August 2010 Archives

Students have been faking doctor's notes to play hooky from school for generations. But one Chicago man's attempt to avoid prison with a forged doctor's note, reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, will result in a much stiffer penalty than after-school detention. 

David Hernandez pleaded guilty to charges that he stole millions of dollars from hundreds of investors to fund a sports radio Web site.

His Chicago criminal defense attorney provided the court with a copy of a faked doctor's letter on Aug. 19, indicating he was to begin treatment for cancer. He was wearing a home detention monitoring device when he left his home, which a court support officer believed was for his treatment.

After 29 years, the trial of suspected murderer Jesus Villareal finally is underway, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. And according to early testimony, the shooting death of John Spoors may have been triggered by a simple middle-finger gesture; but his Chicago criminal attorney claims it was in self defense.

If convicted, Jesus Villareal faces up to 40 years in prison.  

Harry Krivoshein testified that on Aug. 26, 1981 another driver cut him off, so he pulled into a nearby parking lot and flipped him the bird. The driver then responded with the same middle-finger gesture and drove off.

Leroy Owens and Jonathan Robinson, 27 and 25, were ordered held without bail after their arrest on charges of murder, home invasion, attempted armed robbery and warrant violations, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. They are accused of the shooting death of Anthony Anglin last Friday morning.

Each case is different, but most Chicago criminal defense attorneys would probably advise clients facing such charges to plead guilty if enough evidence exists for a conviction.

Washington Heights is typically not known as a high-crime neighborhood.

Although there is a lot more to this story his conviction for the distribution of one kilo of cocaine, the Chicago Tribune reported that former city contractor Marco Morales was sentenced to seven years in prison for the federal drug charge.

At the suggestion of his Chicago criminal attorney, US District Judge William Hart allowed the time Marco Morales served in a Mexican prison to count toward his sentence, meaning he'll spend another three-and-a-half behind bars.

The Coal City Courant reported that Timothy T. Scholtes was sentenced to 50 years in a federal prison for receiving and manufacturing child pornography. The 46-year-old former youth soccer coach denies any wrongdoing despite pleading guilty to the charges.

Through his Illinois criminal defense attorney, Timothy Scholtes has stated his intention to appeal the sentence.

Timothy Scholtes not only was convicted on charges related to child pornography, but also was proven by federal prosecutors to have molested at least six boys under the age of 12. They also proved that he had planned or attempted to molest other children.

As of Monday, Chicago police were still looking for the driver of a gray Hyundai Sonata responsible for striking and killing 16-year-old Kenyatta Brack, the Chicago Sun Times reported. The driver was fleeing police at the time, going about 70 mph.

Although the police originally initiated a traffic stop because the suspect allegedly ran several traffic lights, his Chicago criminal lawyer no doubt will inform him that a hit-and-run resulting in death ordinarily is charged as a felony (as summarized by FindLaw).

Although Rochelle Howard forgave the men who were found guilty in the murder of her brother, Lee Richardson Jr., Cook County Judge Joseph Kazmierski sentenced Ishmael Clark to 180 years in prison, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The victim's brother, Quentin Richardson, plays for the Orlando Magic professional basketball team.

Lee Richardson Jr. was gunned down in a botched holdup at the Richardsons' home in the South Side of Chicago. They started shooting their guns when the robbery went bad, hitting and killing the man but missing his father, Lee Richardson Sr.

Larry Harris shot and killed former fiancée Tabitha Oliver on Tuesday in the parking lot of a Chicago Ridge shopping mall and then turned the gun on himself, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. They were romantically involved for eight years but ended their engagement earlier this year, according to Chicago Ridge Police Chief Rob Pyznarksi:

"He never really took it well."

But since Larry Harris died of his self-inflicted gunshot wound, he won't be needing the services of a Chicago criminal defense attorney. 

David Buckner, a 47-year-old South Side man, was killed when members of a gang fired into a crowd at Ada Park where three other bystanders were injured, Chicago Police told reporters. The shooting occurred at the same time current and former residents of Morgan Park had gathered for the annual Roots Fest reunion.

Police were still investigating and no one was in custody as of Monday. But if a suspect is eventually arrested and charged, his Chicago criminal attorney likely will push for a guilty plea if police are able to gather enough evidence or corroborate witnesses.

The victim was a Navy veteran and had two young grandsons. He died of a gunshot wound to his back, according to the Cook County medical examiner's report.

Although he's already behind bars for assaulting another 11-year-old boy, 56-year-old Ronald Rice pleaded guilty to the 1980 murder of then-11-year-old Edwin Gulbransen, the Chicago Tribune reported. Although he was set to be paroled from his 60-year sentence in 2012, the new 80-year sentence will probably keep him behind bars for good.

Ronald Rice was originally charged with leaving the scene of an accident after claiming he accidentally struck Edwin Gulbransen with his car but didn't take him to the hospital or call for help because he already was dead. But as any Chicago criminal attorney would tell you, new evidence or unintended confessions can change things. 

Jerry Hobbs was finally released from jail after prosecutors initially charged him with the 2005 stabbing deaths of his 9-year-old daughter and her 8-year-old friend, according to the Chicago Tribune. The wrongly accused father was released after DNA evidence matched that of another suspect.

His Chicago criminal attorney, public defender Keith Grant, said he was glad his client was released, adding, "It's been a long time coming."

Carol Stream man Jay Taylor was arrested by the Cook County sheriff's department on suspicion that he perpetrated a series of thefts on senior citizens, according to the Chicago Tribune. His suspected accomplice, Sal Auditore, remained at large as of Monday but is named in arrest warrants on burglary charges.

Jay Taylor was freed on $5,000 bail but his Chicago criminal attorney was not named or cited in the article. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 18 in Cook County Criminal Court in Bridgeview.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that 13-year-old 8th grader Robert Freeman was shot repeatedly at close range in West Pullman last Wednesday, dying soon after, in a case of mistaken identity. Police sources told reporters that the shooter had meant to kill a different boy, making the shooting all the more tragic.

As of Friday, police were still looking for suspects and appealed to the public for help. Chicago criminal defense attorneys typically advise their clients to plead guilty to such serious crimes when there's enough evidence to convict, but each case is different.