Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Massive Medicare Fraud Strike Force Arrest Over 100 in Los Angeles and Beyond

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:59:30 -0800

107 people were apprehended for healthcare fraud in Los Angeles, Chicago, Tampa, Baton Rouge, Miami, Houston, and Detroit the week before last. Investigators allege that the defendants (in total) are responsible for around $450 million in illegal Medicare bills.

Wow.

As this blog and other sources have reported, the Obama administration has gone to great lengths to crack down on Medicare fraud in Southern California and beyond. Recent estimates suggest that around $20 billion of taxpayer funds have been recovered in various antifraud operations. This latest Medicare Fraud Strike Force action named a diverse roster of defendants, including therapists, social workers, physicians, ambulance businesses, healthcare companies, and pharmacists. Annual estimates of healthcare fraud in this country are mindboggling. Upwards of nearly $100 billion may be pilfered every year through various fraudulent enterprises and scams.

Considering that America spends around 17% of its gross domestic product on healthcare, it’s no surprise that these figures are staggering. As long as “the pot is big,” we can probably expect that people will try to take advantage of loopholes in the system or invent schemes to siphon off some of those funds.

If you or someone you care about has been wrapped up in a Los Angeles healthcare, insurance fraud, or other white collar crime investigation, you are probably feeling somewhat terrified and confused. What should you do to defend yourself against the charges? What, if anything, did you do wrong? Have any of the associates who helped you plan or execute what you did done things that might compound your legal woes? For instance, maybe someone that you tasked with overbilling Medicare also engaged in prescription medication trafficking on the side, illegally. If so, your case could be further complicated.

In short: you have many, many questions, and you would like concrete, knowledgeable answers, so that you can get some sleep at night and you can plan your life and your defense strategy.

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group has tremendous experience dealing with sophisticated and large Los Angeles healthcare fraud cases. Attorney Kraut is no stranger to the prosecutorial side – he actually spent 14+ years of his career working as a Deputy District Attorney. And now, acting as a Southern California criminal defense lawyer, Mr. Kraut leverages his knowledge of prosecutors and understanding of the law from different angles to deliver extremely strategic and successful results for his clients.

Los Angeles Not So Petty “Petty Theft”: "Don’t Do Me Like That," Says Tom and His Heartbreakers

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:58:59 -0800

Last Thursday marked the resolution of one of the most talked about stories of petty theft in Los Angeles this year. And by “petty theft” we don’t mean the stealing of an item that’s of trivial monetary value. We're talking about the theft of legendary rocker Tom Petty’s property – specifically, five guitars that he and his band-mates have used over the years that, collectively, are valued at $100,000.

The rockers' guitars were pilfered from a soundstage in Culver City. They included some of the most treasured instruments from the glory days of rock, including Tom’s own blonde 1967 maple 12-strong Rickenbacker. The band put out a reward for information that would lead to the return of the guitars – a whopping $7,500. Some lucky person presumably collected that.

In the "unlucky" category, we must file 51-year-old Daryl Emmette Washington. A security guard who worked at the lot where Petty’s guitars were stolen, Washington allegedly sold one of the guitars to a pawnshop in Hollywood for just $250. This “red flag” alerted police, who ultimately arrested Washington and collected the missing instruments. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had been rehearsing for a new tour – Tom was actually in Denver when news of the successful guitar recovery broke.

This was obviously very good news for the band. But what about Mr. Washington? What happens to someone who is arrested and convicted for petty theft in Los Angeles (or not so petty theft a.k.a. grand theft in Los Angeles)?

The answer is not so cut and dry.

Depending on what was stolen, whether other crimes were committed, whether the alleged thief had a criminal history, and whether the evidence of the theft is strong or weak, prosecutors might take a variety of angles against you. In a worst case scenario, you could wind up serving several years behind bars, paying enormous amounts of money in restitution and penalties and fees, and suffering permanent damage not only to your professional reputation but also to your relationships and psyche.

Even if you are only convicted of a minor crime – shoplifting some T-shirts or some food, for instance – the conviction can stain your record and set you up for extreme legal trouble if/when you ever get arrested and convicted again. If you are convicted for two Los Angeles petty theft counts within, say, seven years of each other, the second offense can actually be treated as a felony. Here's what that means: if you shoplift twice, you can become a convicted felon and face over a year behind bars.

