SDSU Drug bust in San Diego
Recently, a nationally-covered large scale drug investigation led to the arrest of almost 90 individuals in the San Diego area. State and federal authorities were investigating narcotics activity on and around San Diego State University, the largest college campus in San Diego County. The investigation led to the arrest and convictions of many students and non- students. Authorities believed Mr. Bajaj's client, who was not attending the university, was supplying the large amounts of cocaine to the campus. He was targeted by law enforcement as the highest level distributor of cocaine. The District Attorney's Office alleged Mr. Bajaj' s client had direct ties to a Mexican drug cartel and had access to large amounts of narcotics and finances. His client had been convicted of Possession of Cocaine for Sale in a prior case, which increased the potential punishment substantially. Punishment enhancements for the weight of cocaine were added as well. Mr. Bajaj thoroughly evaluated and investigated the case. He filed an exhaustive Motion to Suppress all evidence seized and used against his client. He went to the extent of hiring a private DEA certified chemist to re-weigh the seized narcotics. Both moves proved successful. After rejecting prison terms in the double- digits, Mr. Bajaj offered to settle the case for one additional year in custody (his client had six months of credit at that time) to be served in a drug treatment custody program. The District Attorney's Office accepted. This resolution, like many others created at the hands of Mr. Bajaj, is a clear example of his success as a criminal defense attorney.
"Operation Bloodsucker" exposure of large scale narcotics activity from Los Angeles to San Diego
During an extensive federal and state investigation called "Operation Bloodsucker," Mr. Bajaj's client was arrested and accused of being a high- quantity supplier of cocaine. The federal government received authorization for a wiretap, which led to the exposure of large scale narcotics activity from Los Angeles to San Diego. Mr. Bajaj's client seemed to have everything going against him. He had a felony strike conviction, had many other felony convictions, and even had a cocaine distribution conviction. In fact, his client was released from a fourteen (14) year federal sentence only two years before being arrested as a result of Operation Bloodsucker. Seizures of well-over six (6) kilograms were made and linked directly to his client. Mr. Bajaj aggressively moved to suppress all evidence collected as a result of the wiretap while demanding the exposure of an ongoing investigation at the same time. In the end, the court praised Mr. Bajaj's work and even recommended Fire Camp for his client.
Felony Child Abuse
A young man and new father was accused of causing serious bodily injury to his two month old son. The mother of the child made statements to Child Protective Services, the doctors, and law enforcement. During the first court appearance, the prosecutor stated that Mr. Bajaj's client intentionally caused injury numerous times over the course of a substantial amount of time. The prosecution also told the judge that Mr. Bajaj's client admitted to committing the acts. After deciding to represent this individual, Mr. Bajaj moved aggressively to orchestrate the investigation. His staff of investigators located witnesses and other important information for Mr. Bajaj. The investigation revealed another potential cause of the injuries, which included two broken legs and six broken ribs.
Mr. Bajaj retained an expert in pediatric injuries to evaluate each of the reports and testify, if needed. When confronted with an alternative cause of injury and a defense expert who found a unique type of injury that could not have been caused by actions the prosecution described, the prosecution was forced to accept Mr. Bajaj's offer of probation. His client was placed on probation and avoided a double-digit prison sentence.
Possession of Illegal Assault Weapons, Silencers, and Venomous Snakes
While responding to a domestic violence call, an investigation began after a man made verbal threats while breaking a window of a San Diego Police Department Detective's house. Emergency law enforcement, including SWAT, was called to respond. Information was given to law enforcement that the individual had possession of more than 25 weapons. While searching for the individual, officers searched his house, locating numerous prohibited weapons, many pounds of explosives, and more than two dozen dangerous venomous snakes.
Responding to great political pressure, the federal government began actively seeking prosecution on all weapons offenses. A large number of the weapons found here were strictly prohibited and included an AK-47, a modified SKS, and a number of semi-automatic firearms equipped with silencers. A primary goal was to prevent the federal government from prosecuting the case and encourage the state to move forward instead in order to avoid more severe punishments in federal court.
The state moved forward and Mr. Bajaj successfully argued to lower his client's bail from $500,000 to $50,000. Mr. Bajaj, in direct comparison to many other defense attorneys, believes in thorough representation. He researched the legislative intent behind the weapons laws in this case, coordinated investigation in the case, and examined the weapons.
In this highly publicized case, Mr. Bajaj secured the dismissal of 28 charges, successfully protected his client from ANY jail time and ensured his record would only show a misdemeanor conviction.
False Allegations of Child Molestation
A very well-established computer programmer working in Southern California was accused of long-standing sexual abuse of his two step-daughters. The allegations carried a MULTIPLE LIFE sentence. The client was a former Marine and worked his way to becoming one of the most influential computer programmers in the nation. Mr. Bajaj decided to take the case and immediately moved to coordinate investigation. His staff of investigators followed his direction and collected numerous statements, photographs, and other evidence.
The prosecution did not budge, they were convinced that Mr. Bajaj's client was guilty and would settle for nothing short of a life sentence. Mr. Bajaj, however, pushed hard at every level to prove his client's innocence. He pushed forward to a Preliminary Hearing, which he feels is one of the most important hearings in a criminal case. He cross-examined each of the prosecutor's witnesses. Most defense attorneys do not summon their own witnesses to testify at the Preliminary Hearing, but Mr. Bajaj does. He did so in the this case, which proved to be the right move. In the end, Mr. Bajaj convinced the judge to DISMISS ALL CHARGES against his client. His client was released that day to his family and no longer faced MULTIPLE LIFE sentences.
Felony Hit and Run
In a highly publicized case, a young man was arrested for suspicion of Felony Hit and Run Resulting in Death. Extensive investigation linked a car he was operating to one left dead on North Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla, California. The young man was already on felony probation and was ordered to stay in custody with no bail as a result.
His family hired a large law firm, which marketed itself extensively. They met with a case manager who guaranteed a great result. In the end, the firm could not deliver. The client's family was eventually referred to Mr. Bajaj, who agreed to take the case. Mr. Bajaj immediately filed motions to gain access to more police reports and other evidence in the case. He negotiated aggressively with the prosecution. He petitioned the San Diego Police Department for an order blocking the entire road for many hours to allow Mr. Bajaj, his investigation team, and expert witnesses to conduct a full blown reconstruction of the accident. This was no easy task, but Mr. Bajaj had the experience and aggressive tactics to get it done. His petition was granted and the reconstruction went forward.
In the end, the reconstruction worked to the client's benefit. Mr. Bajaj convinced the prosecution to eliminate the probation hold and release his client. The final result? DISMISSAL of the entire case. The dismissal was also highly publicized and Mr. Bajaj's client's name was cleared.
