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Sex crime investigations involving corporate executives, entertainers, producers, professional athletes, and other high-profile individuals require careful management of law enforcement contact. A detective's request for a “brief interview” can create substantial criminal exposure if the person a...

California Penal Code § 288.4 and § 647.6 address specific forms of alleged sexual misconduct involving minors. Penal Code § 288.4 criminalizes arranging a meeting with a minor for specified sexual conduct when motivated by an abnormal or unnatural sexual interest in children. At the same time, P...

California Penal Code § 647(b) makes it a misdemeanor to solicit, agree to engage in, or engage in an act of prostitution. In an undercover sting, an arrest may follow communications, negotiations, payment discussions, or an alleged agreement between an undercover officer and a suspected client, ...

California Penal Code § 506 addresses embezzlement by trustees, brokers, agents, and other people entrusted with another person's property. For CPAs and fiduciaries, an allegation involving client funds or unauthorized investments can create two simultaneous proceedings: a criminal prosecution an...

Gambling- or substance-driven financial crime occurs when an executive's addiction contributes to alleged theft, embezzlement, fraud, or misuse of company or client funds. California Penal Code § 503 defines embezzlement as fraudulent appropriation of property entrusted to the accused. Treatment,...

Penal Code § 186.11, California's “freeze and seize” law, allows prosecutors to seek court orders preserving property and financial assets in qualifying fraud and embezzlement cases involving more than $100,000. The statute can affect real estate, investment accounts, business assets, bank accoun...

Misappropriation of public funds under California Penal Code § 424 is a felony that applies to public officers and others responsible for receiving, safeguarding, transferring, or distributing public money. Public officials, executives, administrators, and others entrusted with public funds can ...

California Penal Code § 667.61, known as the “One-Strike” law, requires lengthy prison sentences for certain sex offenses when specified aggravating circumstances are alleged and proven. Depending on the offense and circumstances, a conviction can result in 15 years to life, 25 years to life, or,...

Securities fraud allegations can trigger parallel proceedings by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and California authorities. When the same transactions are examined in a federal administrative enforcement action and a California criminal prosecution, a unified strategy must acco...

Constructive possession under California Health and Safety Code §§ 11350 and 11377 can exist without drugs being found on a person's body. Prosecutors must still prove the person knew the controlled substance was present and had control over it, or the right to control it, making shared homes, ya...

California Penal Code § 472 PC makes it a crime to forge, counterfeit, or knowingly possess a fake official public seal with the intent to defraud another party. Because section 472 PC is a "wobbler" offense, prosecutors can charge it as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the scale of ...

California Penal Code § 470a PC makes it a crime to alter, forge, counterfeit, or duplicate a driver's license or identification card with the specific intent to facilitate a fraud. Because section 470a PC is a "wobbler" offense, prosecutors can charge it as either a misdemeanor or a felony depen...

California Penal Code 422.55 PC provides the foundational legal definition of a "hate crime" under state law. It defines a hate crime as any criminal act committed, in whole or in part, because of the victim's actual or perceived protected characteristic—such as race, religion, sexual orientation...

California Penal Code 417.4 PC makes it a crime to exhibit or draw a replica, fake, or imitation firearm in a threatening, angry, or rude manner that causes a reasonable person to fear bodily harm. Designed to address situations where a fake gun creates a real threat of violence or panic, PC 417...

California Penal Code 415.5 PC is a specialized state statute that criminalizes fighting, creating loud and unreasonable noise, or using inherently offensive "fighting words" within any building or on the grounds of a K-12 school, community college, or university. Designed specifically to protect....

Under California Penal Code § 398 PC, the owner or handler of a dog that bites another person is legally required to provide their contact information and the dog's vaccination status to the victim immediately or within 48 hours. Failing to fulfill these post-bite duties constitutes a criminal in...

California Penal Code § 374.3 PC makes it illegal to dispose of garbage, construction materials, dirt, rocks, or other hazardous refuse on public or private property without proper authorization. While non-commercial illegal dumping is classified as a regulatory infraction carrying steep mandator...

California Penal Code § 115 makes it a felony to knowingly procure or offer a false or forged document for filing, registration, or recording in a public office. In commercial real estate, trust administration, and corporate transactions, prosecutors often rely on recorded deeds, assignments, lie...

Willful violation of Cal/OSHA standards resulting in death under California Labor Code § 6425 is a criminal offense involving an employer or person with direction, management, control, or custody of a workplace who willfully violates an occupational safety or health requirement and causes an empl...

California Corporations Code § 25401 prohibits offering or selling securities through written or oral statements that contain material misrepresentations or omit material facts necessary to make those statements not misleading. The statute frequently applies to private placements, startup fundrai...

Receiving stolen property under California Penal Code § 496 involves knowingly receiving, purchasing, concealing, selling, or withholding property that was stolen or obtained through theft or extortion. In intellectual property cases, prosecutors may allege that a person or company received stole...

Insurance fraud under California Penal Code § 550(a)(1) involves knowingly presenting a false or fraudulent claim for payment of a loss, injury, or benefit. When prosecutors allege staged accidents or coordinated schemes involving commercial fleets, executives, or large insurance claims, cases ma...

California Penal Code § 182 makes it a crime for two or more people to agree to commit a criminal act, including fraud, theft, or other offenses, and take an overt act toward carrying out that agreement. In corporate investigations, prosecutors may use conspiracy allegations to connect executives...

California Penal Code § 528.5 makes it a crime to knowingly impersonate another real person through the internet, websites, social media, email, or other electronic means with the intent to harm, intimidate, threaten, defraud, or otherwise cause damage. High-profile investigations frequently invo...

False advertising under California Business & Professions Code § 17500 prohibits knowingly or recklessly making untrue or misleading statements to sell goods or services. Although many violations are resolved through civil enforcement, allegations involving intentional deception, large financial...