Because the program gives County Sheriffs, such as LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, the authority release incarcerates to home detention or release them early, Romero believes the best solution is to prosecute, prosecute prosecute. A big part of his plan is to ensure that defendants are charged with the most serious charges allowed to ensure that as many offenders as possible will serve their sentences in state prisons.

Some believe this strategy will negate the realignment process altogether. A better strategy, they feel is to focus on rehabilitation.

Still, Cooley said he intends to instruct his prosecutors to throw the heaviest of books at defendants, leaving no stone unturned in their prosecution strategies.  At current, the Los Angeles County DA’s office is also taking the idea of training other jurisdictions how to “get the most out of sentencing” under advisement.

On February 3^rd, Johnson was taken into arrested by the California Department of Insurance and taken to the Lynwood Jail, Los Angeles County’s women’s jail.  If convicted, is facing a maximum sentence of three years in prison.

Apparently, Ms. Johnson was allowed to post bail and was released. Johnson’s arraignment is scheduled for March 4th at the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.

State Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones said, “A bail bond agent who steals from clients in order to use these funds personally is committing a breach of fiduciary duty. Individuals who perpetrate such acts will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to the Department of Insurance, Johnson executed 13 American Surety Co. bail bonds in Los Angeles County between February and April of 2009.

Johnson is being accused of collecting, from 12 of the 13 defendants that she supplied bail for, approximately $34,000 in gross premiums and also failed to remit $5,070 in net premiums. According to Jones, Johnson has kept those funds for her own personal use.

This investigation has also lead to revealing that Johnson also failed to return to court for another 11 bail bonds that totaled to $250,000 with a $3,250 premium.  Those bail bonds have not been located and Johnson has not accounted for them.

Jones said, “Based on past experience, bail bonds that have not been returned by bail agents could have been executed to release suspects from jail and issued to courts without reporting to the surety company, exposing the surety company to losses equal to the bond value, as well a loss of premium.”

Last May is when investigators first learned of the scheme. Johnson met with investigators the following month and surrendered her bail license. Johnson’s case is being prosecuted by the Public Integrity Division of the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.

George Gascon will be the first Latino to be working as San Francisco’s head prosecutor.

Gascon, a former high-ranking official from the LAPD said, “I’m very honored for the opportunity to serve the people of San Francisco in this new role and look forward to continuing to work together with our community and the other partners in the criminal justice system to make San Francisco the safest large city in the U.S.”

According to an interview with Mayor Gavin Newsom, he said after speaking with judges, law enforcement officials and lawyers came to the decision that Gascon was the best prospect and equipped with the necessary skills in order to continue reforms, form close bonds between prosecutors, policemen and leaders within the community.

Newsom also stated, “He has personal integrity and a remarkable capacity to advance reform and build trust in and navigate our diverse community. He has proven himself adept at adapting to political realities, and he’s done it in a way that he’s built even more support in the process.”

Gascon first served three years as the Chief of Police in Mesa, Arizona before relocating to San Francisco. In Arizona, many issues pertaining to illegal immigration and immigration law were top priorities. Once established in San Francisco, Gascon was named by Newsom as the Police Chief in 2009. Gascon is expected to seek out a four-year term in November but for now, is serving the rest of Harris’ term.

Not only does Gascon have vast experience in immigration issues, but he also has experience in the issues of police accountability, community policing and use of force. While working with the LAPD, he has been accredited with using technology as a force to combat crime. Furthermore, when he was serving as the assistant chief for the LAPD, he developed a scientific based strategy to fight crime in which reduced the violent crimes in the city.

The lawsuit details repercussions for Deputy James Mee’s emotional distress, mental suffering as well as damages for the loss of income, medical bills, and benefits. Mee claims his superiors forced him to remove any reference to anti-semitic slurs by Mr. Gibson.  Furthermore, the racial comments and slurs appeared to have been leaked on a celebrity website.

Mee declares that after Gibson’s arrest, he was transferred and has not been eligible for awards since the incident. The lawsuit further states that the department has violated certain policies by avoiding the investigation of the leak of information for 4 years which has inadvertently caused severe damage to Mee and his eligibility to be promoted.

Steve Whitmore, the L.A. Sheriff’s spokesman has denied all allegations. He further stated, “The whole story is not being told in this lawsuit and we look forward to telling it. It has nothing to do with religious discrimination. We categorically deny those allegations.”

During the leak investigation, Mee was suspected for his report leak. The Los Angeles DA’s office reportedly didn’t want to press charges against Mee.

