Law Office of Ali Ziai

Good result today after being retained about two months ago - 4 counts of 273.6 (violation of a domestic violence restraining order) dismissed in furtherance of justice.

Good result today for client in misdemeanor hit-and-run case (on felony probation).

Last year, we filed a civil suit for invasion of privacy/ IIED on behalf of a recent law school grad after attempts at settling a DVRO on fair terms made no headway. The case finally settled two months ago, protecting my client’s future in the process and getting her compensated for her ordeal.

Three day restraining order hearing over several months at Stanley Mosk where I represented Respondent, and easily one of the most interesting fact patterns I’ve dealt with (the judge, right before ruling, says “Well this was an interesting one” 😂). Both parties lived out of state and attended hearing remotely the entire time, and the opposing side even had a handwriting expert they brought in that had been featured in her capacity as an expert on an FX documentary about the Zodiac Killer. Petitioner’s final offer to us to settle was a little shy of $200k. Glad we didn’t accept.

“An Orange County Superior Court judge was arrested on suspicion of murder late Thursday after his wife was fatally shot in their Anaheim Hills home, according to law enforcement sources.

Anaheim police arrived at a home in the 8500 block of East Canyon Vista Drive shortly after 8 p.m. after reports of a shooting. Law enforcement sources said officers made an emergency entry and found Sheryl Ferguson, 65, inside the residence suffering from at least one gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said in a statement. Authorities have not disclosed any other details.

Officers arrested Jeffrey Ferguson, an Orange County Superior Court judge, without incident at the home, authorities said. He was booked into an Orange County jail in lieu of $1 million bail, according to police reports.”

Orange County judge arrested on suspicion of murder after wife shot in home. 'It's a shock' Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson is in jail in lieu of $1-million bail after police found his wife shot to death in their Anaheim Hills home.

Good result for a client out of Inglewood Courthouse yesterday.

“When I was 22 years old, I committed robbery and murder. I pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 years, of which I have so far served two decades. During that time, I’ve experienced the squalor and dangerous conditions of various state prisons. I’ve lived in a crumbling penitentiary built in the 1800s. I’ve been put in isolation for weeks on end because of Covid exposure and infection. Still, I was not prepared for what I found when I was transferred to a county jail for two weeks last December.”

Opinion | Two Decades of Prison Did Not Prepare Me for the Horrors of County Jail Most incarcerated people will eventually return to their communities. The trauma they suffer on the inside comes with them.

Client facing five serious DV-related charges with an initial offer of three years probation and substantial jail. We secured a plea to misdemeanor disturbing the peace with no jail or work, with probation to terminate after one year. Client’s high-profile job unaffected.

“An Orange County man who fraudulently obtained $5 million in pandemic relief loans and then spent the money on lavish vacations, luxury sports cars and his own personal expenses was sentenced Friday to 4½ years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Mustafa Qadiri, 42, of Irvine, had obtained the funds by submitting loan applications to the federal Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress created in March 2020 to provide emergency aid to small businesses struggling to survive amid COVID-19 related shutdowns and other business interruptions.”

Orange County man who bought luxury cars with COVID relief funds sentenced to prison Orange County man who bought luxury cars with COVID relief funds is sentenced to prison.

Two great reviews in the same week! Client appreciation is always nice.

That feeling when you commute 2 hours (each way) to OC for your court hearing, sit in the hallway with your client from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and then have your case continued to next month without having even started it 🤬

“Police arrived at the scene to find 58-year-old Michael John Mammone suffering from severe injuries. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Mammone had been riding his bicycle north on Pacific Coast Highway when he was hit from behind by a driver, according to authorities.

The driver, 39-year-old Long Beach resident Vanroy Evan Smith, got out of the car and assaulted Mammone with a knife, police said.

Smith was detained by bystanders and taken into custody by police. He was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder. A knife, believed to have been used in the assault, was found at the scene.”

Orange County doctor dies after being hit by car, assaulted by driver while bicycling Michael John Mammone died after being hit by a car while bicycling and assaulted by the driver in Dana Point, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

“For more than a decade, Bunevacz, now 54, posed as a w**d mogul cashing in on California’s booming ma*****na trade.

With his self-confidence and gregariousness, he disarmed a long line of marks, dazzling them with stories of how they too could make a fortune in pot. A self-styled expert in psychology, he gauged their vulnerabilities and exploited them with devastating success.

Forging documents to make Holy Smokes Holdings LLC and other fake businesses look real, Bunevacz fleeced more than 100 people, including some of his best friends, a federal judge found. He ripped off his own dentist.”

How an L.A. grifter ripped off his best friends and got rich with his sprawling w**d scams L.A. swindler David Bunevacz drove a yellow Lamborghini and posed as a w**d mogul as he fleeced friends, his dentist and scores of others in a brazen series of scams

“Patel drove his wife, Neha, and their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son off the cliff at Devil’s Slide, a notoriously dangerous portion of Highway 1 about 15 miles south of San Francisco. The car tumbled 250 to 300 feet, with authorities describing the family’s rescue as an ‘absolute miracle’…

…The arrest shocked the Patels’ neighbors on their tree-lined cul-de-sac in Pasadena, where they were perceived as an ‘idyllic’ family.

Patel was a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.”

Tesla driver who drove family off Northern California cliff charged with attempted murder Dharmesh Patel, 41, is charged with attempted murder in the Jan. 2 incident in San Mateo County. He is accused of driving his family off a cliff.