To build an appropriate, smart, and strategic legal response, connect with a Los Angeles petty theft attorney at the Kraut Law Group. Mr. Kraut is a highly regarded, well-respected, and well-connected lawyer who has worked as both a prosecutor and a criminal defense lawyer. He can help with any Southern California white collar criminal defense.

Los Angeles Sex Crime Arrest: Child Molestation Suspect to be Extradited to Idaho

Fri, 11 May 2012 20:49:21 -0800

32-year-old Nathaniel Robert Howell was recently arrested in Los Angeles for sex crimes.

Howell had been wanted by the Idaho police on a felony warrant. He fled the state after being charged with five counts of sexually exploiting a child and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. Police had tried to arrest him last December in North Idaho; he fled the manhunt through the woods in Coeur d’Alene. It’s unclear from news reports how the police identified and captured Howell in L.A., and his extradition date has not been set. But it’s pretty clear that he faces a seriously difficult legal road ahead.

If you or someone you care about has recently been arrested in Los Angeles on sex crime charges, you are probably feeling pretty isolated and scared. Although most people have a tendency to “prejudge” those who have been charged with criminal acts, sex criminals get wayyyyy more “prejudged” than the average defendant.

In other words, not only do you face scary charges -- which come with penalties like significant jail time, big fines and fees, the “sex criminal” label for life, and beyond -- but you also face these charges while operating in an environment that’s isolating and difficult. Even your most sympathetic allies may not understand.

So how should you proceed?

A good Southern California sex crime lawyer can help you develop a precise, strategic defense to the charges and can also settle you down, so you can focus on effective ways to manage your challenges. In some cases, Los Angeles lewd conduct charges can be effectively refuted. For instance, if there is evidence that the police entrapped you at a public bathroom or violated procedure or your Constitutional rights, you can battle back. On the other hand, your situation may be dire, and you may need to serve some sentence for what you did. That might not sound too appealing. But consider the alternative. If you, like Howell, flee from law enforcement, you will ultimately only add to your potential legal woes.

The key point to remember here is that, even if you have made a series of bad judgments, and you are filled to the brim with regrets, you can still -- starting now -- take action to improve your lot, protect your rights, and get your life back on track.

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group is a seasoned Southern California criminal defense attorney who has worked with many defendants like you and helped them not only fight their charges effectively but also gain deeper insight into their problems so they can live easier, happier lives.

Understanding Your Own Southern California Medical Fraud Scheme

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:49:52 -0800

If you are under investigation for Southern California medical fraud – or if you have already been arrested and charged – your big concern is: What comes next?

How can you construct an effective, ethically coherent defense to the charges against you? Will you be able to save your business or practice? Will you have to serve jail time? Will you lose your license ? Etc.

Before you can even get a handle on these questions, you need to understand your current reality. Yes, you have gotten in trouble with the law – or you are on the verge of getting in trouble. And perhaps you also recognize that you have engaged in practices or activities that are illegal or, at the very least, legally and ethically ambiguous. At the same time, however, you may not even recognize the full extent of what you have done wrong – or what the prosecutors will say that you have done wrong. For instance:

• One of your associates may have engaged in additional illegal or unethical conduct while operating under your aegis or as part of your organization;
• You may have violated more laws than you realize, due to recent changes in the law or due to the fact that you simply were not cognizant of said rules;
• You may have gotten disorganized recently, and some of the systems and processes that you had been using to overbill Medicare and Medi-Cal (for instance) might have become dysfunctional and sloppy.

Legal problem solving is a delicate business – simultaneously an art and science. You must spend time getting to the root of your present reality. This means providing complete documentation to your Los Angeles Medicare fraud attorney and avoiding leaving anything out. If you mislead your attorney or fail to disclose all relevant information, he or she may not be able to construct an effective defense. In other words, as hard as it may be, you need to be forthcoming and disclosing.

Once you really understand your present reality – what you did, where you stand, what the charges against you mean – you and your Southern California criminal defense attorney can map out a plan of action designed to give you specific results. In some cases, you might decide to fight all the charges and pull out all the legal stops. In other cases, such a strategy might be unrealistic – and potentially dangerous to your chances. The decisions you make now and going forward – even decisions like “do nothing” – are almost certain to impact your likelihood of winning freedom and getting your life back. Yes, your legal situation is frustrating and scary. Yes, you might be confused by the complexity of the scheme that you and your partners and associates created… and which perhaps got away from you. But you are not without recourse. A properly constructed defense can not only yield better results, but it can also reduce the uncertainty in your life by a magnitude, so you can breathe again and sleep at night.

