In The Media | Los Angeles Criminal Defense Law Firm

Featured in ESPN

Ryan Garcia has vandalism charge from hotel incident dismissed

The vandalism charge against boxing star Ryan Garcia was dismissed Tuesday in connection with a June incident at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Garcia’s attorney, Michael A. Goldstein, told ESPN.

Featured in USA Today

Boxer Ryan Garcia gets lecture from judge and vandalism charge dismissed

Listen to Mr. Goldstein, listen to people who are older because we’ve been around the block a few times, OK? And we know what’s going on. So good luck, son. Garcia, standing next to his attorney, said, Thank you, your honor.

Featured in NBC News

L.A. prosecutors say Killer Mike won’t be charged in alleged Grammy Awards battery

Los Angeles prosecutors said Monday they will not file charges against Atlanta hip-hop artist Killer Mike in an alleged altercation at the Grammy Awards in February.

Featured in TMZ

Killer Mike Will Not Be Charged in Grammys Arrest

Killer Mike’s legal troubles are behind him … ’cause TMZ has learned he’s officially off the hook for his pre-Grammys arrest, as long as he keeps his nose clean. Prosecutors in the L.A. City Attorney’s Office tell us they will not be filing charges against Mike for his confrontation with an event security guard, back in February, which led to…

Featured in E! News

Kanye West’s Lawyer Reacts to Investigation of “Aggressive Stalker” Incident

Kanye West’s attorney Michael A. Goldstein told E! News that he was “satisfied” that battery charges stemming from a January incident with an autograph broker were dropped against the rapper.

Featured in LA Times

L.A. prosecutor declines to charge Kanye West in punching incident

Michael A. Goldstein, West’s attorney, said the rapper appreciated the careful review by the city attorney’s office.“My client made every effort to graciously disengage from an autograph broker whose stalking-like pursuit crossed the line of acceptable behavior. The decision to decline to file criminal charges recognizes my client did nothing wrong,” Goldstein said.

Featured in Washington Post

Prosecutors will not file criminal charges against 2 people at center of Los Angeles racism scandal

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office said Tuesday that it does not plan to file criminal charges against two people who were investigated in connection with the unlawful recording of a racist conversation that rocked City Hall and prompted the city council president to resign after the audio was leaked in 2022.

Featured in Fox News

Lawyer for California woman avoiding jail in marijuana stabbing stands by ‘psychotic’ defense: ‘Not a con job’

Lawyers for the California woman who avoided prison time in the killing her boyfriend after succumbing to a cannabis-induced psychosis are warning that extra potent marijuana strains from providers can have unpredictable and tragic consequences, even in states where the drug is legal.

Featured in New York Post

Girlfriend who stabbed boyfriend 108 times in marijuana-induced episode smoked strain with more than 30% THC

Lawyers for the California woman who avoided prison time after fatally stabbing her boyfriend 108 times in a marijuana-induced psychotic episode have revealed that she consumed a strain of the drug with a THC level of more than 30% — significantly higher than the average dose.

Featured in LA Times

Woman gets probation for fatal stabbing during weed-induced psychosis

A Thousand Oaks woman who faced the prospect of life in prison if convicted of the stabbing death of a man she was dating was sentenced Tuesday to two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service after arguing that she was on a cannabis-induced psychosis during the killing.

Featured in Telemundo

Julio César Chávez Jr. sale de prisión tras pagar fianza y deberá ir a rehabilitación

El exboxeador se declaró inocente en su primera audiencia y fue puesto en libertad luego de pagar 50,000 dólares. Sus abogados dijeron a los medios de comunicación que “cualquier cosa puede pasar”.

Featured in LA Times

Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. will be released from custody, enter rehab program

Former boxing world champion Julio César Chávez Jr. was released from custody on $50,000 bail Thursday after being arrested and charged with illegal possession of an assault rifle Sunday at his Sherman Oaks home, his lawyers said.

Featured in Bloomberg

‘Superman’ Forced to Surrender Crypto in ATM Laundering Bust

The U.S. has seized about $1.25 million worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum cryptocurrency from a California man as part of his sentencing to two years in prison for illegally exchanging as much as $25 million in person and through Bitcoin ATM kiosks — some of it for criminals.

Featured in CNN

Former NBA G League player confessed to kidnapping and killing missing woman in Las Vegas, police say

Chance Comanche, a former player with the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings, confessed to kidnapping and killing a Washington state woman with his ex-girlfriend in Las Vegas earlier this month, according to police.

