Southern California’s Premier Defense Attorney

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We have handled thousands of cases successfully. 

We will fight to have these charges dismissed and/or reduced through court negotiations and trial if necessary.

We care deeply about our client’s best interests and will fight hard to keep all clients charged with theft related crimes out of jail. 

It many cases even when the evidence is stacked against you we can get alternatives to jail such as community service, work release or home confinement.  We can achieve this through our tremendous experience and local court contacts in Southern California

We are also experts at cleaning up theft related convictions.  This allows our clients to pass background checks and get the jobs they deserve in the future.

The most important thing that you can do is to call immediately if you have been charged with a theft crime so that our firm can have the opportunity to attempt to head off criminal charges before they are filed with local prosecutors.

CIVIL COMPROMISE

In some cases we can negotiate dismissal of charges by negotiating with the alleged victim of the crime.  This is called a civil compromise.

Prosecutors and the Judges, however, must agree to the civil compromise before the charges will be dismissed even if the victim is willing to dismiss the charges. 

At Koch & Associates we pride ourselves on having local court connections to better assist us in persuading judges and prosecutors to agree to civil compromises.

Even if civil compromises do not lead to actual dismissal of the alleged charges they almost always help in reducing penalties of these theft type cases.  After all, if the alleged victim is agreeable to dismiss the case then why punish the defendant harshly?

It is important to remember, however, that the civil compromise is most effective when used early in the proceedings; hopefully before the local prosecutors have filed charges.  If the local prosecutor sees the civil compromise while assessing whether to file charges then there is greater chance that charges will not be filed at all.

Southern California’s Premier Defense Attorney

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SHOPLIFTING AND PETTY THEFT

Petty theft, Penal Code 488, and shoplifting, Penal Code 484, cases are typically filed as misdemeanors unless the defendant has a history of prior convictions for these types of cases.  In these situations these cases may be filed as felonies.

In these cases the loss is almost always less than $400.  If the loss is greater than $400 then the case will likely be filed as Grand Theft which is usually charged as a felony.

Our firm is excellent at mitigating penalties for these types of cases.  Most of our clients for these cases will never have to go to court.  We will listen to what happened to you during our free consultation.  During this time we will take detailed notes to assist our attorneys in negotiating for you in court.  After negotiations we will contact our clients to have a one on one meeting with one of our attorneys who has analyzed the case and will be able to explain what was negotiated on the case.

These cases can be defeated in court with proper investigation and court knowledge.  Our firm has the ability and desire to fight these cases in trial at a reasonable price depending on the facts of your case.

GRAND THEFT

Grand Theft, Penal Code section 487, is charged when it is alleged that the defendant took something of more than $400 from the victim.

These are more serious cases and are normally charged as felonies.  However, these cases can be reduced to misdemeanors through court negotiations.  Local attorneys such as ours can be highly effective in getting misdemeanors on these types of cases depending on the defendant’s prior criminal history.

These are serious charges.  It is not advisable to go to court without proper representation.

On felony charges defendants must always appear in court.  However, rest assured that an experienced attorney from our firm will be right at your side in court to fight for your rights and minimize penalties.  Depending on the facts of your case, we will be happy to fight the case at jury trial for a reasonable rate.

PENALTIES

Typically the maximum penalty for misdemeanor theft charges range from 6 months to 1 year in county jail.  If the case is elevated to a felony, then the maximum penalty is up to 3 years in prison for an individual theft related charge.

COMMERCIAL BURGLARY

Commercial Burglary is charged when the prosecutor thinks that the defendant entered a store with the intent to steal.  These cases can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies. 

These charges are more serious than the petty theft and shoplifting type of charges.

Through proper investigation and negotiation these types of charges can be thrown out by our firm.

If the case is filed as a misdemeanor our clients will typically not need to go to court.

EMBEZZLEMENT

Embezzlement, penal code section 503, are serious charges indeed.  Typically local prosecutors will want to punish defendants more harshly for these types of charges in order to protect local businesses.

Prosecutors see these charges as showing criminal sophistication and are therefore less likely to grant leniency.

These types of cases are almost always filed as felonies.  The maximum penalty for an individual embezzlement charge is 3 years in prison.

It is very, very important to get a local attorney to handle these types of cases.  It is crucial in negotiating these types of cases to have local court connections with the prosecutors and to try to work out a civil compromise with the victim to reduce court penalties.  Our firm provides both of these services with excellent local attorneys and superior investigation by Don Williams.

When necessary we will fight these cases in trial.  We have three excellent and experienced trial attorneys that we are associated with to aid our clients in these matters.

Southern California’s Premier Defense Attorney

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IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft is on the rise.  Prosecutors view defendants on these types of cases as being criminally sophisticated. 

The maximum penalty for identity theft is typically 3 years in prison.  However, it is quite common for prosecutors to file a multitude of charges on these cases.  For each additional charge 8 months of prison can be imposed on the defendant.

Make no mistake, these are serious cases.  They are almost always filed as felonies.

It is, again, very important to have a local attorney negotiating on your behalf with good investigator on these types of cases.

With local court connections, as our firm has, we can often get most of these charges dismissed greatly reducing the potential penalties our clients are facing.