Returning to School (or Life) After a Los Angeles Petty Theft Charge

Mon, 07 May 2012 20:55:23 -0800

You never thought it would shake you up so badly, but it has: your Los Angeles petty theft charge has totally “thrown you off your game” and created confusion, panic, and fear about your future. Your fears are not groundless! If you get convicted for two petty theft charges in Los Angeles, for instance, prosecutors can essentially upgrade your charge to a felony. And as you may or may not know, a felony conviction can lead to over a year behind bars. Convicted felons can also be stripped of vital basic rights, including the right to vote in elections. They can also face problems in the future getting housing, employment, credit, you name it.

But let’s put all that aside for a second. Let’s spend some time thinking about how your life may likely unfold in the days and weeks ahead.

On the one hand, you have got this petty theft charge constantly occupying your thoughts. On the other hand, life goes on. Assuming that you are not still incarcerated due to other charges, you may be back at school or your job, and dealing with family stuff, relationship stuff, and all the other errands and logistics that you had on your plate prior to the arrest.

The pending criminal charge is stealing attention from all other facets of your life, though. And if part of your mind is focused on worrying about whether or not you will go to jail, you are unlikely to perform well in the classroom or at work. The distraction itself can become a huge negative force in your life.

So what's behind it?

The distraction stems from the fact that you haven’t properly integrated the repercussions of the arrest into your life in an effective, organized and complete way. Your arrest has created what productivity guru David Allen might refer to as “open loops” in your life – commitments or obligations to yourself or others that are not yet complete. For instance:

• You may have a commitment to execute an effective defense;
• You may have a commitment to serve penalties or punishments;
• You may have a commitment to protect your freedom by solving the root problem in your life that caused you to violate California’s theft crime laws in the first place.

The arrest and subsequent charges may have created dozens – perhaps many more! – "open loops" in your life. You need to get a handle on those new commitments or obligations if you want to be effective at work, at your job, in your relationships, etc.

You might consider checking out Allen’s Getting Things Done system to understand the methodology that he proposes. But a more straightforward path might be to connect immediately with a Los Angeles petty theft attorney at the Kraut Law Group. Michael Kraut is a former prosecutor who is respected by his legal peers. He has garnered a remarkable 99% track record at jury trials. Attorney Kraut has the connections, legal know-how, and understanding of complex theft charge cases to get you great results.

Reflections on the Riots – Los Angeles Petty Theft, L.A.'s Grand Disaster and Progress (ot Lack Thereof)

Wed, 02 May 2012 20:58:03 -0800

It’s been over two decades since the L.A. riots shook our fair city; and the Southland is still rife with everyday crimes, like Los Angeles petty theft. This town can be a dangerous place to live and work for reasons that transcend the bad air quality and insane traffic. Fortunately, we’ve managed to get through over 20-plus years without our city exploding again in paroxysms of racial violence. But what have we collectively learned since those dark days of the early 90s? And what lessons have we failed to learn? More importantly, how can we understand how the changing dynamics of our city might influence you or your family member, if you're dealing with a charge like petty theft in Southern California, credit card fraud, or the like?

Let’s start with the big picture level. Historians often focus on the LA riots of the early 90s because they serve as spectacular examples of what happens when our civil society malfunctions. It’s easy to sort of look at the riots and contextualize them as an “LA problem.” After all, Los Angeles was and is a strangely gerrimandered entity, racially and culturally speaking. Also, the city has some pretty staggering income disparities. On top of that, it’s the second largest city in the United States, so “stuff” that happens here tends to inflate larger just by default. We have more traffic, we have more people, we have more crime than, for instance, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Thus, while racial resentments seethed in many different cities and towns across the United States in early 90s, Los Angeles proved to be a flashpoint. Was LA’s structure partially to blame? Sure. That makes sense. Were the riots also part of a broader shift in our society – yet more “growing pains” as America continued to process its long legacy of slavery and racial segregation and discrimination? That also sounds very plausible.

