HB Mortgage Fraud Results in Harsh Federal Sentence

The Orange County Register reported a Huntington Beach man and a female co-conspirator from Downey were sentenced to multiple years in federal prison for their role in a real estate fraud scheme which they operated from May 2003 through November 2005. The $12-million fraud targeted hundreds of southern California homeowners facing foreclosure. Victimized homeowners were identified via a computer database list of homes facing foreclosure.

As part of the scheme, the defendants would contact the homeowners and Read more

Pilots Can Lose Medical for Multiple DUI’s or Drug Charges

The Code of Federal Regulations, Formerly known as FAR’s, section § 61.15 specifically deals with offenses by pilots involving alcohol or drugs. A conviction for the violation of any Federal or State statute relating to the various actions related to narcotic drugs, marijuana, or depressant or stimulant drugs or substances is grounds for the denial of an application for any certificate, rating, or authorization for a period of up to 1 year after the date of final conviction or a suspension of your ratings. Read more

The Federal Government Involved in Prostitution Sting

The FBI was involved in a nationwide sweep to remove kids, believed to be teen-age prostitutes, from the illegal sex trade. Federal agents working with local law enforcement also arrested more than 50 alleged pimps. Historically, federal authorities rarely play a role in anti-prostitution crackdowns, but the FBI is becoming more involved as it tries to rescue children caught up in the business. Read more

California Bank Robber Caught. Faces 20 Years For Each Offense

A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to 10 California bank robberies and one attempted bank robbery. The man admitted to robbing banks primarily in the Bay Area, before being apprehended shortly after a failed attempt to rob his eleventh bank. The defendant admitted to stealing more than $27,000 in the bank robberies. During the robberies, the defendant wore a baseball cap and a coarse brown wig tied in a ponytail, earning him the nickname “The Bad Wig Bandit.”

In two of the robberies, the defendant had an accomplice acting as his driver. She also pled guilty to one robbery and one attempted robbery.

The defendant was charged with 10 counts of bank robbery and one count of attempted bank robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2113(a). Furthermore, he was charged with Read more

Unruly Airline Passenger Faces Federal Criminal Charges

FBI agents were recently called to respond to a JetBlue flight from New York to California. The flight was diverted due to an intoxicated passenger who caused a disruption during the flight. After the other passengers exited the aircraft, the unruly passenger was identified, interviewed, arrested and taken into custody and booked.

The suspect faces a federal criminal complaint, charging him with the assault and intimidation of flight attendants and crew members of an aircraft, thereby interfering with the performance of the duties of the flight attendants and crew members and lessening the ability of the flight attendants and crew members to perform their duties.

Federal Aviation Regulation (Code of Federal Regulations) 91.11 explicitly states: “No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember’s duties aboard an aircraft being operated.” This regulation applies to ANY person, regardless as to whether they are certificated as an “airman”. All persons travelling on board airplanes, commercial or general aviation, are held accountable to adhere to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR’s). The CFR’s are federal law. They apply uniformly to all passengers in any airplane flying in U.S. airspace. Failure to adhere to federal guidelines will result in civil penalties and possibly criminal penalties as well.

If you have received a notice of enforcement action from the F.A.A. for violation of a federal aviation regulation, you need the assistant of a competent aviation lawyer immediately. If you are charged with criminal misconduct while on an airplane, you need the assistance of a criminal defense attorney well versed in the federal aviation regulations. Houston & Blanco emphasizes criminal defense as well as aviation law. We are among the few that understand both fields and we can best represent you on both the civil as well as criminal allegations. Do not wait and do not make any statements to any investigators without first speaking to you’re the aviation and criminal defense attorneys at Houston & Blanco. It is important to safeguard your rights by contacting the aviation attorney’s at Houston Law of California immediately. Call 714.841.3921 today, or email at info@HBLawyers.net.

White Collar Convictions in Newport Beach Receiving Harshest Sentences

White-collar crime is generally recognized as a crime committed by a person in the course of his occupation. White-collar crime tends to overlap with corporate crime because the opportunity for fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, and forgery is more available to white-collar employees. White-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor.

Recently, one of four co-defendants in a scheme that defrauded investors of more than $50 million was sentenced to 25 years in prison! According to U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt, this sentence represents Read more

Orange County Commodities Trader Faces Civil and Criminal Charges

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has obtained a federal court order in Orange County California, freezing the assets and prohibiting the destruction of documents of an Orange-County commodity trader and his company.

The asset freeze order stems from a CFTC complaint charging both with misappropriating customer funds and concealing trading losses in connection with operating a fraudulent commodity pool.

The complaint alleges that the defendants solicited at least Read more

Prostitution in Orange County Can Be a Federal Offense

Federal charges were filed in a prostitution scheme at three “spas”. Federal agents have arrested a California businessman and a woman on charges of conspiracy to transport prostitutes across state lines and money laundering after a two-year investigation into several county tanning salons.

18 U.S.C. 2422 states:
It is forbidden to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, or coerce any individual to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution or any criminal sexual activity. Read more

Selling Private Company Secrets Spells Economic Espionage

Four people were arrested in February in connection with two separate alleged incidents of spying for China. A man from California was arrested on charges of stealing trade secrets from aerospace manufacturer Boeing, while three others were held on suspicion of passing classified US documents to China.

The Economic Espionage Act (EEA) of 1996 was passed by Congress in order to strengthen weak and ineffectual laws.  The EEA now makes economic espionage a federal offense with stiff prison sentences and fines up to $10 million. 

Section 1831, also known as the Economic Espionage Act states that it is a federal criminal offense to intend or knowing that the offense will benefit any foreign government, foreign instrumentality, or foreign agent, knowingly, steal, or without authorization appropriates, takes, carries away, or conceals, or by fraud or deception obtains a trade secret. Violators shall be fined up to $500,000 or imprisoned up to 15 years, or both.

Furthermore, one may not copy, duplicate, sketch, draw, photograph, download, upload, alter, destroy, photocopy, replicate, transmit, deliver, send, mail, communicate, or convey a trade secret to a foreign government or agent without authorization.

Nor may any individual receive, buy, possess a trade secret, or conspire to do so, knowing the trade secret to have been stolen or appropriated, obtained, or converted without authorization. Violators are subject to the same penalties.

If you are being investigated by the Department of Justice, the FBI, or any other law enforcement agency for allegations of illegal exportation of protected documents or trade secrets, you need the help of a competent federal criminal defense attorney immediately. Delaying representation will only assist the federal government in building their case against you. The consequences of a conviction for espionage, misappropriating trade secrets, violating U.S. trade embargos or the Arms Export Control Act, or engaging in economic or other espionage are severe. You need to protect your interests immediately. Call the federal criminal defense attorneys at Houston & Blanco today.

Selling Secrets to China Equals Spying, Jail and Heavy Fines

A Chinese-born US physicist has pleaded guilty to illegally exporting information to China related to NASA space launches. In addition, he pled guilty to offering bribes to Chinese officials to win a contract. The Defendant admitted to assisting China with developing fuel and chemical tanks crucial for launching space vehicles. Such assistance to a foreign government is in breach of U.S. arms export control laws. He admitted he helped China in the design and development of a cryogenic fueling system for space Read more

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