Los Angeles, CA – White collar crime is generally treated as less threatening than physically violent crimes, but white collar criminals often prey on their victims' deep seated fears in order to make a financial gain. Like blackmailers who threaten to uncover a victim's shameful secrets or phone or internet scammers fishing for their mark's personal information with the imagined threats of health scares or computer viruses. This week saw charges filed in a high profile extortion case in Los Angeles.
Leyla Ors, Joe Cavallo, and Emanuel Karl Hudson were charged with conspiracy after allegedly attempting to extort as much as $20 million dollars from a Saudi sheik in exchange for dropping rape charges against his son, Thamer Albalwi, 23. Ors, a German national in her early 30s, was working for Albalwi as a personal assistant when she accused him of rape in March. She claimed that Albalwi had held her captive in a condominium in Los Angeles and had raped her, beat her, and burned her with a cigarette. Albalwi was arrested and released on $3 million dollars bail.
Albalwi's family in Saudi Arabia hired an attorney to defend him, and the attorney found evidence showing that Ors's claims were false. Additionally, Ors's attorneys Joe Cavallo and Hudsonboth allegedly contacted Albalwi's family in Saudi Arabia and promised that in exchange for $15 million (and later $20 million) Ors would not testify and the matter would be resolved.
On Friday a judge dropped the charges against Albalwi, now Ors, Cavallo, and Hudson are facing charges of attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to receive a bribe, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Ors is in custody with bail set at $35,000, both Cavallo and Hudson have been released on $50,000 bail. All three are due to appear in court later this month.
According to our Orange County white collar crime attorney at the Law Office of Michael L. Guisti, in an extortion case, the prosecutor must prove that the defendant used threat or force in order to obtain consensual transfer of property or favors from another person. No matter what the facts of the case are, however, it is very difficult to mount a successful defense against any criminal charge without the aid of an experienced legal representative.
At the Law Office of Michael L. Guisti, our team of skilled and knowledgeable criminal defense attorneys have years of experience defending clients in state and federal courthouses in Orange County and across Southern California. Their years of training and experience give them the confidence to aggressively defend their clients against any felony or misdemeanor charge. They can advise you of the best course of action to take throughout the process of an investigation and criminal trial. Because our firm has built up strong working relationships with local judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies, we know the best strategies to adopt when negotiating deals for our clients and arguing their cases in court.
But it isn't just our reputation for having charges reduced or dismissed that gets us so many referrals, we are also committed to helping our clients maintain their peace of mind a in a difficult time. We know how hard it is to face criminal charges and we do everything we can to set your mind at ease. Our courteous and friendly staff is available to help you 24/7 at one of our four Orange County offices. We are also proud to offer foreign language services to our clients who need them.
So when you or a loved one is facing criminal charges in Orange County or anywhere in Southern California, call the Law Office of Michael L. Guisti at (714) 707-2797 for a free consultation with one of our highly qualified criminal defense attorneys.
Sources:
Mather, Kate and Richard Winton. "Woman accused in $20 million extortion plot pleads not guilty." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-saudi-extortion-plot-20140715-story.html. Los Angeles Times. July 15, 2014.
Winton, Richard and Kate Mather. "3 charged in alleged plot to extort $20 million from Saudi sheik." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-saudi-extortion-plot-20140715-story.html. Los Angeles Times. July 14, 2014.
