People v. PB (Burbank, 2013):
The defendant had just been released on parole for a robbery case when he was charged in an identity theft case. He was allegedly found in possession of others’ profiles, including credit card numbers and social security information. He faced a minimum of 32 months in state prison, but Attorney Allison Margolin convinced the court to strike the strike, release him to a residential program, and suspend prison time.
People v. YY (2013, Beverly Hills Court):
A client was accused of stealing $2,000 from his friend’s room, and his fingerprints were allegedly found on the the window screen of the apartment. Allison Margolin persuaded the district attorney to dismiss the residential burglary strike charge and instead allow the defendant to plead to a commercial burglary wobbler.
People v. Sorority Burglar (LAX, 2013):
Attorney David Poblete subpoenaed a tape of the interrogation of the defendant. Based on the discovery, he convinced the district attorney to drop the charge of a residential burglary that would have been strike. Instead the defendant received a wobbler commercial burglary non-strike. The terms of probation did not include custody.
People v. MA (2013, Ventura):
Attorney Raza Lawrence assisted by Allison Margolin persuaded a Ventura judge to strike an assault with a deadly weapon charge that occurred less than 5 years after the defendant was convicted on two charges of heroin possession and one of heroin transportation. The client faced 12 years in state prison; the DA offered 7 years. After a strong defense by Raza and Allison, he received only 270 days total at half time (135 days). The attorneys mounted a Romero hearing that included testimony from the probation officer from San Diego County who supervised the client’s assault with a deadly weapon probation.
People v. B N (2011,Criminal Court Building)
Attorney Raza Lawrence obtained a dismissal in a case where the client, another attorney, was charged with three counts of possession for sale of cocaine to an undercover federal agent. Raza argued that the agent, a confidential informant, had entrapped the client by promising her friendship with the Saudi prince in exchange for the sale of the cocaine.
People v. ID Theft (2013)
Client was arrested for Identity Theft. Client had a previous strike, increasing his exposure to prison time. In this case, Client was facing 10 years. He was originally offered two years of county jail. Margolin & Lawrence successfully negotiated a deal where Client would be released from county jail and placed in a rehabilitation center for his long standing drug addiction problem.
People v. I.N.C (2013 - Glendale, East LA)
Client was arrested for lewd conduct on two occasions, with potential for sex offender registration, and assault in another. Client has had long standing mental health issues and defense counsel declared a doubt as to his mental competency. The three cases were suspended while he was evaluated by Los Angeles County Mental Health Court and was found to be incompetent and unlikely to gain competency. As a result, all three cases were dismissed.
Airport Court — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided a client’s house after intercepting shipments to him of sassafras oil from Thailand. Federal agents seized a $50,000 vehicle and $30,000 in cash. The case was not filed and Margolin Lawrence recovered the cash and the car.
People v. K (2011)
In Fresno, CA, Client was pulled over by police officers. Upon searching the vehicle police officers found 18 pounds of marijuana. Client was released on bail. While on bail, the Fresno District Attorney’s Office was alerted to his arrest in Northern California for trafficking marijuana. Intervention by Margolin Lawrence led to the dismissal of the Northern California Case. In addition, Client was also suspected of mailing marijuana out of state via the US Postal Service. Margolin Lawrence successfully negotiated a plea agreement with the Fresno District Attorney’s Office for Client to plead to a misdemeanor which can be expunged upon completion of his probation period.
People v. L.C.
Officers of the Los Angeles Police Department raided a local Van Nuys dispensary for possessing marijuana for sale. Upon searching the dispensary, firearms were located along with marijuana. The District Attorney’s office prosecuted Client for possession of marijuana for sale. Attorneys for Margolin and Lawrence brought a motion to suppress in Van Nuys Courthouse stating that there was no probable cause to authorize a search warrant because Client’s dispensary was lawfully operating under California’s Medical Marijuana law. The Court suppressed all evidence in the case, resulting in the dismissal of the case. All money and firearms were returned the the client.