Featured in AP News

LA police: 1 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at shopping center

One person is dead and three others were injured in a shooting during a drug deal outside a Los Angeles shopping center Saturday, police said.

Featured in LA Times

Police investigating City Hall audio leak search home of two labor federation staffers

Los Angeles police officers recently searched the Eagle Rock home of two people who have worked at the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, as part of their investigation into a secret audio recording that dramatically upended City Hall politics last year.

Featured in LA Times

Gov. Newsom signs bill restricting use of rap lyrics in criminal trials

Musicians in California can breathe easier about their lyrics putting them at risk in court. On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, which limits the ways an artist’s lyrics can be used against them as evidence in criminal cases.

Featured in LA Times

Nicki Minaj’s husband gets home confinement for failing to register as a sex offender

Kenneth Petty, the husband of rapper Nicki Minaj, will not serve prison time for failing to register in California as a sex offender.

Featured in USA Today

Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty on probation, house arrest for not registering as sex offender

Kenneth Petty, husband to rapper Nicki Minaj, has been sentenced to probation and house arrest for failing to register as a sex offender, NBC and CBS Los Angeles report. Petty is also ordered to pay a $55,000 fine, in addition to spending three years on probation and a year in home detention, according to the local news outlets.

Featured in Sports Illustrated

Bru McCoy’s Attorney Speaks, District Attorney Office Declines to File Criminal Charges

USC wide receiver Bru McCoy will not face criminal charges following an intimate partner violence with injury arrest on July 24. McCoy’s attorney Michael A. Goldstein provided a statement to All Trojans regarding the wide receiver’s legal incident.

Featured in LA Times

DA declines to file charges against USC receiver Bru McCoy

USC receiver Bru McCoy won’t face criminal charges after the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to file a case following his arrest last month on suspicion of felony intimate partner violence.

Featured in ESPN

USC Trojans wide receiver Bru McCoy won’t face charges after July arrest, according to attorney

USC wide receiver Bru McCoy will not face criminal charges stemming from a felony domestic violence arrest on July 24. “The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office has declined to file any criminal charges against Bru McCoy,” said Michael Goldstein, McCoy’s attorney, in a statement on Wednesday to ESPN.

Featured in NBC San Diego

SD Doctor Gets Supervised Release for Writing Fake Prescriptions

A San Diego dermatologist has been sentenced for writing fraudulent prescriptions. The doctor got time served and one year of federal supervised release for writing prescriptions of oxycodone, Xanax, and Ambien for friends and his wife.

Featured in Southern District of California

Medical Doctor and Wife Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Acquire Controlled Substances by Fraud and Deception

Dr. Cole and his wife, pleaded guilty yesterday to prescription drug-related charges, admitting that they conspired to obtain scheduled pharmaceutical drugs commonly known as Percocet, Xanax and Ambien by submitting fraudulent prescriptions to pharmacies as if they were valid.

Featured in LA Times

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey moves to wipe 66,000 marijuana convictions

Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey on Thursday announced the dismissal of 66,000 marijuana convictions in L.A. County. The move, which comes years after California voters legalized weed, undoes decades of drug enforcement that disproportionately targeted people of color.

Featured in Daily Bulletin

Prosecutors file charges against Pomona homicide suspect

Los Angeles County prosecutors filed murder charges Wednesday against a Pomona man suspected of fatally shooting another man who was found in the roadway with gunshot wounds last weekend.

Featured in Artnet News

LAPD Is Reportedly Investigating Street Artist for Vandalizing a Gallery That Declined to Include His Work in Its Show

According to a report on TMZ, the just-opened Maddox Gallery in West Hollywood was tagged with graffiti over the weekend—and law enforcement sources told the entertainment website that RETNA is the suspect.

Featured in High Snobiety

Artist Smashes Sculptures, Trashes Art Gallery in Los Angeles

Around a month ago, Justin Bieber unveiled the album art for his forthcoming studio album Purpose, featuring prominent graphic contributions from graffiti artist Retna.

Featured in The Blast

Giada De Laurentiis Gets Permanent Restraining Order Against Obsessive Fan

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has been granted a five-year restraining order against a fan who has harassed her online, shown up to confront her in person, and claimed to be the father of her child.