The point here is that, while Los Angeles has certainly changed since the riots, the country has changed too. Our attitudes have shifted in many profound and subtle ways.

What does all this philosophizing over the riots mean for your Los Angeles petty theft situation?

The broad takeaway here is that, to understand how to build the most effective defense, you really need different perspectives -- to look at your situation from various contexts. Obviously, you need the details – who did what to whom and why and when, etc. But you also need to understand your case in context. On a practical level, what can you expect from talking to Los Angeles petty theft attorney at the Kraut Law Group? What does your arrest mean in the scope of your life? What role will your arrest and charges (and potential punishments) play in the broader picture of your life?

Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group understands how to look at cases from various angles to give his clients best results. He served as a prosecutor for the city for over 14 years before becoming a criminal defense attorney and forming the Kraut Law Group. His unique, clearheaded vantage and relationships help him succeed for his clients.

Why Your Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Charges Are So Scary and Unnerving…

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:57:40 -0800

You recently got arrested for lewd conduct in Southern California. Perhaps you were the hapless victim of a police sting operation at a men’s room. Perhaps you face a battery of charges, including other Los Angeles sex crime counts. In any event, you are almost certainly intimidated by your legal challenges – by all the “stuff” that’s gone wrong in your life recently. And you'd like some clarity.

What might you be able to expect? Will you go to jail? Will you, much like Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, be condemned to ostracism for the rest of your life, thanks to the affixation of the “sex offender” label to your name? Will you ever be able to “live down” your charges or “get over” all the trauma associated with the events leading up to and after your arrest?

These are all key questions to think about. And Southern California can treat sex offenders harshly – particularly when they commit violent crimes and/or have a past criminal history (“priors”). A Los Angeles lewd conduct attorney at the Kraut Law Group can provide a free consultation and help you understand and deal with your various legal difficulties. But the challenge of dealing with the anguish of your situation is going to remain for quite some time – and could even remain after you’ve served your punishment and/or exonerated yourself.

The reality is that a significant amount of the stress in your life is caused by uncertainty.

When we don’t know what’s going to happen, our minds tend to proliferate all sort of scenarios. It’s just how our brains operate. For instance, if you knew right now that you would have to go jail for two years because of your crime, you could then start to process what that would mean and how you could deal with it.

But if you DON'T know what your sentence is – it could be two and a half years, 15 years, two months, no jail time at all – then your mind will jump around and play out all sorts of possibilities, which can lead to a tremendous amount of anxiety. For instance, you could get lost thinking about what your life would be if you got a 10-year sentence – how you’d miss out on your children growing up, etc. Or you could get lost in the fantasy of getting exonerated or only serving a few days or weeks, in spite of the heavy charges against you.

And that’s just one aspect of your situation – the lack of clarity about your ultimate sentence.

If you look at any criminal charges – no matter how simple or straightforward – they lead to all sorts of clarity problems like this – stuff that your brain is going to subconsciously try to resolve for you. In so doing, it’s going to create stress, since you’re going to be creating all these different scenarios for yourself, gaming them out, testing them against reality, thinking about what you would do in each one, etc. The key to resolving some of this anxiety is to connect with an appropriate legal team. The team at the Kraut Law Group can help you get a handle on what to do.

Will Your Los Angeles Medicare Fraud Charges Cost You $43 Million, Too?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:27:07 -0800

If you have been hit with a Los Angeles Medicare fraud charge, you are probably frightened about the penalties that potentially lie before you. But no matter what your outcome, you will almost certainly pay less than the bill just handed to Tenet Healthcare for overcharging Medicare – a whopping $42.8 million.

According to the Federal government, the nation’s second biggest for-profit hospital chain overbilled Medicare for a variety of services between 2005 and 2007. All told, 50 hospitals engaged in processes of moving patients from normal hospitals to pricier facilities after patients had undergone certain procedures. A Tenet spokesperson actually said that the chain was “proud of” providing extra care for patients who really probably didn’t need it.

Interesting.

In 2006, Tenet settled a much larger case involving overcharging Medicare – the company paid over $900 million as part of that deal. Meanwhile, Tenet has accused one of its rivals, Community Health Systems, of Medicare fraud.

