Updates

A measure to end California bail passed the state Senate but failed on the Assembly floor.  This measure raised concerns to some California judges that believe ending bail could cause serious harm to the public.  Proponents argue that California’s bail system discriminates against the poor and that an alternative should be used through a court […]

Billy McFarland was arrested and charged with fraud after the promoter allegedly used fake documents to trick investors.  The charges stem from his promotion of the catastrophic Fyre Music Festival which made national headlines after people were stranded with refugee style conditions in the Bahamas.  Assistant Federal Defender is representing the 25-year-old in federal court

Dr. James Kohut was arrested on May 14, 2017 on several child sexual abuse charges. The neurosurgeon was practicing out of the Santa Cruz at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center and Dominican Hospital at the time of his arrest. The Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office believes that Kohut had also planned to impregnate women to

State Assembly Member Frank Bigelow believes that the proposed bail reform bail is dangerous and could put dangerous criminals back on the street. The California Money Bail Act failed to pass the house but passed the Senate. The bill lacks funding allocations according to Mr. Bigelow. The bail reform proposal would be costly to local

California Assembly Bill AB 42 recently failed to be approved by assembly members. Those that do not support the bill site the importance of the bail industry in ensuring defendants’ appearance in court and with a 97 percent success rate. The bill provided no incentive for defendants to appear in court and mandated the release

Lurlyn Winchester, a municipal judge out of Orange County, New York, has been released on $50,000 bail following charges involving making false statements and obstruction of justice.  The arrest relates to false statements Winchester allegedly made in a residential loan application for a condominium in Monroe, New York.  She was charged at the White Plains

A judge at the El Cajon Superior Court has increased bail from $1 Million to $3 Million in a fatal Ramona Hit-and Run crash that ended in the death of a Mother and her unborn child.  Andrew Milonis, 44, is believed to have rear-ended 29-year-old Jessica Foderingham on Mother’s Day causing her vehicle to crash

Jamaal Andrew Lee, turned himself in this week after being accused of sexually assaulting a female passenger.  The incident occurred near the UC Riverside campus after the victim arranged for an Uber trip from a location off-campus to the UCR Plaza Apartments.  Lee is facing a number of charges including felony false imprisonment, oral copulation

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, James Michael Beach, 27, of Las Vegas killed a California man outside of a Las Vegas Bar with one punch.  Luis Campos, a father of five, was visiting from La Puente, California when surveillance captures Beach walking up to him, saying something and then throwing a punch. 

SB10-Bail and its counterpart AB42 is currently being decided by the California Legislature.  The bill proposes to reform California’s “unjust” bail system by virtually eliminating the cash bail system in favor of pretrial release.  The proponents of this bill argue that it will protect the poor.  They fail to mention the part of the bill