Archive for the 'Celebrity Arrests' Category

The Securities and Exchange Commission unveiled conspiracy charges against brokerage firm Cohmad Securities and four individuals with securities fraud in association with Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, the Washington Post reports.

Cohmad is being charged as providing “feeder funds” into Madoff’s decades-long scam that defrauded thousands of investors out of billions of dollars.

Madoff, who faces sentencing today in a Manhattan court, claims to have acted alone. However, authorities doubt that claim, and are attempting to file charges against all members of the monumental conspiracy.

Madoff, who pleaded guilty to 11 charges on March 12, could face 150 years in prison for his role in the securities fraud, and may have to pay back as much as $171 billion, according to CNN.

Madoff’s defense attorney has asked the judge for a 12 year sentence.

When Michael Jackson died unexpectedly June 25, there were two points that summed up his obituary: He was a million-selling mega-superstar, and his personal life was sketchy at best.

Jackson’s alleged criminal history found him under investigation for child abuse twice. A 1993 case was dropped without formal charges being filed, while a 2005 case resulted in Jackson being acquitted of all charges.

1993 Case

In 1993, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office began its investigation of Jackson following allegations of sexual abuse by Evan Chandler, the father of Jordan Chandler, a 13-year-old boy who Jackson had befriended.

Prior to the allegations, Jackson was rumored to be living with the Chandler family, and was close friends with Jordan, a fan he had met in 1992.

The District Attorney’s office searched Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, and the Jackson family’s home, but was unable to turn up incriminating evidence.

Famously, the District Attorney’s office examined Jackson in the nude, following testimony from Jordan Chandler about the appearance of his genitalia. While the description was allegedly similar, it was not close enough to be used as evidence.

Two days after the investigation, Jackson issued a statement by satellite from his Neverland Ranch, describing his disgust at the proceedings and the mass media, and affirming his innocence.

After having developed a drug addiction from the stress of the proceedings, and weary of the media, Jackson eventually settled out of court with the Chandler family. Unable to secure Jordan Chandler’s testimony, the prosecution ceased its investigation without formally issuing any charges.

Bashir Documentary

The majority of Michael’s fans, and America at large, believed Jackson’s claims of innocence. However, his reputation was tarnished.

In 2002, British journalist Martin Bashir began filming a documentary, Living with Michael Jackson, that interviewed and followed Jackson around over a period of 8 months, from May 2002 to January 2003.

Airing in February 2003, the documentary immediately drew speculation and re-fanned the flames surrounding Jackson’s relationship with children.

In particular, Michael was accompanied by a 13-year-old boy, Gavin Arvizo, throughout most of the film, and Jackson spoke about sharing his bed with Arvizo and other boys.

People vs. Jackson

Following the broadcast, Santa Barbara District Attorney Thomas Sneddon, the same man who investigated Jackson 10 years earlier, indicted Jackson and his aides on charges of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion.

In June, 2003, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department began its investigation of Jackson. In November, more than 70 members of the DA’s office and Sheriff’s department arrived at Neverland Ranch with a search warrant — the largest “raid” in American history that wasn’t for a murderer of serial killer.

On November 20, Jackson flew from Las Vegas, where he was performing, to Santa Barbara for a voluntary arrest.

In a following press conference, Sneddon was quoted as saying “We got him. We finally got him,” despite the fact that the investigation had only just begun, leading many the believe Sneddon had a vendetta against Jackson.

In 2004, Jackson was arraigned, and pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him (after which he hopped onto his car and began dancing for his fans). A grand jury unveiled the charges against Jackson and five co-conspirators, setting the stage for his jury trial.

Jury Trial

Jackson’s jury trial began on February 28, 2005.

The judge allowed the prosecution to present evidence that Jackson had a habitual criminal mindset, with evidence from the 1993 investigation being submitted in addition to evidence from the current proceedings.

Both the prosecution and the criminal defense called a wide range of witnesses: five men who alleged that Jackson had abused them as boys testified for the prosecution; Jay Leno and Macaulay Caulkin, among others, testified for the defense.

Finally, after all the evidence was considered, the jury returned its verdict on June 13, 2005: not guilty on all 10 counts.

The investigation and trial lasted for 574 days.

Once again, although Jackson was never convicted of any crimes, the view of Jackson as an alleged criminal was one that could not be eliminated. In the years before his death, Jackson became increasingly reclusive, even moving to Bahrain. Jackson returned to the spotlight while planning a massive farewell tour before his death from cardiac arrest at age 50.

Read more about Jackson’s civil lawsuits.

Famed music producer Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison today, according to Reuters.

Spector was found guilty April 13 of second degree murder in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson.

Doron Weinberg, Spector’s criminal defense attorney, has vowed to appeal the conviction.

The conviction came after a 2007 mistrial, in which the hung jury could not reach a verdict after 15 days of deliberation. The jury in the current trial deliberated for 30 hours before reaching its guilty verdict.

The prosecution’s case included the testimony of five women who illustrated Spector’s history of threatening women with guns. The defense says this testimony should have been inadmissible, and negatively influenced the jury.