Obviously, this case is immense. Spend a second just reflecting on how complicated the Tenet case must be – the thousands or perhaps millions of documents that might come into question, the sheer number of parties to the fraud, etc. If you are a doctor, chiropractor, dentist, or other caregiver who has been hit with Southern California Medicare fraud charges – or other Los Angeles white collar crime charges, like insurance fraud -- you, too, may be daunted by the potential legal fireworks in your future.

Even if you established and executed a “scheme” to defraud a benefits program or commit some other illegal action, odds are that the scheme now has so many moving parts that it’s difficult even for you and your associates to track. You want to make sure that you are doing everything in your power, legally speaking, to shield yourself from harm, potentially preserve your right to practice medicine or give care, protect your personal assets, and minimize the punishments that may be heading your way.

A Southern California white collar crime attorney with the Kraut Law Group can guide you to make better decisions about your legal future and, at the same time, help you avoid getting overwhelmed by the complexity of your challenges.

Attorney Kraut served for years as a prosecutor for the city, during which time he racked up a very impressive 99% success rate at jury trials and earned a reputation as one of the brightest lights in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. Obviously, no attorney can guarantee results in your case. But if you want someone who has experience fighting on both sides of extremely complicated Medicare fraud cases – and who has gotten results, time and again for his clients – consider connecting with the Kraut Law Group immediately for a free consultation.

Los Angeles Petty Theft -- Literally! -- Someone Stole Tom Petty's Guitars!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:26:28 -0800

The vast majority of stories about Los Angeles petty theft have nothing to do with the famous singer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Petty. But on April 12, someone allegedly stole five of Petty's guitars! Technically, the crime is not considered Los Angeles petty theft. After all, the value of the five guitars no doubt way exceeds the $400 mark that caps the boundary between petty theft and more serious theft charges.

That being said, we have to at least acknowledge the wordplay.

The guitars stolen from the Culver Studios served as the heart and soul of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' operation for years. They include:

• Petty's own 1967 12-string Rickenbacker
• Petty's Gibson SG TV Junior
• Scott Thurston's Epiphone Sheridan
• Mike Campbell's Dusenberg
• Ron Blair's Fender Broadcaster

Petty and his associates posted a reward for the guitars' return, "no questions asked," at $7,500. Petty had been preparing for a return to the stage - a North America / Europe tour, which actually began April 18th in Colorado. Some of his most famous songs include Breakdown and Free Falling.

Preposterous puns aside, you are probably less interested in being entertained by word jokes than you are in fighting your Los Angeles petty theft charges.

Fortunately, an adept, highly qualified L.A. criminal attorney at the Kraut Law Group can deliver results. Attorney Kraut has an exemplary reputation not only among his past clients but also among his legal peers. He is called upon by major media organizations to weigh in on major breaking Los Angeles criminal defense cases, and he has a very unique background. He attended Harvard Law School and served for years as a city prosecutor before switching over to representing defendants.

Massive Lewd Conduct Arrest in Manhattan Beach – Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Law Firm Reports

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:25:57 -0800

Eighteen men were arrested last week on Los Angeles lewd conduct charges, after officers cracked down on activity going on in a Manhattan Beach restroom.

Local lifeguards had noticed men entering the bathroom and remaining inside for a long amount of time. They alerted police that they suspected the public restroom might be a meeting place for sexual activity. According to a Daily News report, men sometimes stayed in the restroom for longer than an hour, and the same people would return often. Lifeguards also found graphic sexual images on restroom walls and holes drilled through stall partitions.

The Manhattan Beach Police Department conducted surveillance of the bathroom and began to make arrests. They also used the web to survey what was being said about the bathroom online. Six police officers went undercover, pretending to be men looking for sexual activity. The sting ultimately resulted in the arrests of 18 suspects, who were slapped a battery of charges including:

• Los Angeles lewd conduct in a public place;
• Using a restroom peephole;
• Invasion of privacy;
• Loitering for the purpose of soliciting a lewd act;
• Indecent exposure;
• Resisting arrest

Many of the men who have been arrested no doubt face a very difficult and frustrating legal road ahead. If you are convicted of charges of lewd conduct in Los Angeles, you cannot only face penalties like jail time and fees but also the potential of being tagged as a sex offender. This label can create massive logistical, social, and financial headaches, perhaps for the rest of your life.

