness of the sale or other disposition of such firearm.” 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(6) Abramski purchased a handgun for his uncle who could legally own a firearm. The reason Abramski did this was so he could use his old police I.D. and obtain a law enforcement discount on the handgun. The form Abramski filled out was ATF Form 4473 which is required to be fill...