New York, NY Melissa King, former administrator of the Sandhogs’ Union employee benefit funds, was sentenced to six years in prison for embezzling approximately $40 million from the employee benefits funds she administered. According to the 12-count indictment and other documents filed in Manhattan federal court, from September 2002 until December 2008, King was the… Read More
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Auditor Negligence, Fraud, & Details about Cyber-Forensics
Why do auditors often fail to catch fraud? In the last 10 years, large corporate scandals occurring in the US and around the world have resulted in a significant expansion of regulation and professional standards to combat problems surrounding auditor accountability and financial statement fraud. Problem: Regardless of the new regulation, auditor negligence cases involving financial… Read More
A Diplomat’s Domestic Violence Case
Yoshiaki Nagaya, 32, Japan’s vice counsel general in San Francisco was arrested in March after his wife told police he had thrown her from a slow-moving car during an argument in a parking garage near the couple’s San Bruno apartment, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe reported. Yuka Nagaya, said her husband had repeatedly injured her from January… Read More
Is Eyewitness Identification of a Crime Worthless?
Cognitive psychologists have conducted literally thousands of experiments examining factors that might affect the accuracy of eyewitness identifications. Is there reason to be skeptical of a crime victim who points to the defendant in court and says “I’m absolutely sure that’s the robber, I’ll never forget that face”? Yes. Even the most convincing-sounding identifications can… Read More
The Details of Probation in the Criminal Justice System
How does probation work? Probation is a figurative leash that the criminal justice system puts on defendants in lieu of incarceration in jail or prison. Offenders who are put on probation (either instead of or in addition to any other punishment they might receive) are typically required to adhere to a number of conditions of… Read More
John McAfee Avoids Questions of Neighbor’s Murder, Back in the U.S.
American technology pioneer, John McAfee, 67, most known for his anti-virus software, is back in the U.S. after fleeing Belize on suspicion of murder. On November 11, 52-year-old Gregory Faull, McAfee’s neighbor in Belize, was found dead in his home with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. According to a story on… Read More
A Prosecutor’s Failure to Prove Guilt
A prosecutor’s inability to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is the most frequently used defense in criminal cases. What is the most common defense argument? The most common defense argument is that the prosecution has failed to prove the defendant guilty. Because of the constitutional principles that a defendant is presumed innocent and that… Read More
Juvenile Delinquency Case Procedures and Lingo
CASE EXAMPLE: Officer George Wallace sees Ricky Bell, who appears to be a teenage boy, shopping at the local mall on a Wednesday morning. When Officer Wallace stops Ricky and asks him how old he is, Ricky says, “I’m 15.” Ricky then tells Officer Wallace, “I wanted to shop before the mall gets crowded.” Officer Wallace then… Read More
Possible & Alternative Sentences for Drunk Driving in California
What sentences are typically handed down for violating DUI laws? DUI sentences vary greatly depending on factors such as whether it’s a first-time or repeat offense, and whether or not anyone was injured. But, as with most crimes, the typical sentence includes a fine and perhaps a few days of jail time. Convicted defendants may… Read More
California Medical Marijuana
SUMMARY: Fifty-six percent of voters approved Proposition 215 on November 5, 1996. The law took effect the following day. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a “written or oral recommendation” from their physician that he or she “would benefit from medical marijuana.” Patients diagnosed… Read More