Featured in Complex

Sosamann Says Human Trafficking Case Has Been Dismissed

Sosamann was arrested in late May for human trafficking, following a prostitution sting in Los Angeles. Two women reportedly told authorities he and others lured them to the West Coast with promises of the high life; but upon their arrival, they were forced into prostitution and had no way out.

Featured in Complex

ASAP Bari Avoids Jail Time in Pennsylvania Weed Case

TMZ, citing comments from the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office, reported early Wednesday that Bari recently appeared in court to plead guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.

Featured in CNN

Police seize almost 7,000 pounds of cannabis from a truck. But the company that bought it says it’s all legal

Idaho State Police says it seized 6,701 pounds of illicit marijuana from a truck passing through the state last month. The Colorado company that bought the plants in Oregon says it’s legal hemp. But the truck driver caught in the middle is now facing felony marijuana trafficking charges.

Featured in LA Times

‘Stop-and-frisk in a car:’ Elite LAPD unit disproportionately stopped black drivers, data show

To combat a surge in violent crime, the Los Angeles Police Department doubled the size of its elite Metropolitan Division in 2015, creating special units to swarm crime hot spots.

Featured in LA Times

L.A. Mayor Garcetti calls for audit of elite LAPD unit over stops of black drivers

Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday called for an audit of stops by the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Metropolitan Division in response to a Times investigation showing the unit pulled over black drivers at disproportionately high rates.

Featured in LA Times

Garcetti orders LAPD to scale back vehicle stops amid concerns over black drivers being targeted

Mayor Eric Garcetti has ordered Los Angeles police to scale back on vehicle stops in response to an investigation by the Los Angeles Times showing that an elite unit was pulling over a disproportionate number of African Americans.

Featured in LA Times

Man choked by off-duty L.A. firefighter wins $7.4-million settlement

A man choked unconscious by an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter convicted of assault but never jailed will receive a $7.4-million settlement in connection with the attack, his attorney said.

Featured in Washington Post

Man choked by LA firefighter to get $7.4 million

A man who was choked unconscious by an off-duty Los Angeles firefighter who saw him handing out Halloween candy to children will receive $7.4 million to settle a lawsuit, his attorney announced Wednesday.

Featured in Billboard

Paris Jackson Granted Restraining Order Against Alleged Stalker

Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson has been granted a temporary restraining order against a man she says has been stalking her.

Featured in The Sun

Man shot by San Bernardino police after he crashes into vehicle, reportedly pulls firearm at officers

A man who police said was acting erratically and huffing aerosol was rushed into surgery after he was shot by San Bernardino police officers Thursday night.

Featured in KTLA

Suspected DUI Driver Who Allegedly Refused to Drop Gun Shot by Police in San Bernardino

A man who allegedly crashed into parked vehicles while possibly driving intoxicated following a fight with his girlfriend was shot by police in San Bernardino Thursday night, officials said.

Featured in Idaho Press

Two men face trafficking felony for transporting alleged hemp plant

A trial date looms for two men charged with drug trafficking in marijuana for transporting what they say were immature hemp plants from one out-of-state farm to another.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

4-year auto theft, insurance scam investigation leads to arrests

A four-year investigation ended Friday with 12 arrests, and more expected, in connection with a million-dollar auto theft ring that allegedly ripped off car dealerships and insurance companies in the Los Angeles area.

Featured in Daily Breeze

Driver charged with murder in Gardena road-rage crash that killed motorcyclist

A Hawthorne motorist was charged with murder Tuesday for allegedly forcing a 21-year-old motorcyclist off a Gardena street and into building last week, killing him, police said.

Featured in NBC Los Angeles

Road Rage Appears to Have Led to Deadly Crash

Road rage appears to have led to a collision and crash into a storefront that killed a motorcyclist Thursday in Gardena and resulted in a 24-year-old man’s arrest on suspicion of murder, police said.

Featured in BBC

Paris Jackson receives restraining order after alleged stalker mentions a shotgun

A judge granted a temporary restraining order against Mr Stevens until another hearing takes place on 24 July. It’s claimed that he once waited to see Paris at the recording studio for 15 hours. It’s also alleged that when the model’s friend confronted the alleged stalker and called police, Mr Stevens told Paris that “by midnight it will all be…

Featured in AltPress

The Used File Restraining Order Against Former Guitarist

The Used have filed a restraining order against their former guitarist Justin Shekoski, TMZ reports. Shekoski parted ways with the band a few months ago over “artistic differences.” According to documents obtained by TMZ, Shekoski has threatened violence against his former bandmates and allegedly threatened

Featured in Loudwire

Slash Gets Restraining Order Against Attempted Party Crasher

Slash is dealing with a bit of a scary situation, as he’s been granted a restraining order against a man who keeps showing up at his house uninvited. The individual has apparently been acting both threateningly and violently.

