| Q: In court, the judge ordered the defendant to pay restitution to me. So far, I havent received anything. Who can help me? |
| Q: Is it possible to get Juvenile Court case taken off a persons records? If so, how? |
| Q: Is the defendant going to be present when I testify? |
| Q: Months ago I reported an identity theft to a police agency. The accounts were closed down and the loss reported. Since then, I have not heard from anyone. How can I tell if the case has been solved? |
| Q: Must welfare fraud conduct be occurring in Orange County for Orange County District Attorney to have jurisdiction? |
| Q: My husbands killer is being prosecuted by your office. I am afraid to sit in court alone so close to him. Can you help? |
| Q: Someone called me an offensive racial epithet. Is this a crime? |
| Q: Someone has tried to recruit me to file a false claim with my auto insurance. What should I do? |
| Q: Someone is pouring things into the street or storm drain that shouldn't be there. What should I do? |
| Q: Someone is using my identity but I dont know who it is. What should I do? |
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| Q: In court, the judge ordered the defendant to pay restitution to me. So far, I havent received anything. Who can help me? |
| A: If the defendant was placed on formal probation, you should call the Orange County Probation Department Restitution Unit at (714) 935-7411. You will need to provide the defendants name and the criminal case number. If the defendant was placed on informal probation, you should contact the Victim/Witness Assistance Program at the courthouse where the case was heard. If the defendant was sentenced to prison, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation can legally withhold a portion of his or her prison earnings and/or trust account deposits to pay restitution. To have this done, the court must have entered an order for a specific amount of restitution to be paid to you by the defendant. Additionally, you will need to complete a Victim Services and Restitution Collection Request Form (CDC Form 1707) so that monies collected can be disbursed to you. To obtain this form or for more information contact the Department of Corrections, Office of Victim Services and Restitution at (877) 256-6877, the Victim/Witness Assistance Program Restitution Services, or the California Victims of Crime Compensation Program. |
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| Q: Is it possible to get Juvenile Court case taken off a persons records? If so, how? |
A: It depends on the type of crime and the subsequent criminal record, if any of the minor. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 781 permits persons who acquired records as juveniles to petition the juvenile court to have those records sealed.
Information and documents to initiate this record sealing process are available from the Orange County Probation Department.
Orange County Juvenile Probation Dept.
- https://www.ocgov.com/Probation/facilities/index.asp
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| Q: Is the defendant going to be present when I testify? |
| A: Yes. The defendant must be present in court to hear what all the witnesses say about him or her. The lawyer for the defendant is called the defense attorney and is allowed to ask you questions related to the case. |
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| Q: Months ago I reported an identity theft to a police agency. The accounts were closed down and the loss reported. Since then, I have not heard from anyone. How can I tell if the case has been solved? |
A: Unfortunately, most identity theft cases are never solved. In many cases, there is no information identifying the person who used your personal information. To get a status update on your investigation, contact the police agency to whom you made the report. If you cant get information from the desk agent, you may need to contact someone in the fraud unit of that police agency to find out if the case is being actively investigated. Many police agencies screen new identity theft reports and actively investigate those where there is a likelihood of finding the perpetrator. If you have additional information, you should provide it to the police agency and include the report number of the police report you made.
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| Q: Must welfare fraud conduct be occurring in Orange County for Orange County District Attorney to have jurisdiction? |
A: Yes. Reports of alleged public assistance or welfare fraud must be reported in county where they occur. Persons suspecting public assistance fraud conduct should contact that jurisdictions District Attorney or Social Services Agency. The first question DA staff will ask is in what county is this occurring? The conduct must be occurring in Orange County for us to have jurisdiction over the conduct.
If you have specific questions concerning public assistance or welfare fraud in Orange County, please contact the DA Public Assistance Fraud Unit Clerical Number.
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| Q: My husbands killer is being prosecuted by your office. I am afraid to sit in court alone so close to him. Can you help? |
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A: Please contact a Victim-Witness Advocate.
Arrangements will be made to have an Advocate sit with you in court every step of the way. There will also be security in court.
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| Q: Someone called me an offensive racial epithet. Is this a crime? |
| A: No, it is a hate incident. A hate incident is any action that is motivated by bias but does not constitute a crime. The First Amendment protects these actions as a right to freedom of expression. This freedom, however, cannot interfere with another persons civil rights. Some common examples of hate incidents include: the distribution of non-threatening racist flyers in public, the display of non-threatening anti-gay or lesbian placards at a parade, or a letter ridiculing people with disabilities. Documented hate incidents can possibly be used to show motivation that a person goes on to commit a hate crime. |
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| Q: Someone has tried to recruit me to file a false claim with my auto insurance. What should I do? |
| A: It is common that groups of criminals try to recruit members of the driving public to make false claims against their auto insurance with promises of money or commissions. It may also be represented that you will receive free medical care or some sort of settlement. Making a false claim could subject you to criminal prosecution. If you have been solicited to participate, please contact the Orange County District Attorneys Office Automobile Insurance Fraud Unit to report what has occurred. If possible, please send by mail to the District Attorney Auto Insurance Fraud Unit, 401 Civic Center Drive W., Santa Ana, CA 92701or fax your information to (714) 648-3699 (Automobile Insurance Fraud Unit). This kind of fraud costs California drivers millions of dollars a year. |
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| Q: Someone is pouring things into the street or storm drain that shouldn't be there. What should I do? |
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A: If it is a highly flammable liquid such as gasoline or paint thinner, call 911 immediately. A serious explosion could occur. Otherwise, contact your local police or sheriff. It is forbidden by law to drain anything into the storm drain or gutter except rainwater and the occasional sprinkler runoff. Dumping of soapy water from carpet cleaners and steam cleaning residues from parking lot cleaning is prohibited. Bright green or yellow liquids may be automobile antifreeze, which has a sweet taste and is very toxic to animals, so do not delay in reporting it if you see it standing or being drained into the gutter. People and animals can suffer a slow, painful death due to liver and kidney failure after drinking antifreeze. Dumping oil into the storm drain can also cause harm to the stream, the river, and the ocean.
The hazardous waste must be immediately contained and removed by qualified technicians to mitigate any damage and protect life. Other specialist will come and conduct investigations.
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| Q: Someone is using my identity but I dont know who it is. What should I do? |
| A: You should first report the suspected identity theft to your local police agency. You should provide them with any information you may have about where and when your personal information was used and whether you have any idea who used your information. Second, you should report the incident to the three major credit bureaus to keep the thief from using your identity to obtain credit in your name. The police agency taking your report will give you a phone number to call and make a report to each. Third, if your bank account or credit cards have been used or if new accounts have been opened, you should contact the company or bank with the account and inform them that you are being victimized by an identity thief. They will generally freeze the account and give you paperwork to fill out and return to them. |
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