The Umansky Law Firm

Catalytic converters are placed on vehicles to reduce emissions from the engine. They use a catalyst to convert chemicals from harmful, such as the very harmful carbon monoxide, into inert or less harmful chemicals, like carbon dioxide. They are also full of precious metals that are worth a lot of money. As a result, thieves are allegedly removing them from vehicles in cities all over Florida, as well as across the country.

Last month in DeLand, catalytic converters were stolen from 48 new Kia SUVs and seven used Kias from the lot of a dealership in one night. According to Nationwide Insurance, there are 25 catalytic converters stolen every month in the US.

The metals in catalytic converters include rhodium, platinum, and palladium. Rhodium currently sells for $9500 an ounce, while platinum currently sells for around $2000 an ounce. However, the thieves are allegedly selling the converters to scrap yards for only a couple hundred dollars.

This is obviously low, but the report states that someone who knows what they're doing can remove a converter in as little as 20 seconds, and definitely less than ten minutes. SUVs are most often the target because they are higher off the ground and easier to get beneath.

Getting caught stealing catalytic converters can seriously curtail your future plans, especially if you wind up in prison.

If you have been charged with theft in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today for an initial case consultation.

On Friday, May 20, two groups clashed, and pajama-clad chaos ensued. Allegedly, participants at a pajama party at the Lake Mirror Center in Lakeland, Florida left the center around 11:30 and walked to the nearby Old School compound skate park, evidently deciding that adding roller skates to their pajamas would create the perfect party attire.

The partiers tried to get into the compound where another group was having a lock-in, an all night event where people stayed in the compound to skate. The when the owner told the partiers to leave, they began jumping on cars, inciting the roller-skaters to come out and begin fighting.

Police arrived on the scene and broke up the fight when shots were fired, presumably from a .22 caliber handgun found after the brawl involving around 30 people died down. When the proverbial dust cleared, one 20-year-old man was found injured and taken to the hospital, while one adult female and two juvenile males were arrested and charged with affray, a misdemeanor fighting charge.

In the many misdemeanor cases such as this that occur, it is important for those charged to hire an experienced defense attorney who can help navigate the justice system, and help to get sometimes serious charges diminished or reduced.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orange County, Orlando, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney at the Umansky Law Firm to schedule a free consultation today.

The US Supreme Court voted in a 5-4 decision that the state of California must cut its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates because of overcrowded conditions. This, they said, violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The court's more liberal members, plus Justice Anthony Kennedy, voted in the majority, while the court's more conservative justices dissented.

There are currently more than 140,000 inmates in California's prison system right now, but it has been as high as 160,000. Even the ordered reduction to 110,000 is still 137.5 percent of capacity.

The California prison system seems to be broken in many ways. Photographs shown during the majority opinion reportedly contained images of inmates living in gymnasium styled rooms and tiny "phone booth sized cages without toilets" for suicidal inmates. There have been reports of inmates unable to get medical care for things as serious as cancer in a timely fashion, very high suicide rates, and other alarming situations.

The Supreme Court gave California two years to implement the changes and emphasized that this does not have to be done solely through early release. However, Justice Kennedy stated that he does not believe California can build itself out of the problem by implementing new prisons. So, there will be some early release. Justice Anthony Scalia gave a rare oral dissent and this was "perhaps the most radical injunction issued by a court in our nation's history." It is Justice Scalia's opinion that this decision is now "gambling with the safety of the people of California."

Justice Kennedy wrote in his opinion that, "A prison that deprives prisoners of basic sustenance, including adequate medical care, is incompatible with the concept of human dignity and has no place in civilized society."

It's easy and understandable for people to want the worst of the worst criminals locked up forever, and to want them to be miserable for their crimes. However, there are many other inmates in California, as well as Florida, that have been sentenced for non-violent crimes, such as drug charges, who may actually be the ones most hurt by this overcrowding. There is no guarantee that any of these inmates will be released, but we have seen some early release of those who violate terms of their probation or are convicted of drunken driving.

By releasing non-violent criminals and getting them into treatment programs or halfway houses where they can begin to reintegrate into society, we strengthen what we as a nation hold ourselves up to be: A beacon for civilized and democratic societies everywhere.

Chief Justice Roberts, and Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito worry about releasing those who may have become "better" criminals from prisons the juries and judges said they should be in. There may be some merit in this concern. But there are certainly many people behind bars who deserve to be removed from a situation that is more akin to what we see in images of third world countries and dictatorial regimes.

If you have been charged with a crime in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation today.

Two men and a woman have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a New Smyrna Beach copper theft. The theft occurred at a Utilities Commission compound.

According to law enforcement officers, two men were spotted taking rolls of copper wire on Sunday evening by an employee of a nearby generator plant. Police allegedly set up a perimeter and a K-9 unit was sent in to catch them as they ran.

Police also found a young woman sitting in a car who allegedly admitted to dropping the two men off.

All three were charged with burglary, and one of the men was charged with possession of burglary tools. Police recovered the wire and tools on the scene.

The three were held in Volusia County Branch Jail on Monday night.