The sentence includes California’s minimum 15 years for the second-degree murder charge, plus an additional 4 years for the use of a gun in the commission of a felony.

Spector, 69, will be eligible for parole in 2028.

O.J. Simpson’s criminal defense attorneys are appealing 2008 conviction for armed robbery and kidnapping, claiming that his trial was “fundamentally unfair,” according to Reuters.

Simpson was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison for his attempted robbery in a Las Vegas hotel, in which Simpson and five other men tried to recover memorabilia from his NFL career and 1995 murder trial.

In their 47-page brief to the Nevada Supreme Court, Simpson’s attorneys allege that Simpson was not allowed a fair trial, citing insufficient evidence, the admittance of hearsay, and an un-diverse jury.

The appeal also claims that Judge Jackie Glass allowed the trial to be tainted by Simpson’s previous trial and acquital for the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

The Nevada Supreme Court will review the appeal, and either grant or deny Simpson the right to retrial.

Simpson is currently serving out his sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada, and will be eligible for parole in 2017.

CNN reports that Michael Vick left federal prison this morning, after serving 21 months out of his 23-month sentence.

Vick will serve the remainder of his sentence confined in his Virginia home. He was sentenced in August 2007 for bankrolling a dogfighting operation out of his home that crossed state lines.

Vick’s defense attorneys will now turn their attention to his bankruptcy case. Vick allegedly owes between $750,000 and $1 million to creditors.

A federal judge denied Vick’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan last month.

Vick will be working for a Newport, Va., construction firm following his release, and will receive a $600,000 fee for taking part in a documentary, according to the CNN story.

Vick’s agents are confident that the former quarterback will return to the NFL, possibly as soon as September, though there is no word on which team he might be playing for.

It’s been a wild week for the press as they try to hunt down details on the charges brought against music pop star Chris Brown.

Brown was arrested on a felony domestic abuse charges the night before the Grammy Awards. He did not appear as scheduled on that show, and he has canceled a slew of concerts and appearances in the wake of the arrest.

Increasing attention are the widespread rumors that the victim of the alleged assault was his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. The police have not yet identified the assault victim.

The media frenzy is already going in full force, and many advertisers sponsoring Brown have dropped him.

How has Brown reacted? By exercising some of his criminal rights. First, he hired a famous criminal defense attorney that previously represented Michael Jackson.

Not everyone charged with a crime may be able to hire a top gun lawyer. But anyone accused of a crime does have the right to legal counsel. And while the court of public opinion may carry on, Brown, like every U.S. citizen, has rights to a speedy trial by jury, among others.

If you’ve been charged with a violent crime, or are facing any criminal charges, remember that you still have rights. Many people, like Brown, choose to exercise their rights by seeking the help of a criminal defense attorney.

According to an AP story, a young man dressed as The Joker—complete with purple suit, green dyed hair and clown face paint—was apprehended by local police inside a Three Rivers, Michigan movie theater last Sunday. Like his cinematic counterpart, 20-year-old Spencer Taylor was making mischief: police caught him trying to take movie posters and other “The Dark Knight” paraphernalia in the theater lobby.

The story states that Taylor will be arraigned on August 5.  Just a thought: Mr. Taylor may want to call in legal defense from Georgia District Attorney Paul Howard, a.k.a. “Superlawyer.” Howard even has his own cape.

For more unusual criminal defense cases, visit the Total Criminal Defense articles page.

Facing 15 years in prison in conjunction with charges stemming from a video that allegedly showed him engaging in sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl, R & B singer R. Kelly escaped penalty as the jury acquitted him of all child pornography charges after deliberating less than one day.

Defense attorney for Kelly were apparently able to successfully convince the jury of Kelly’s claims that he was not the man who appears in the video—questions were also raised about the identity and age of the female, since the alleged victim denies that the girl in the tape is her.

Neither Kelly nor the victim testified in the trial.

ESPN reports that PGA golfer Tripp Isenhour was taping a television golf show when a local hawk on the golf course became irascible, distracting him and forcing a retake.  Isenhour responded by whacking a few golf balls at the bird.  The 7th golf ball was the culprit: this ball nailed the red-shouldered hawk in the head, killing it instantly.

Now Isenhour faces Charges of animal cruelty and killing a migratory bird.  In an apology statement released through his company SFX Golf, Isenhour claimed to be “an animal lover,” citing three cats that his family owned from a local shelter as evidence of his naturally sympathetic nature toward animals.

Well, well, well. Barry Bonds, formerly of the San Franscico Giants, is facing charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a federal grand jury about his steroid use.

Some sources like Bonds’ case to Michael Vick’s, speculating that Vick’s recent 23-month sentence could be the beginning of a trend: many legal experts predicted a shorter jail stint for the former NFL star. Could Vick’s sentencing have been the beginning of a trend of taking criminal offenses committed by celebrities more seriously?

Both athletes hired teams of crackerjack criminal defense attorneys. Both got in legal trouble at high points in their careers. And, if Bonds’ trial goes anything like Vick’s, both will be held legally accountable for their actions, despite their superstar status.