Alhambra Criminal Defense Lawyer

Alhambra Criminal Defense Lawyer

You got arrested by Alhambra Police, booked at the city jail, and now you’re sitting with a court notice telling you to appear at 150 West Commonwealth Avenue within 48 hours – and you’re terrified because you don’t know what happens next or whether talking to police was already a mistake. Prosecutors don’t advertise this, but the first 72 hours after arrest determine everything – most defendants surrender constitutional protections through ignorance before they ever step into that courtroom. What you do right now – not next week, not after you “think about it” – shapes whether this becomes a dismissed charge, a reduced plea, or a conviction that follows you for years.

Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group. We’re a second-generation law firm managed by Todd Spodek, with over 40 years of combined experience defending clients who face exactly what you’re facing now. We’ve handled cases others called unwinnable – including Anna Delvey’s headline-dominating fraud prosecution and the Ghislaine Maxwell juror misconduct matter that sparked national media coverage. This article explains what actually happens to YOU in the criminal justice process unfolding in Alhambra right now, what choices you face at each critical juncture, and what realistic outcomes you can expect based on your specific situation.

The First 72 Hours

When Alhambra Police took you into custody, you underwent booking – they collected your information, took mugshots and fingerprints, logged your property. You’re either out on your own recognizance – meaning they released you with a promise to appear – or you posted bail. California law requires prosecutors to bring you before a court within 48 hours, which means your arraignment’s imminent or already happened. That arraignment is where the real case begins – you’re formally informed of charges, provided the complaint, advised of constitutional rights you should’ve invoked at arrest, and asked to enter a plea. Most defendants don’t grasp this until it’s too late: prosecutors have 72 hours to decide what charges to file if you’re in custody. During those three days, everything you said to police gets memorialized in reports prosecutors use against you. The constitutional right to remain silent exists precisely because the system depends on you not understanding when to invoke it. Police aren’t your friends constructing a narrative WITH you; they’re extracting evidence to use AGAINST you. Did you talk? That damage might already be done, but immediate legal representation protects what comes next. Consider common scenarios: first-time DUI on Valley Boulevard typically means release within hours, arraignment within 48 hours. Felony assault means bail gets set and a preliminary hearing scheduled. Each triggers different timelines, but your choices in the first 72 hours determine whether this resolves favorably or becomes a permanent conviction. Within 72 hours of arrest, you face a choice that affects case outcomes: request a public defender or hire private counsel. You’ve heard public defenders are overworked, inferior lawyers who don’t care about clients – and that’s both true and profoundly misleading. Research from the California Policy Lab shows public defenders achieve better outcomes than court-appointed private attorneys in multiple-defendant cases, demonstrating that public defenders are skilled professionals who know local courts intimately. The problem isn’t competence; it’s capacity. Public defenders handle caseloads 25% heavier than what expert standards recommend, meaning they’ve got less time per client to investigate, negotiate, and prepare. Private attorneys cost $2,500 to $25,000 or more depending on case complexity. Public defenders are free if you qualify based on income, and they’re not the desperate last resort popular mythology suggests. For straightforward misdemeanors, public defenders resolve cases competently. But for complex felonies involving extensive discovery, multiple witnesses, or serious prison exposure – the difference between an attorney with 15 hours versus 150 hours can mean conviction versus acquittal, prison versus probation. What matters more than the choice itself is timing – you need representation immediately, whether public or private. Waiting until after arraignment means critical opportunities are lost. The Sixth Amendment guarantees counsel not eventually, but the moment you’re in custody – because the founders understood that constitutional protections only function if invoked immediately. This is why timing matters more than almost anything else in your case.

How Cases Actually Resolve

Most criminal cases in Los Angeles County resolve before a jury’s ever empaneled.

After arraignment, prosecutors make offers: plead guilty to reduced charges in exchange for recommended lighter penalties. This isn’t justice in the noble sense you learned in civics class; it’s efficiency. Courts can’t handle trials for every defendant, so the system pressures everyone toward negotiated resolution. The prosecutorial pressure toward plea deals is structural. When you’re charged with a crime carrying five years but offered a plea to 18 months probation, the risk calculation becomes excruciating: accept certainty of probation or gamble on trial where conviction could mean the full five years? This is how the trial penalty operates – defendants who exercise their Sixth Amendment right to trial face systematically harsher sentences than those who plead guilty. That’s not a bug; it’s the feature that makes mass case processing possible.

What does this mean for you specifically? If you’re facing first-time DUI charges, the typical resolution involves a plea to reduced charges, DUI program enrollment, fines ranging from $1,500 to $2,500, and three years probation – not jail time, completed in three to six months. Shoplifting charges often resolve through civil compromise with the store, resulting in dismissal or reduction to an infraction with minimal fines in two to four months. Felony assault might reduce to misdemeanor battery through skilled negotiation, substituting probation and anger management for prison exposure, resolved in six to twelve months. These outcomes aren’t guaranteed – they depend on evidence strength, prosecutorial discretion, your criminal history, and the quality of legal representation fighting for you.

Here’s the thing prosecutors won’t tell you: those timelines I mentioned earlier – the 48-hour arraignment window, the 72-hour charging decision – those aren’t just bureaucratic deadlines. They’re pressure points. When you understand what’s happening at each stage, you can make better decisions about whether that plea offer’s actually reasonable or whether the prosecution’s case has holes you can exploit. These factors require evaluation: How strong is the prosecution’s evidence – video, eyewitnesses, your own statements? How much better is the plea versus potential trial outcome? What’s the trial risk if convicted – will the judge impose a harsher sentence? Is this your first offense or do you have priors? These aren’t abstract legal questions – they’re the concrete decision matrix that determines your future.

You can’t get a lawyer too soon – that’s constitutional reality. If you suspect you’re under investigation, retain counsel immediately. The moment police want to “ask you some questions,” invoke your right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment. After arrest, representation during the 72-hour charging window protects against prosecutorial overcharging and preserves defenses that evaporate once charges are filed. Even misdemeanors require professional representation – the idea that “it’s just a misdemeanor” you can handle yourself leads to permanent criminal records, thousands in fines, and collateral consequences you didn’t anticipate. Employment applications ask about convictions. Professional licenses get suspended. Immigration status gets jeopardized. The cost of not having representation vastly exceeds the cost of hiring an attorney. When evaluating representation, ask critical questions: Do they handle your specific charge type regularly? Do they practice in Alhambra Superior Court and know the local judges and prosecutors? Can they articulate a realistic case strategy, or are they making vague promises? What’s their actual track record with cases like yours – not total years of experience, but relevant outcomes? Experienced counsel appears in Alhambra Superior Court routinely and develops working relationships with the prosecutors and judges who’ll handle your case. We’ve defended clients in these exact situations for over 40 years. We’re available 24/7 at 212-300-5196 because criminal charges don’t respect business hours, and neither do the decisions you need to make. When Todd Spodek defended Anna Delvey while media convicted her before trial, he demonstrated the principle that everyone deserves vigorous advocacy especially when they’re universally condemned. That same philosophy applies whether you’re facing federal fraud charges or a misdemeanor charge – constitutional protections aren’t reserved for famous defendants; they’re your rights the moment police take you into custody. Your next move determines everything. Don’t wait, don’t try to handle this yourself, don’t assume it’ll “blow over.” Call 212-300-5196.