One defendant, Claudio Pinto, who claimed to be “in the wrong place at the wrong time” said the arrest has “completely ruined (his) life.”

The arrests prompted a major protest by Los Angeles area gay rights association, the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. The Los Angeles Times quoted the chief of staff for the organization, Darrel Cummings, who said “naturally we don’t condone illegal activity of any kind… but these men haven’t been proven guilty and historically, charges such as those leveled against them have involved police entrapment. Publishing their photos serves no purpose rather than to humiliate and destroy their lives.” Another writer, for the LA Weekly, censured the MBPD, saying the arrested men were “sentenced to eternal life [of struggle]" because their mug shot photos were uploaded forever to the "undiscerning internet.”

If you or someone you care about faces similar charges, the actions you take now to protect your rights and get good legal input can mean the difference between a jail sentence/permanent sex offender label and putting this all behind you. Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group can help you understand what to do (what not to do) to fight your sex crime charges. Whether you were entrapped in a public bathroom -- or you face multiple other counts, such as petty theft in Southern California or violent crime charges in Los Angeles -- attorney Kraut can provide you with the ace defense you need.

Alert Parents: Is Los Angeles Petty Theft a “Gateway Crime”?

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:27:35 -0800

If you are a parent of a teenager or young man or woman who was recently arrested on charges of Los Angeles petty theft crime, you are probably sad, depressed, and anxious about your child’s future.

What caring parent wouldn’t be?

The state of California considers both petty theft and shoplifting to be serious crimes. Individuals convicted on two separate occasions for petty theft can be actually slapped with a felony charge and compelled to spend over a year behind bars!

As a parent, you face two challenges. First, you face the challenge of dealing with the specific event that’s sent you on a Google-searching frenzy for a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney. For instance, maybe your 18-year old stole some beer from a convenience store. Or maybe your son at UCLA got in trouble when he and his friends, as a joke, stole clothes from a women’s lingerie shop. Or whatever. And now you and your family need to clean up that mess.

On a deeper level, however, you also have deep and abiding concerns about your child’s judgment and potential for future legal problems. Is shoplifting or petty theft a “gateway crime”? Will your child go on to commit other criminal adventures, such as narcotics trafficking, burglary or violent crimes?

In the abstract, it’s obviously impossible to know whether to be concerned or not. “Stupid teenagers” often do “stupid things” and then “get over it.” Your teenage son's shoplifting mishap maybe was just a fluke, for instance.

In any event, you want to make the correct parental moves. But in your panic and concern, you don’t want to push your child further away into a bad situation. In general, action is better than no action. But what actions are the right actions, what actions are the wrong actions? Again, outside of context, it’s hard to say.

One interesting theory, proposed by science writer, Judith Rich Harris, suggests that peer influence can far outweigh parental influence, especially among teenagers and young adults.

According to Harris, human beings act in many ways like pack animals. So your child's shoplifting spree had less to do with his or her Freudian issues than with his or her friends’ behaviors and beliefs and pre-dispositions. So if your kid is “in with a bad crowd” -- and if Harris is right -- you may gain positive leverage by removing him or her from that crowd – either by forbidding him or her to hang out with the “the bad kids” or by taking him out of a bad school or even by moving out of town.

Another useful strategy is to connect immediately with a Los Angeles Southern California criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group (Local: (323) 464-6453 Toll Free: (888) 334-6344). Attorney Kraut is an extremely respected, versatile and experienced attorney. He spent a substantial part of his career working as a prosecutor for the City of Los Angeles, so he knows what kind of charges prosecutors will bring, and he can use his knowledge to help you and your family come up with the best possible defensive posture.

Will You Ever Practice Again After Your Los Angeles Medical Fraud Charges?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:27:06 -0800

The Obama Administration is “on the hunt” for doctors, chiropractors, dentists, and other providers who violate Los Angeles Medicare fraud laws.

If you or someone you care about recently got swept up into that dragnet – or if you have come under investigation – you are obviously panicked about your potential punishments:

• The lifestyle changes that you inevitably will have to make;
• The numerous and perhaps public apologies you may need to make;
• The general uncertainty of the days, weeks, months ahead.

