Client was facing three felony charges—Forgery under Penal Code § 470(d), Burglary under Penal Code § 459, and Attempted Grand Theft under Penal Code § 664—after a car dealership accused him of trying to fraudulently purchase a vehicle. Following a contested preliminary hearing, all charges were dismissed.
The case began when our client attempted to purchase a used vehicle and provided paperwork that included an employer verification number. The dealership became suspicious when the number did not connect to a real employer, and the client was arrested. He was accused of providing fake employment documents and attempting to steal a car through fraudulent financing.
From the start, we investigated the dealership’s allegations and presented the prosecution with statements showing that the witnesses could not identify our client as having attempted to steal a car or leave the lot without paying. Further, we prepared to challenge the legal sufficiency of the charges themselves.
At the preliminary hearing, we methodically went through the legal elements of each charge. We demonstrated that the documents provided by the client (employment verification and credit application forms) did not qualify as “forgery items” under Penal Code § 470(d). Of the 89 listed forgeable items in the statute, none applied to the documents in question.
We also discredited the attempted grand theft allegation by showing that our client brought real cash for a down payment and used his true personal information on all documents, including his full name, Social Security number, and address. As we argued to the court, a person attempting to steal a car would not provide all real identifying information.
By the end of the preliminary hearing, it was clear that the state could not meet its burden. All three felony charges were dismissed in their entirety, and the client avoided trial, prison exposure, and a felony record.
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Well first of let me start with patrick is number 1 ! He is so motivated in his type of work and very great energy best he is staight forward and 100% real . He wont let you down . In my case that really me and my family thought it be some years witch normally would have but with...
Adair
I recently had a case in riverside county where I was getting charged for domestic violence, entrapment, and other things. When really it was not anything like that at all, I was looking at 4+ years and when I denied that they tried to hit me with a 211 for taking her phone (which she denied ) and give me...
Roberto
Patrick and Samantha were very helpful and answered any question I had during one of the most difficult times in my life. Patrick was able to deal with everything and I never had to step a foot inside the courtroom. Thank god everything was resolved and I’m able to move forward.
Alberto
If you’re looking for the best attorney in San Diego to fight your case, you need to hire Patrick Griffin asap. I was involved in a nightmare situation with an ex girlfriend and Griffin Law Office came to the rescue. When I ended the relationship with my ex and tried to move out she vandalized my property, changed the locks...
Andrew
