Recently in Other Felonies Category

After a 15-month investigation, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office has formally accused Councilman Richard Alarcon of lying about where he lived and illegally claiming that a Panorama City house was his residence. Prosecutors say that this was done so that he could run for an office that represents the Pacoima and Sylmar neighborhoods.

Many people may not realize that such a lie can be considered a felony offense. According to KTLA News, Richard Alarcon was charged with 18 felony counts, which include perjury and voter fraud. The councilman's wife has also been charged with three counts of perjury and three counts of voter fraud.

Long-time residents of Los Angeles County may never be able to forget the 2007 Malibu Corral Canyon fire that burned 4,900 acres and destroyed 53 homes. However, authorities have so far been able to link five men to the starting of the illegal fire.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the five men have been accused of illegally starting a campfire in a Malibu hills cave. The campfire soon turned into large flames due to the strong Santa Ana winds, which led the fire to spread out of control. An investigation showed that when the fire blew out of control, the men did not report the incident.

A Los Angeles woman was charged with wire fraud, witness tampering, and making false statements to the FBI last January, after she was accused of hiring a man to create a fake Pablo Picasso painting, which she ended up selling for $2 million. Associated Press reports that the defendant, Tatiana Khan, could have faced up to 25 years in prison for the charges. But with her skilled Los Angeles criminal attorney, she was able to get away with doing much less time.

With this case, the Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer proved to be very helpful because the attorney was able to establish a plea deal with prosecutors. Through the plea agreement that was filed last month, Tatiana Khan pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI and witness tampering.

Glynn Johnson, a former Los Angeles County assistant fire chief, is hated by many animal lovers in the Riverside community because of his criminal case. His criminal case involves beating a puppy. The Los Angeles Times reports that the man was recently sentenced to 90 weekend days in jail and three years' probation for felony animal cruelty charges. The court also ordered Mr. Johnson to do 400 hours of community service with dogs and take anger management classes.

Prosecutors said that Mr. Johnson killed a 6-month-old Shepherd mix by beating the dog with a 12-pound rock. It was reported that the dog belonged to his neighbors and that he was upset with the pet's noise and neighborhood disturbance. The case has gotten the attention of many animal rights activists in the community. Protesters had rallied in front of the district attorney's office to prosecute Mr. Johnson in the weeks that led up to his arrest.

Not only is animal cruelty inhumane, but it's also against the law.

The Los Angeles Times reports that 46-year-old David Plumamena was arrested last Saturday in downtown Los Angeles after he allegedly tried to sell animals that were malnourished and held in cramped cages. Los Angeles police officers found the man with 35 miniature rabbits, 79 turtles, six iguanas and a parrot.

The LAPD officers say that they saw Mr. Plumamena putting caged animals along the sidewalk in the 1200 block of Wall Street. They believe that the man had intended to sell them. Mr. Plumamena was then arrested and booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. Now, it looks like the man will need help from a skilled Los Angeles criminal defense attorney so that he can get the best defense possible.

A 22-year-old was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism last week after the man allegedly scratched graffiti onto an aquatic center door in Commerce, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The suspect, Joshua Vasquez of East Los Angeles, probably was unaware that there were actually 100 law enforcement officers inside the glass building that he was allegedly vandalizing.

"Looking at the door later on, it turns out we could see him, but he couldn't see us," Capt. Mike Parker told ABC News. "It would appear he picked the wrong room to vandalize."

Walter Loustari, a criminal attorney in Los Angeles County, was convicted last week of possessing child pornography and possessing an assault rifle. Now the criminal attorney faces up to three years and eight months in state prison.

Loustari was arrested without incident at his law office in La Canada on a felony complaint charging him with possessing child pornography and an assault weapon last October. He was charged after a three year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Glendale Police Department. The 58-year-old defendant entered a no contest plea before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Ryan, before he was convicted of the crimes last Friday.

A 69 year old woman is being charged with wire fraud, witness tampering, and making false statements to the FBI because she allegedly sold a fake Picasso drawing.

Investigators believe Tatiana Khan, owner of Chateau Allegre gallery on La Cienega Boulevard, hired an artist to fabricate a 1902 pastel drawing by Picasso called "La Femme Au Chapeau Blue," also known in English as "The Woman in the Blue Hat." She allegedly tricked an artist into drawing a replica of the drawing, according to the Los Angeles Times.