On a deeper level, after the smoke from your Southern California medical fraud case clears, you still need to make a living and provide for yourself and your family. But if your medical, dental or chiropractic license gets stripped by the state due to the charges, what will you do? How will you be able to make ends meet? Will you ever again be able to utilize your technical knowledge to help patients heal and eliminate disease and suffering (why you got into your business to begin with!)?

It’s important to at least surface questions like these at the beginning of the process, so you have a full view of everything you are up against. When questions like “what will I do if my license gets revoked?” linger in the subconscious, they create a kind of permanent uncertainty and stress, distract your focus, and potentially drive you to make poor decisions.

As any Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who handles cases like Los Angeles insurance fraud, Southern California credit card fraud, identity theft, etc will tell you: our “worst case scenario” fears are often worse in theory than they are in practice. In other words, it’s dangerous to perseverate over what might go wrong. The more ambiguous your fears, the more they will likely haunt you.

A subconscious “back of the mind” feeling, like: “I'm going to lose my license because of this and then I'm going to starve and be out on the streets,” may drive you to panic and take irrational actions. But if you actually took that worst case scenario and played it out – tested it for realism – you might be surprised by the kinds of resources and opportunities that your future may still hold.

For instance, say you do lose your license. Now, you no longer can practice oncology or orthopedic medicine or whatever you practice now. You might need to find another way to pay the bills. And or your spouse may need to pick up some slack. BUT… you might be able to cut down on expenses without necessarily hampering your lifestyle. You might be able to win your license back after a few years, depending on agility of your Los Angeles medical fraud attorney. Or you might be able to finally pursue a hobby or some other hidden career aspiration that you’ve let lie dormant for years. In other words, the odds are that your “worst case scenario” outcome will not be as desperate as you fear it could be.

Step one to getting everything under control is to get proper legal counsel. Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group (Local: (323) 464-6453 Toll Free: (888) 334-6344) can provide a free and confidential consultation about your fraud case and help you begin to regain control and equilibrium.

Arrested for Lewd Conduct in Los Angeles… and Everyone Thinks You “Did It”

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:26:38 -0800

Getting arrested for lewd conduct in Los Angeles can be a harrowing experience.

Yes, getting arrested for any crime in Southern California is scary. You face the specter of jail time, massive fees and fines, insurance related problems, professional reputation issues, logistical headaches, and on and on.

But lewd conduct charges are particularly vexing! Defendants are often “prejudged” by friends, family members, peers, and the community at large. For some reason, getting a lewd conduct charge often feels like being tarred and feathered. First of all, if you are convicted, you may be saddled with the “sex offender” label for decades, if not for a lifetime. You do not need to be reminded about what this negative label can do in terms of restricting where you can live, wreaking havoc on your personal and professional life, and potentially destroying your self-esteem – not to mention teeing you up for massive trouble if you ever break the law again.

But forget about the sex offender stigma for a second. Just contemplate how you've been treated thusfar by family members and friends after your arrest. Maybe you got a few words of encouragement or support. But odds are that support was few and far between. People tend to extrapolate when they hear charges like "lewd conduct in Los Angeles." They immediately go to the worst possible places. They might remember news stories, like the recent case about that 60-year-old elementary school teacher at Miramonte who apparently sexually molested his elementary school students for years and did other horrible things to them.

Sadly, they may even categorize you in with this kind of monster -- assume that you are somehow “in his class.” And this may happen even if you did nothing wrong to anybody… or perhaps even got entrapped by a police officer for trying to solicit!

So on one hand, you face this isolation, confusion, anger, and helplessness. On the other hand, you are also aware that there is something in your life that’s not working. You'd like to change, you'd like to get help, and you'd like to “turn back the clock.” But things are so out of control and so confusing that you don’t really know how to begin, where to begin, or whom you can trust for good advice about the cascade of problems that have fallen on you.

The good news is that Attorney Michael Kraut of the Kraut Law Group is just a click or a phone call away. Attorney Kraut is a former city prosecutor. For 14+ years he worked as a Deputy District Attorney. He did not exactly earn reputation as a “softy’’ – in fact, he managed to achieve a 99% success rate at jury trials. Now, serving as a criminal defense attorney, he has the relationships, knowledge of the law, strategic intuition, and resources you need to build an impressive case.

