What to Do If You’re Falsely Accused of a Serious Crime in Los Angeles
Being falsely accused of a serious crime can make it feel like the whole world is collapsing down upon you. Whether the charge involves an aggravated felony, white collar crime, or high-profile allegations, the emotional toll and public damage begin long before your day in court.
Even if you’re completely innocent, confronting the legal system requires swift and strategic legal action. The Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers at Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP have been successfully defending clients for decades.
Why Innocent People Get Accused
False accusations happen for many reasons. You may be dealing with:
- Mistaken identity
- Witness errors
- Police or prosecutorial misconduct
- Retaliation in family, romantic, or workplace conflicts
Unfounded accusations can lead to arrest, restraining orders, and pretrial detention. You must act immediately, even if you are confident the truth will eventually come out.
Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney Right Away
Do not wait until formal charges are filed. Early legal intervention can make the difference between a case that’s dismissed and one that drags on for months, or even years.
At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, our legal team includes former prosecutors and renowned trial attorneys with a track record of dismantling serious criminal allegations. When we’re brought in early, we can start:
- Intervening with law enforcement to prevent charges
- Investigating the charges against you
- Finding weaknesses in the prosecution’s case
- Preserving critical evidence before it is lost or destroyed
- Controlling the public narrative and limiting reputational damage
Establishing an Alibi
One of the most effective defense strategies against false charges is proving where you were and who you were with at the time of the alleged offense. Alibi evidence can quickly put an end to a bogus investigation.
Types of alibis and support evidence includes:
- Surveillance footage
- GPS location data from your phone or car
- Receipts, timecards, or digital logs
- Witness statements from people who saw you at the time
Do Not Speak to Law Enforcement Without Counsel
Many innocent people believe that if they just “explain everything,” they can avoid arrest. Unfortunately, police and prosecutors are not neutral parties. Their job is to prosecute people for crimes, even if they don’t always get the right suspect.
Never speak to investigators, detectives, or prosecutors without your attorney present. You may accidentally provide a conflicting timeline or offer information that can be twisted to support accusations against you.
If contacted by law enforcement, all you have to say is: “I do not wish to make any statements. I am invoking my right to an attorney.”
Challenging the Evidence Against You
In cases involving mistaken identity, security camera footage or eyewitness statements can be flawed. Memory is fallible, and stress or bias can lead witnesses to confidently accuse the wrong person.
Your defense team can challenge faulty identification methods like:
- Lineups conducted improperly
- Suggestive photo arrays
- Witnesses who were unduly influenced by police
If forensic evidence is being used against you, your lawyer can demand independent testing of DNA, fingerprints, or digital files. A proper defense strategy may involve hiring your own forensic experts to counter the prosecution’s faulty evidence.
Protecting Your Reputation
In today’s world, criminal accusations spread online faster than facts. If you are wrongly accused of a felony, it can have a devastating effect on your job, relationships, and public image, even before charges are filed.
A proactive legal strategy may require:
- Advising you on what to say (and not say) publicly
- Monitoring news outlets and social media
- Coordinating with PR professionals, when appropriate
- Filing motions to seal or suppress prejudicial pretrial material
At Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, we understand the high stakes involved when our clients are in the public eye. We have defended celebrities, CEOs, and political figures, and we know how to manage reputational damage while simultaneously disproving the prosecution’s case.
Preserving Digital Evidence
Proof of innocence is often buried in overlooked emails, text messages, or location data. Digital evidence can be critical in demonstrating consent, disproving an inaccurate timeline, or uncovering bias or motive by an accuser.
Your lawyer will take steps to preserve:
- Emails and texts between you and the accuser
- GPS history and app data
- Social media posts, messages, or photos
Keeping a Check on Police and Prosecutorial Misconduct
Unfortunately, not all investigations are fair. In fact, we’ve seen police officers who:
- Ignore exonerating evidence
- Coerce or manipulate witnesses
- Fail to disclose helpful information to the defense (Brady violations)
Developing a strong defense against false accusation means scrutinizing the prosecution’s case to find evidence of sloppy police work or misconduct. If police or prosecutors cross the line, your lawyer can file motions to suppress evidence or move for dismissal of charges against you.
Our firm has successfully exposed unethical conduct by law enforcement, leading to dropped charges and even civil remedies in certain situations.
Preparing for Trial
Even if your attorney has strong arguments for dropping the case, it’s always important to be ready for trial. A well-prepared defense sends a strong message to the prosecution that you are not afraid to go to court.
Trial preparation includes:
- Creating a timeline of events
- Vetting all potential witnesses
- Anticipating and rebutting the prosecution’s narrative
- Preparing you to testify, if necessary
Our attorneys are known for dominating in the courtroom. From cross-examination to jury strategy, we are built for trial, and prosecutors are reluctant to face us in court.
Reason to Choose Our Firm
Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP is one of California’s premier criminal defense firms, with an elite team of trial lawyers who have:
- Decades of experience in high-stakes criminal defense
- A reputation for fearlessness in the courtroom
- A track record of getting serious charges dropped, reduced, or acquitted
- Represented clients in some of the state’s most high-profile cases
Speak With a Trusted Criminal Defense Lawyer in Los Angeles
When everything is on the line, you need a legal force capable of decimating false allegations, and that’s what you get with our firm. If you have been falsely accused of a serious crime, do not delay. Call Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP at (213) 688-0460 to learn more today.
Let our legal team take control of your future before your accuser or the state tries to define it for you.
Contact Us
“We can handle any criminal case.
Anywhere. Anytime.”
What Our Clients Say
Previous Testimonial Next Testimonial- “Alan Jackson is hands down the best attorney we have worked with. Extremely professional, well liked in the court system and respected amongst all legal professionals. Took our calls at any given time and made himself available all the time.” - S.F. From Google Reviews
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