“In the fullest account offered by Mexican officials to date, Carpio Sanchez said the couple had some drinks before going to their room the night of Blair’s death. He said that as the couple prepared for bed, Blair told his wife he was going to ‘scare away’ what he thought were pigeons making noise outside their door…

…He said that [Blair’s wife] Williams was asleep in bed when a hotel employee knocked on her door and informed her of Blair’s death. Authorities interviewed Williams and several others, searched the couple’s room and found no evidence of violence, the attorney general said.”

Accident or crime? Shocking new details emerge in death of O.C. public defender in Mexico Elliot Blair's family and Mexican authorities disagree on what may have caused the deputy public defender's death.

“Most remarkable among the remaining defendants is Mr. Williams, 31, whose iconoclastic mystique and psychedelic flow have landed him on pop hits, the “Saturday Night Live” stage and in Vogue. With a maximum 120-year sentence hanging over his head, the man who fans worldwide have come to love as Young Thug — but whom prosecutors describe as a cutthroat gang leader — is now facing the prospect of growing old in prison.”

Violent Gang, or Rap Label? Prosecutors Say Young Thug’s YSL Is Both. With a blockbuster case set to begin, the superstar rapper sits at the intersection of complex questions about art, crime and the criminal justice system.

“[Seattle Police] Chief Diaz said that many officers who left felt unappreciated by politicians and residents, especially at a time when ‘Defund the Police’ became a staple of political discourse. Some of the departing officers accepted signing bonuses to join departments in the suburbs; others fled the profession entirely. Though Seattle now offers a $30,000 bonus of its own for officers serving elsewhere who transfer to the city, as well as a $7,500 signing bonus for new recruits, Chief Diaz said recruiting is still proving difficult. New police officers in Seattle earn about $83,000 annually once they graduate from the academy, while experienced officers transferring earn more than $90,000 a year to start.”

As Applications Fall, Police Departments Lure Recruits With Bonuses and Attention Many police chiefs say staffing levels have not rebounded from a wave of resignations that started with the pandemic and the 2020 unrest.

Today was my third appearance downtown at Stanley Mosk on a workplace violence restraining order case, and I’m representing a small corporation against a man with clear mental issues (he has been really sweet with me throughout the case and occasionally hilarious). Today this man decided to come to court dressed in full judge robe, sporting the exact same robe as most superior court judges, which unsurprisingly drew about 6 bailiffs to our court for most of the morning, and completely threw court operations for a loop.

Well played dude, well played. 🤡👨🏻‍⚖️

“‘Psychedelics have tremendous capacity to help people heal, but right now, using them is a criminal offense,’ [State Senator Scott] Wiener said in a statement. ‘These drugs literally save lives and are some of the most promising treatments we have for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction’”.

'Magic mushrooms' would be decriminalized in California under new bill The possession and personal use of "magic mushrooms" and ayahuasca could be decriminalized under a new psychedelics bill introduced Monday backed by veterans.

Not good

As Tom Girardi skated, California State Bar went after Black attorneys Black men have been disproportionately disciplined by the agency that regulates California's legal profession.

SWAT Team Busts Down Door Of Denver Woman’s Home To Apologize For Previous Raid DENVER—After local woman Ruby Johnson filed a lawsuit claiming police had conducted an illegal search when they entered her home by mistake earlier this year, a Denver SWAT team broke down a door with a battering ram Tuesday to apologize for the previous botched raid. “Put your hands on the back...

“Police on Sunday found the remains of a young mother who vanished from her home in Simi Valley last week, and her ex-husband was arrested as the main suspect. Detectives found the body of Rachel Castillo, 25, in a remote location in Antelope Valley, the Simi Valley Police Department said. Castillo’s ex-husband, 25-year-old Hawthorne resident Zarbab Ali, was arrested at his parent’s home in Victorville in connection with her death, police said in a news release.”

Body of Simi Valley mom found; ex-husband arrested as main suspect Officials have arrested Zarbab Ali, 25, in connection with the death of Rachel Castillo, 25, whose remains were found Sunday in the Antelope Valley.

Client had been representing herself in a divorce against her abusive ex since 2018 and had gotten nowhere. We took the case over in 2021, immediately obtained the max 5-year domestic violence restraining order against ex so that he couldn’t see client or their child until 2026, and just finalized the divorce for client, who was able to get full custody of her son with a no-visitation order issued over the ex’s objection, meaning that ex won’t be able to be around son even after restraining order expires unless he takes steps with court to show that he’s straightened out.

“Deputy Carlos Lopez went missing for nearly an hour following the crash at Pico Canyon Road and Southern Oaks Drive in Stevenson Ranch, triggering a major law enforcement response, according to sources who weren’t authorized to speak publicly. The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported the deputy was found a short time later at his home nearby.

Lopez is a member of the department’s elite Special Enforcement Bureau, which includes SWAT, sources told The Times.

Lopez was taken to Henry Mayo Hospital for treatment due to a possible head injury and was released a short time later. He was arrested and released with a citation for a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, one of the sources told The Times. He has been relieved of duty, the department said.”

L.A. County sheriff's deputy arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, crashing patrol vehicle An L.A. County Sheriff's Department deputy reportedly was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and crashing his patrol vehicle in the Santa Clarita area.

“The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 40 people over two days as part of a crackdown on illegal street takeovers, according to a report by KTTV-TV Channel 11.

The Friday and Saturday operation led to the arrest of one person wanted for attempted murder and another wanted for hit-and-run, police told the station.

The LAPD said many takeovers were stopped before they could even get started and that dozens of cars were impounded, the station reported.”

LAPD, in crackdown on street takeovers, reportedly arrests 40 and impounds dozens of cars A two-day LAPD operation targeting illegal street shutdowns reportedly nets one person wanted for attempted murder and another wanted for hit-and-run.