Life After Southern California Medicare Fraud – Start Planning Now

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:24:04 -0800

If you are a physician who has recently been arrested for Los Angeles Medicare fraud due to double billing or overbilling -- or as an accomplice to a larger and more sophisticated scheme that spanned several years -- you’re probably terrified. How will the arrest (and potential conviction) impact your career, your freedom (jail time or not?), your finances, your relationships with the people closest to you, and your professional reputation (or what’s left of it)?
Odds are, in fact, that you are overwhelmingly focused on the potential negatives of the situation. In some ways, this makes sense. Now is a good time for reflection and sober strategic thinking, particularly if you did commit criminal activity. A Southern California Medicare or Medi-Cal fraud lawyer can help you devise and execute an intelligent response to the charges against you. And you should certainly introspect and analyze how you got into the situation in the first place. But you might also find it extremely resourceful to focus on potential positive outcomes.

The brain works in mysterious ways. Since the 1950s, neurologists have studied an activity center in the brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). This is a region of our brain that helps to manage and process attention and focus. Obviously, the neurology of the RAS is too complicated for this blog to address, but the takeaway is pretty profound. Science suggests that how and when and where we hold our focus can color not only our perceptions of our experiences but also our strategies for dealing with crises.

Let’s make that a little more concrete.

Look around the room right now and think about the color green. Just focus on the green. Now close your eyes (after reading this, of course). What objects can you recall in your mental vision? Chances are, you will recall the green objects – perhaps a plant in your office or some grass growing outside. Now do the same exercise again, but this time choose a different color – say, blue. You will notice that, by focusing on blue, you will pick up on and focus on very different objects in your space.

Our brain tends to filter our processes and experiences based on the focus anchors we provide it. And this extends well beyond cute little games like focusing on green objects and blue objects. It suggest that we should focus on positive outcomes for a Los Angeles Medicare fraud case, for instance – idealized visions of where you would like to be after all the legal wrangling and logistical and financial “cleaning up.”

If instead we dwell on the negatives that we don’t want to happen, our focus will be shifted toward negative outcomes. We will have a harder time finding and seizing on resources that can help us rebuild our lives and meet our challenges with compassion and resourcefulness.

For help dealing with your challenges, connect immediately with the team here at the Kraut Law Group. Attorney Michael Kraut is a recognized and highly experienced Southern California white collar crime attorney. His unique vantage as a former prosecutor (and Harvard Law School educated lawyer on top of that) gives him a competitive advantage over other defense attorneys, since he understands on a personal level how prosecutors think.

Los Angeles Lewd Conduct Update: Teacher in Photo Scandal Denied Bail Reduction

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:22:56 -0800

It’s been called one of the most disturbing and high profile cases of Los Angeles lewd conduct in history: 61-year-old Mark Berndt allegedly blindfolded children and then “spoon-fed his semen to them” at his elementary school classroom in Miramonte.

Last month, Berndt pled not guilty to 23 counts of Los Angeles lewd conduct, but the justice system does not seem to be in the mood to give him much leniency. His initial bail - $23 million – remained intact last Wednesday, when a judge denied his request for a reduction. The former teacher was arrested at the end of January following a long investigation (over a year). Investigators discovered 40 photos of children blindfolded with their mouths taped. Some pictures showed cockroaches on these children’s faces. Others showed other remarkably disturbing images.

One of Berndt’s co-workers, 49-year-old Martin Springer, has also been accused of a sexual crime – molesting a female student. In the wake of the revelations about Berndt and Springer, the district fired the entire workforce at the elementary school. Many of teachers’ victims have said that the abuse gave them nightmares.

The vast majority of people who are arrested for lewd conduct in Los Angeles face far more innocuous charges. In some cases, the arrest may have been totally unjustified. For instance, an undercover officer might have planted evidence or falsified a report.

In other words, the scale here is tremendously diverse. It ranges from people who commit acts like this 61-year-old teacher alleged committed to people who were entrapped or who were arrested after engaging in totally innocent behavior.

The problem is that if you engage in lewd conduct or solicit someone else to engage in lewd conduct, and you get convicted, the label of "sex offender" will stick around forever and potentially plague your life indefinitely.

A reputable Los Angeles criminal defense attorney at the Kraut Law Group can help you understand the charges against you and construct an appropriate, meticulous defense. Mr. Kraut is a former prosecutor who has been on both sides of cases involving California Penal Code Section 314 and California Penal Code Section 647(a).