​Gang Enhancement Attorney

​​The Right Gang Crimes Attorney can make all the difference in your case.

If you have been accused of a crime involving a gang enhancement, whether you are charged as an adult or a juvenile, make sure you have an experienced criminal defense attorney fighting for you.  A gang enhancement pursuant to 186.22 of the California Penal Code can have serious additional consequences.  When a gang enhancement or a gang crime is charged, the penalties for the crime will be increased and you will face significantly more time in jail.  Additionally, you will be required to register as a gang member. The gang enhancement can follow you around for life.

Our legal team has taken on numerous gang enhancement and gang crime cases where we have discovered that the accused client was not a gang member, or that the crime was not committed for the benefit of a gang.

At the Law Offices of Krause & Hirschhorn, P.C., we are dedicated to representing clients facing any type of gang enhancement or gang crime. As trial lawyers with extensive experience and a legal practice devoted to criminal defense, we provide our clients with the dedicated legal representation they rightfully deserve. Our skill and insight into the California legal system could mean the difference in your gang enhancement or gang crime case.

​A Gang Enhancement Can Apply to ​Many Types of Crimes

​A Penal Code Section 186.22 enhancement can apply to “Any person who actively participates in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in, or have engaged in, a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang… and/or Any person who is convicted of a public offense punishable as a felony or a misdemeanor, which is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, or assist in any criminal conduct by gang members…”        

A gang enhancement can be alleged in almost any type of crime and the severity of the punishment depends on whether or not the underlying charge is a felony or misdemeanor.  The prosecutor has the discretion to allege a gang enhancement if they believe you are a gang member and/or the crime was committed for the benefit of the street gang.  Some examples of crimes that can be turned into a gang crime because of a gang enhancement are:

• ​Drug crimes
• Vandalism or graffiti
• Fraud
• Auto theft
• Carjacking
• Hate crimes
• Larceny
• Robbery
• Sexual ​assault
• Assault
• Domestic violence
• Possession of a firearm
• Attempted murder
• Homicide
• Burglary
• Arson
• Money ​laundering

Protect Your Legal Rights

​Even if there really isn’t any gang involvement, the clothes, neighborhood, friends or even a person’s ethnic background can all be unfairly used as evidence of gang involvement. Prosecutors, judges and juries know the public does not like gangs or gang activity, and therefore they are more willing to punish an alleged gang crime more harshly than other criminal charges. Any gang involvement claimed by the prosecutor will make the charges and potential penalties more severe, including an enhanced prison sentence.

Contact ​a Gang Crime Lawyer

​Contact the Gang Crime Lawyers of the Law Offices of Krause & Hirschhorn, P.C.​ As career criminal defense lawyers, we have been involved in thousands of criminal defense hearings and trials. We can help you fight for your rights against gang crime allegations. Call us at 805-330-1529 or email us to speak with an experienced criminal attorney today. At our firm, we are committed to excellence in representing our clients. Our attorneys take on gang affiliation cases throughout Ventura, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara Counties.