Our firm has the best of both worlds for these types of cases.  We have great local attorney negotiators with a tremendous investigator.  And when necessary we are connected to three extremely experienced trial attorneys who will fight hard and well for our clients.

FIRST DEGREE BURGLARY

First Degree Burglary is commonly known as residential burglary under penal code section 459.  This case is considered a STRIKE by California Law. 

Residential Burglary occurs when one enters a dwelling house with the intent to take something or commit a felony.  This is an extremely serious charge.

When one is charged with these types of cases it is presumed that the defendant will go to prison according the statute.

The penalty for residential burglary is up to 4 years in prison.  It is a straight felony, meaning that there is no misdemeanor for a residential burglary charge.

It is absolutely critical to get an experienced attorney with local court connections and excellent investigation in these types of cases in order to obtain the best results possible.

We have handled many, many of these cases successfully.  In many cases we are able to keep our clients out of prison.  We have been successful in changing the type of charge to remove the STRIKE.

We have an excellent investigator and superior trial attorneys when called for to fight these very serious charges.

ROBBERY

Robbery is one of the most serious theft related charge than a defendant can be charged with.  It can only be charged as a felony.  It is always a STRIKE.  When a defendant is charged with robbery he or she is presumed to go to prison according to the statute.

The penalty for robbery is up to 5 years in prison.

These are extremely serious charges.  These cases should always be investigated properly.  With Don Williams on Staff at our firm these will be done quickly, descretely and effectively.

Our firm will also provide a local attorney at any of the courts in San Bernardino, Riverside, or Orange Counties to effectively negotiate for the best possible outcome based on the facts of your case.

We will fight these charges in trial if necessary.  We are connected to some of the best trial attorneys in southern California.

FRAUD

Fraud or white collar type crimes are often serious and very complicated cases.  The attorneys at our firm are experienced in handling these types of cases.

Many times, in these types of cases, our attorneys can get many of these charges thrown out through court negotiations.  We can get this done because our attorneys are highly experienced and have local court connections with the prosecutors.

Often times these types of cases will need good investigations.  Our investigator Don Williams has experience in investigating these types of cases.  Good investigation can create tremendous results for our clients.

In some cases, forensic accountants will be needed to review the files in order to prove our client’s innocence.  We have the knowledge and the expert connections to fight these cases to achieve the best possible results based on the facts of your case.

The maximum penalty for a fraud charge is usually 3 years in prison if there is just one count.  However, in most fraud cases there are many counts alleged.  For each additional count charged there is an additional 8 months in prison that can be imposed.  It is not uncommon to have more than 10 counts alleged for these types of cases.  Therefore, it is critical to have an experienced local attorney who can remove most of these charges through negotiation.

Our firm is connected to some of the best trial attorneys in Southern California.  We can and will fight these cases in trial when necessary. 

FORGERY

Forgery can be charged as a felony or a misdemeanor.  Forgery occurs when one creates a false document that is used to unlawfully take the personal property of another.

These false documents can be checks, IDs, titles, leases, or on any other written instrument.

The maximum penalty for Forgery is usually 3 years in prison if alleged as a felony and one year in county jail if it is alleged as a misdemeanor.

False checks are a common case that our firm deals with.  We are highly experienced in these cases.

False check cases tend to be misdemeanors but can be charged as felonies if the loss to the alleged victim is high or if the defendant has prior convictions for false checks.

Our firms can typically keep our clients out of county jail on these cases through court negotiations for county jail alternatives such as house arrest.  Sometimes we can even get our clients into rehab type programs if the theft was triggered by drug addiction.

Of course if the allegations are false we will fight.  We will try these cases if necessary to prove our clients innocence.

As in all of our cases, we pride ourselves in helping our clients achieve the best possible outcome in each and every case.  We do this by having experienced local attorneys with formidable negotiating skills and by having powerful trial attorneys available when called for.

Southern California’s Premier Defense Attorney

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INVESTIGATION

We have on staff and excellent private investigator, Don Williams.  Mr. Williams has over 20 years of experience in investigating cases.  His knowledge of the law and investigation techniques are complimented by a strong work ethic.

When retaining the services of Koch & Associates you can receive one of the finest investigators in southern California to assist you getting a civil compromise and investigating the case in general.

LOCAL COURT CONNECTIONS

Our attorneys at Koch & Associates are very well connected in the criminal courts in San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange County.

Through these court connections we are able to minimize penalties even on very tough cases with large losses.  It is always our goal to keep all of our clients out of county jail or state prison through jail alternatives such as home confinement, community service, Cal Trans or Sheriffs Work Project.

At Koch & Associates we pride ourselves on caring for our clients and getting the best deal possible under the circumstances if trial is not a viable option.  Our attorneys are excellent in court negotiators on these types of cases.

CLEAN UP YOUR RECORD

Theft convictions can have a devastating impact on future employment.  At Koch & Associates we understand and empathize with this.

Our firm is experienced and knowledgeable at cleaning these convictions off your record by filing a motion to expunge.

An expungement motion has the effect of dismissing the theft conviction from your record.  When a typical type of employer runs a back round check on you they should not be informed of your criminal conviction if the case has been expunged.

Typically cases can be expunged after 3 years, however cases can be expunged as early as one year after court conviction.

Southern California’s Premier Defense Attorney

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Call Now (888)427-6750  Easy Payment Plans