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In Memory of 09-11-01
Lest We Forget
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ARTICLE FOR JUNE 2004: DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING?
Recently I have been inundated by
people who have dirty little secrets from their past that haunt them. Does that sound like you? You know what I mean;
that unpaid ticket, the DUI Class you never completed, the Community Service
that you didn't complete or the child support that you still owe to an ex-wife
or girlfriend. Those of you who fall in this category know who you are.
Aren't you tired
of hiding, looking over your shoulder, or cringing every time a police car pulls
along side of you? Are you proud of the fact you have hid this little
secret even from your present girlfriend or wife? I don't think so. Want to do
something about it? Well we can help, if you are ready, willing and able to
bring the past into the present and finally put the past to rest forever. How do
I do that, you ask? Well that is simple.
First of all, it is up to you to come forward and admit
that you need help. Unless you enjoy living in an underground economy, coming
forward and resolving your old problems is much better than looking over
your shoulder. Don't you want to be able to have a legitimate driver's license,
professional license, or be able to get a loan, buy a house or a car. Wouldn't
it be nice to own a house in your own name. Build a future, prepare for
retirement, all without worrying about when they will show up for you.
Most of the people
with this problem are not wanted for murder or a bank robbery. They are wanted for
petty stupid things that they did years ago. Most of the time this is the result
of a momentary bad decision. Unfortunately one bad decision was followed by
another, and year by year the problem grew. For years you were able to sort of
ignore the problem, always telling yourself that someday you would fix it. But
with each succeeding day, your fear outweighed your better judgment. So you ask, why should I risk coming out now? They're not looking for me anymore, are they?
Right? Right? Well surprise Sparky, they are still looking for you. Let me lay it
out for you.
Today the State of California is short of cash. Each
department of government is scouring their databases in conjunction with other
states and the federal government, to find you. I know that for years they never
bothered, but guess what? Those days are over, and they are coming for you. In a
way this can work out to your advantage. In most cases, they really don't want
to put you in jail. They just want the money that you owe. In some cases they
may be willing to cut a deal to get it off the books. Today you have a golden
opportunity to get your life back If you come in voluntarily, in most
cases, they will work with you to clear up your problem. If you do nothing and
wait for them to come and get you, the punishment is going to be much worse.
Some of you have
already called the DMV or the Court and asked about your case. You already know that
you are facing jail, and significant fines. You may be facing further suspension
of your licenses. Did you know that if you are behind on child support, they can withhold your
license to practice medicine or law, sell real estate, be a contractor or a CPA.
Unless you voluntarily resolve your situation, your livelihood is going to take
a big hit. You may be fired, passed over for a promotion, or suffer some other
repercussion as a result. Not to mention that your co-workers, spouse,
church members and children are going to look at you differently. After
they find out, they are going
to look at you with revulsion and distain. Even if you were
forced to take
care of the problem, these people are going to view you differently. Why?
Because you didn't take care of the problem voluntarily.
If you have the desire, and some
money to work with, we can put you back on the path to a new life, free of the
ghosts of the past to haunt you. What is that worth to you? You should weigh the
peace of mind you will gain versus the fear of being caught if you don't. Today
the forces of government have new tools to use against you. They are called
computer databases and they are awesomely effective. They will track you
down and bring you to Court. Oh they are probably not going to chase you back to
Pennsylvania or Florida for an over due parking ticket. But for more serious
things, they will keep looking until you take care of it or you die. They will
just patiently wait for you to surface and when you do they will be there
waiting for you. They are like the Terminator, they never quit, they never get
tired, and they have no compassion. They are relentless and most of you will
eventually be caught. Not by skillful police work, but by the work of a computer
that never sleeps.
Now I don't want
to mislead you. Some of you will be going to jail and be forced to pay stiff
fines or do other things that the Court orders. For those people, no one is
going to be able to make the process completely painless or cheap. For those people I feel
sorrow, but each of you know in your hearts that you could have prevented these
Draconian measures if you had just taken care of business. But you didn't.
I realize that
many of you think you can carry this on forever. Wrong, the odds are stacked
against you. Most of the guys that I have represented
were caught as the result of two things: dumb luck and computers. Every one of
us can remember the day you had the bad luck to have a tail light burn out or
maybe you made a California stop in front of a cop. Maybe you beat the crap out of your present
wife and she dropped a dime on you. She could have thought that she was helping
you by calling and turning you in. It doesn't matter how it happens. All that
matters is that eventually they stop you for something, anything. Maybe you
applied for a hunting license or to purchase a firearm. Maybe you were in a
traffic accident and went to the hospital for treatment and the police
investigating the case learned who you really were. How it happens doesn't
matter as much as the fact that it eventually will happen.
As my latest
client said to me "why does this have to happen at the worst possible time?"
He was bitten by a spider and was on the way to the clinic for treatment. He was
driving his roommate's new car that didn't have license plates yet and was
speeding. Naturally this attracted the attention of a motor officer
and he conducted a traffic stop. The first thing the motor officer asked for was
his drivers license, which he didn't have. The reason he didn't have one was
that eighteen years earlier he had collected a series of drunk driving
convictions and hadn't
finished paying the fine or doing the community service. So naturally he didn't
have a license.
He also knew that
there was a warrant out for him. So he did what anyone from the land of the
tiny-brained people would do, he used someone else's name. The name he used was
his dead brother's name. The twist on this decision was that his brother had
been a gang member and had overdosed and killed himself several years ago. This
didn't show up right away, so he was able to sign for the ticket in his dead
brother's name and get on to the clinic. The problem was that he now had a court
date and the Court personal have discovered from DMV records that his brother was
dead. He knows that if he shows up at court they would have a reception committee
waiting for him.
Let's review, in
addition to the outstanding warrant from eighteen years ago, he now parleyed a
speeding ticket into a more serious criminal matter for giving false information
to a police office. Depending upon what section of the Penal Code the charging deputy district
attorney decides to charge him under, he could be charged with either a felony
or a misdemeanor. His decision not to face the music was very bad. All he
managed to do was go from the frying pan into the fire. This is not the only
time I have seen such poor decision making; however it is illustrative of how
these things escalate out of control. Many times it is the reason why some dummy is
on the five o'clock new leading the police in a chase all over the freeway
system.
You don't really want this to be you do you? Racing
down the 405 chased by 25 police cars and four helicopters. Why? Because
you have a warrant for a DUI from 1987. If you know such a person, encourage
them to come forward and take care of this now. We can help you through the
entire process and get you out the other side. The only thing is that you must
make the first step by giving us a call at (626) 797-5001. We can set up a no
charge initial interview and explain your rights and how we can help you. In a
few weeks this can all be a bad dream that is behind you. Doesn't that sound
better than living your life with one eye over your shoulder, waiting for the
inevitable tap on your shoulder. Give us a call, you won't be sorry that you
did.
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