Along with the claims that Mee was to alter his report for the Gibson arrest, his lawsuit also states that a tape existed of Gibson in the booking area and was erased by a sergeant in the department.

Etan Z. Lorant, Mee’s attorney stated that the video had been recorded by a handheld camera and displayed Gibson using religious slurs. Lorant said, “He’s done nothing wrong,” when speaking about Mee’s reputation being in cahoots over this incident and the hopes that the lawsuit will restore it.

Whitmore, in rebuttal, states that nothing from the Gibson case has been destroyed or altered.

The defendant, Ronald Lee Brockway is being charged with two felonies for violating regulations of bail licensing. Brockway, if convicted, will lose his bail license and serve time in a state prison for a maximum sentence of three years and eight months.

According to a news release, Brockman had sent a multitude of emails to various attorneys asking them to take part in his illegal referral scheme. Prosecutors said that Brockman’s emails asked for attorneys to refer his Respect Bail Bond Company to clients, while he in turn would refer his clients to them, which would “increase both of our earnings substantially.” A California bondsman cannot refer to an attorney.

Further, Brockman is accused of conducting business with inmates using flyers mailed to inmates at the Orange County jail with his name, company and contact information, and also the statement “Get out of jail today by calling now!”

Interestingly back in October of 2005, Brockman testified against attorney Joseph Cavallo in a trial conducted under an Orange County Grand Jury hearing that stated he had received payments from Cavallo for referring accused defendants to Cavallo’s attorney office. According to prosecutors, Brockman was not charged for this because his testimony was used in prosecuting other defendants. Attorney Joseph Cavallo, however, was convicted after pleading guilty in October of 2007 with part help from Brockman’s testimony.

The DA’s Bureau of Investigation began the investigation on Brockman after the OC District Attorney received a phone call from a private attorney reporting the delivery of an email detailing Brockman’s illegal bail scheme.

Brockman’s bail is set at $50,000 upon waiting for his arraignment. Seems that Brockman has no Respect for the bail bonds industry.

Tatiana Anjuli Lopez accused deputies of lying  about the details of her arrest, as retaliation for her filing a complaint against them. She and her fiance were arrested in October on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs. 

Lopez’ attorney, Thomas E. Beck, stated, “The crime report was deliberately falsified… The whole case was fabricated against my client.”

The report by the arresting deputy paints one picture, while the radio communications with dispatchers paints another. The Deputy claimed he drove Lopez in his patrol car to the Century Station in (aka Lynwood Jail). The radio reports show a completely different deputy transporting Lopez, according to court documents filed.

Ms. Lopez was in jail for two days, but was later released without further charges. Her fiance, Miguel Amarillas, was also released from a Los Angeles County jail. The D.A. later dropped the case completely.

Surprise! – now he is allegedly in trouble once more.  The Hacienda Heights area ex-cop-turned-bail-bondsman has plead not guilty to charges that he illegally solicited bail from inmates in local jails.  County District Attorney’s officials have accused Lee of no less than six felony counts.  The incidents that led to his arrest supposedly took place at the Van Nuys jail on or about July 27, 2008 and Feb. 10, 2009.

Ironically, Lee does not have to be bailed out of jail himself (good thing, because if he called around and bondsmen knew the charge, he might have a hard time getting out).  He has been released on his own recognizance and is due in Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 23 for a preliminary hearing, DA’s spokeswoman Shiara D vila-Morales confirmed.

“In essence, the defendant is accused of going to the Van Nuys jail and soliciting Korean-speaking arrestees to post their bail,” D vila-Morales elaborated. Edwin Lee has a current bail bond license, speaks fluent Korean and operates his business out of Koreatown, according to the article. It seems to me that the Department of Insurance ought to have that suspended by now.

The charges against the former LAPD police officer include two counts each of approaching prisoners to solicit bail, approaching prisoners to solicit bail inside a jail facility and failing to keep records of these solicitations.

Bail bond agents are legally forbidden to approach people to solicit bail. They can only do so if they have been contacted by the arrestee, a family member, friend or other interested party, first. It is also a separate felony to solicit bail in a jail facility, but since no records were kept of the alleged solicitations, Edwin Lee was not charged for this. 

Simply put, in the bail industry, a client must contact a bail agent. It is illegal for a bondsman to call and offer unrequested services. Calling a family member is perfectly legal if the defendant contacts the bail bondsman first and asks the bondsman to do so. 

If convicted, Lee could end up with a prison sentence that is about three years and eight months long. The case is now being investigated by the DA’s Justice System Integrity Division. (Good - get these unethical bondsmen out of our industry!)