All three individuals are under 30-years-old, and one of them is only 18-years-old. Being convicted on charges like burglary is a serious matter and will affect their future. Some of the criminal consequences these three may be facing include:

• Jail time
  
• Probation
  
• Permanent felony or misdemeanor on your record
  
• Loss of employment
  
• Loss of scholarship
  
• Loss of professional licenses
  

If you have been charged with theft or burglary in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

A 69-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease was allegedly the victim of a con involving her daughter and her daughter's friend. Investigators say the fraud started in April when a New Port Richey woman they allege is a con artist showed the ailing victim a Bank of America photo of an account with ten million dollars in it. The suspect claimed she had another account with two million dollars in it.

She allegedly told the victim that the accounts were hers, but the funds were frozen because of "bank penalties and child support fees." The suspect told the victim that she needed financial help to get her car, home, and money. The victim allegedly agreed to give her over $50,000 over a period of months.

The victim said she trusted the suspect because she was a friend of her own daughter's. Her daughter allegedly left the room every time money was discussed to give the appearance that she didn't know anything about what was going on. However, she allegedly told her mom that the suspect was rich. She also allegedly used some of the money to pay for rent.

The main suspect, who is unemployed, spent the money on flat screen TVs, remodeling her rented apartment, and a new pickup truck.

The victim became suspicious and called police who then arrested the two suspects last week. The alleged con woman is being held in the Volusia County Branch Jail on $20,000 bail. She has been charged with organized scheme to defraud and grand theft. The victim's daughter surrendered herself in DeLand and faces the same charges, plus a charge of exploiting the elderly. She was held on $30,000 bail.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential consultation today.

On Wednesday, May 11, Lindsay Lohan entered a no contest plea for the theft of a necklace taken from a Venice, California jewelry store. She was sentenced to four months, is to remain on probation to complete the terms of her 2007 drunken driving conviction, must complete 480 hours of community service, and undergo psychological counseling. She will also have to complete an anti-shoplifting class.

The counseling was reportedly added after details came to light alleging Lohan tested positive for alcohol a month after being released from rehab in February. The report also said Lohan continued to drink while at the Betty Ford Center.

It is expected that Lohan will serve only a couple of weeks in jail because of overcrowding. She may also be eligible for house arrest, but that decision will not come until sometime in June when Lohan reports to jail. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman says that Lohan is being treated the same as other non-violent offenders.

Lohan released a written statement saying she has already started her community service by working in a women's shelter.

If you have been charged with a crime in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

According to authorities, a 37-year-old man accused of being a ringleader of a multi-million dollar fraud operation was arrested near Chicago. The suspect was wanted on charges of possession of credit-card-making material, title fraud, grand-theft auto, racketeering, and trafficking in stolen credit cards in Florida. He was allegedly staying with relatives in Illinois at the time of his arrest.

According to investigators, the suspect ran a shell company called A&A Trucking in Orange County. Last week, Orange County Sheriff's arrested many of the suspect's associates. Law enforcement says the group made $10,000 a day in profit.

The suspect and his associates allegedly installed skimmers on gas pumps in Pinella, Hillsborough, and Miami-Dade counties. After customers' numbers were stolen, they were put onto gift cards, which were used to purchase diesel fuel. Trucks were allegedly stolen and then fitted with tanks to hold the fuel. Truckers bought the fraudulent gift cards and bought diesel fuel with them, which was then sold to other truckers at half the market price.

The suspect will be returned to Central Florida to face these charges.

If you have been charged with fraud or theft in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experience criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

Rachel Oberlin, also known as pornstar Bree Olsen, was sentenced to a year of probation, a 60-day suspended jail sentence, a 90-day drivers license suspension, and a couple hundred dollars in fines and dues yesterday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for a driving while intoxicated charge she received last year. The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to a single charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor.

As part of Oberlin's plea agreement, charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor, speeding, and reckless driving were dismissed.

According to the police report, Oberlin crashed a black Lexus into a city light pole one snowy February night. When police arrived, she claimed she slid on the ice and crashed her vehicle. However, law enforcement alleges Oberlin smelled like alcohol, was unsteady, and had bloodshot and watery eyes.

Police also allege Oberlin was "uncooperative" because she continuously asked for an attorney and did not perform the breathalyzer test to officers' satisfaction. However, Oberlin was entirely within her right to ask for an attorney at this time.

Oberlin was a one-time girlfriend of actor Charlie Sheen and was one of the two women he referred to as "goddesses" who lived with him for a time. She left Sheen in April and returned to her home in Fort Wayne.

If you have been charged with driving while intoxicated in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today

Rick Springfield, whose hit "Jessie's Girl" has become a classic radio mainstay, was arrested Sunday night in Malibu, California on suspicion of driving under the influence. The 61-year-old was pulled over in his 1963 Corvette around 8:00 pm near Pacific Coast Highway.

According to a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, Springfield "made a maneuver away from the light." This maneuver, whatever it was, caused law enforcement to pull him over.

Springfield smelled like alcohol and he was asked to do a breathalyzer test. He allegedly blew a .10. In California, like other states, the legal limit is .08.

Springfield, who was on the soap opera General Hospital, was arrested and taken into the same station Mel Gibson was taken to on his DUI charge in 2006. L.A. County Sheriff's Department says Springfield was released on a $5000 bond after 2:00 am when he sobered up.

Earlier in the day, Springfield was at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books where he talked about his memoir, Late, Late at Night.

If you have been charged with driving under the influence in Orange County or Orlando, Florida or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.