Featured in Ventura County Star

Christian author pleads guilty in sex case involving girl

Christian author and motivational speaker William “Bill” Heatley pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual battery and sending harmful material to a minor.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Two Who Allegedly Staged Deadly Freeway Crash Are Arrested

Two people suspected of being members of an insurance fraud ring have been charged with staging an accident on the Long Beach Freeway that killed a Santa Ana family of three, officials said Friday.

Featured in San Diego Union Tribube

LA murder suspect freed over coerced confession

A man on trial for murder had his case thrown out and became a free man Saturday after a judge determined that police coerced him into confessing. Jurors were to begin deliberations in the murder trial of Edward Arch when Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Harvey Giss granted a defense request to dismiss the case because of a lack…

Featured in CBS Los Angeles

Sheriff’s Custody Assistant Arrested For Trying To Bring Cocaine Into Men’s Central Jail

Authorities say they’ve arrested one of their own for trying to distribute cocaine in Men’s Central Jail.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Man charged with killing ex-girlfriend’s dog found not guilty

A man accused of killing a former girlfriend’s dog and dumping the small Maltese in a West Hills trash bin was found not guilty Thursday.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

‘The Sandlot’ actor among two off-duty L.A. firefighters charged in Halloween assault

Two Los Angeles firefighters, including a man who starred in the 1993 baseball film “The Sandlot,” have been charged in an assault that took place while they were off-duty and attending a Halloween party, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Featured in Rolling Stone

Chief Keef Arrested on Assault and Robbery Charges

Chief Keef was arrested Thursday evening in Los Angeles in connection with a home invasion of his former producer, Ramsay tha Great. The LAPD confirmed Ramsay was robbed at gunpoint at his house on January 19th, and the producer accused Keef with assaulting him during the incident, NBC Los Angeles reports.

Featured in NBC Los Angeles

Chief Keef Arrested in Home Invasion Robbery

Rapper Chief Keef was arrested at his lavish Tarzana home in connection with a violent armed home invasion involving his former music producer. Beverly White reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Rapper Chief Keef arrested in armed robbery at producer’s home

The rapper known as Chief Keef was arrested Thursday in connection with a home invasion robbery that occurred last week at the home of his former music producer, Ramsay Tha Great, according to the victim and authorities.

Featured in NBC

Firefighter, Last of 3 Defendants, Pleads No Contest in Halloween Night Assault Case

Michael A. Goldstein, Carpenter’s attorney told NBC News his client is relieved that the case has been resolved. “As confident as we were that jury would have ultimately acquitted Mr. Carpenter, we realize that there always risks associated with trial and appreciate the hard work and consideration the District Attorney put into this case and the fact that they carefully…

Featured in TMZ

BRITTNY GASTINEAU’S EX-BF ARTIST ARRESTED FOR PAP SLAPPING

Street artist Retna — who had a brutal fight with Gastineau last year — was leaving the West Hollywood restaurant Monday night when he got into an argument with an independent paparazzo … not one of our guys.

Featured in Complex

Chief Keef Will Not Face Criminal Charges in Armed Home Invasion Case

Back in January 2017, Chief Keef was arrested on charges of robbery and assault after being accused of breaking into the home of his ex-music producer, Ramsay Tha Great, and assaulting him with a group of other men.

Featured in Spin

Chief Keef Robbery and Assault Case Thrown Out by D.A.

Chief Keef is no longer facing robbery, assault, and home invasion charges connected to an alleged incident that occurred in late January of last year

Featured in Pitchfork

Chief Keef Home Invasion Charges Dropped: Report

Keef was arrested for “suspicion of home invasion robbery” in January 2017

Featured in Billboard

Master P, Brother Face Trial On Gun Charges

Rapper Master P and his brother, rapper Silkk the Shocker, were ordered yesterday (Feb. 27) to stand trial on weapons charges stemming from their arrest last year in Los Angeles, after police said the

Featured in CBS NEWS

U.S. Marshals Agent Arrested In Burbank For Brandishing Gun

An agent with the U.S. Marshals Service was arrested this week in downtown Burbank after reportedly brandishing a handgun at another man while intoxicated.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Holes found in tale of alleged shooting during iPhone sale

Defense attorney Michael A. Goldstein said the dismissal came after he unearthed video evidence that undermines the victim’s account of the shooting. He said his client, a 20-year-old with no criminal record, was both thrilled and relieved by the dismissal. Goldstein credited prosecutors for dropping the case but criticized police for not doing more earlier to follow up on Soria’s…

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Veteran LAPD detective sharply criticized plea deal for firefighter in Halloween assault case

Goldstein has repeatedly criticized the work of the Robbery-Homicide Division, saying detectives failed to interview witnesses who refuted Chang’s claim of being chased and harassed by Carpenter and the other men before he was restrained.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

‘Bling ring’ member is released from county jail

A 19-year-old Calabasas woman sentenced to six months in jail for burglarizing actor Orlando Bloom’s Hollywood Hills home was released from jail Friday night after serving less than a month of her sentence.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Calabasas reality show star pleads no contest to felony in ‘bling ring’ case

An 18-year-old Calabasas woman who pursued fame on a cable TV reality show after being prosecuted for her role in the “bling ring” celebrity burglary case agreed Monday to plead no contest to a single count of first-degree residential burglary.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

‘Bling ring’ confession helped break celebrity burglary case

Court records show that a suspect charged in eight of the crimes gave police a statement implicating several others in the thefts at the homes of Hollywood’s young celebrities.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Drug dealer who allegedly helped ‘bling ring’ sell off luxury items pleads no contest

Authorities say Jonathan Ajar was the fence for property stolen in at least 10 burglaries at the homes of young celebrities. He will be sentenced to three years in prison.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Plea deals in works for defendants in ‘bling ring’ celebrity burglaries case

Surveillance Camera Picture From Lohan Break InThe district attorney’s office will offer plea deals to alleged members of the “bling ring,” the circle of friends accused of burglarizing the homes of young Hollywood celebrities, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Featured in FOX NEWS

Justice Department Announces $45 Million Multi-Ton Drug Bust Targeting Mexican Organization

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the largest drug bust in 10 years as it rounded up more than 400 members of a Mexico-based cartel distributing tons of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines in the United States.

Featured in Department of Justice

Investigation of Major Mexican Drug Trafficking Organization Results in Hundreds of Arrests Nationwide

$45 Million in Cash and 18 Tons of Illegal Drugs Seized in “Operation Imperial Emperor”

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Luxury items seized at homes of ‘bling ring’ suspects

An LAPD search warrant affidavit shows that police found cut diamonds, jewelry, designer perfume, a pistol and other merchandise allegedly stolen from young celebrities.

Featured in E News

Burglar Bunch’s Alleged Ringleader Won’t Fess Up Just Yet

“Mr. Ajar has refused to point the finger at anybody,” Michael A. Goldstein told E! News. “He’s going to worry about himself. Nicholas Prugo decided to take that course.”

Featured in TMZ

Johnny Dangerous — I’m No Snitch!

Ajar’s attorney, Michael A. Goldstein, tells TMZ: “While Mr. Prugo continues to implicate others … Ajar is sitting in custody and has not pointed the finger at anybody. He understands his minimal role in this mess.”

Featured in Inland Empire Weekly

Scape-Vote

Mark Jacoby, a Laguna Beach resident arrested in Ontario last year on felony voter-registration fraud charges, has pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count and sentenced to 30 days of Caltrans service and three years probation.

Featured in Vanity Fair

The Suspects Wore Louboutins

The most audacious burglary gang in recent Hollywood history—accused of stealing more than $3 million in clothing and jewelry from Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and other stars—appears to be a bunch of club-hopping Valley kids, motivated by vanity and celebrity-worship.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Man Acquitted of Murder in Fatal Ambush Case

Von Raymond Pledger, charged with murder after a man involved in the ambushing of two anti-gang police officers was killed, was acquitted Friday after four days of jury deliberations. He had spent 10 months in jail.

Featured in Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles judge finds confession was coerced, frees murder defendant

“I’ve been a criminal defense attorney for over 35 years and handled well over a hundred murder cases, and I’ve never had a judge grant a motion like this,” said Arch’s attorney, James Goldstein. “I don’t believe it was the officers’ intent to extract a false confession, but the tactics they used greatly increased the risk of that occurring.”