February 1, 2012
OAKLAND -- Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley announced today that 12 individuals have been charged with criminal offenses stemming from the arrests of 'Occupy Oakland' protesters on Saturday night, January 28, 2012. Eight people were charged with misdemeanor offenses, and four people were charged with felony offenses.
The defendants charged with felonies appeared in department 112 where they were arraigned. The judge issued an order to stay away from Frank Ogawa Plaza and the Oakland Convention Center. The defendants will appear again in court on February 2, 2012 for entry of plea and a bail motion.
Seven of the eight defendants charged with misdemeanor counts appeared in Department 107 where they were arraigned. The People requested and the judge issued the order that the defendants stay 300 yards away from Frank Ogawa Plaza. The eighth defendant did not appear. An attorney appeared on her behalf and that arraignment will take place on February 7, 2012.
Additional arrests were made on Saturday, January 28 and Sunday, January 30, 2012. Investigations are ongoing as to each of these arrests. The District Attorney’s Office will carefully review each police report and all of the supporting evidence as to each of these incidents and will make decisions regarding filing of criminal charges.
February 1, 2012
OAKLAND -- Attorneys from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office today moved to dismiss the case People v Geneva Dixon on the grounds of Interests of Justice. Ms. Dixon was charged with Penal Code Section 187, involving the death of the father of her child, Mr. Norris Lewis. After an extensive post-charging investigation by the District Attorney’s Office, the determination has been made that the killing was done in self-defense during an assault by the decedent against the named defendant in this case. Much of the evidence ultimately reviewed, including 16 hours of video interviews, cell phone records and coroner’s report, was not available at the time of charging.
DA O’Malley said, “This decision was not made lightly. Our role as prosecutors is not simply to seek convictions, but to seek justice based on the law and the facts of the case. The criminal justice process is a search for the truth. After carefully reviewing all of the evidence, the decision to dismiss the case in the interests of justice is the correct one.”
January 19, 2012
Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O'Malley Announces $350,000 Settlement with Retail Chain that Sold Children's Products Containing Illegal Amounts of Lead and/or Phthalate Compounds
OAKLAND -- District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley announced today that DAISO CALIFORNIA, LLC, (Daiso), has agreed to pay a total of $350,000 in civil penalties and costs in the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the District Attorney’s Offices of Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
The lawsuit alleged that the company sold products marketed to children containing lead and/or phthalate compounds exceeding the legal limits without providing clear and reasonable warnings in violation of Proposition 65 and Health and Safety Code sections 108935-108939.
The settlement, signed by Alameda County Presiding Judge C. Don Clay, pertains to Daiso’s retail stores in California (located in Daly City, Newark and San Jose), and requires Daiso to pay $350,000 in civil penalties and costs. The civil penalties from the judgment will be used to provide money to support local enforcement of California consumer protection laws and the state Safe Water and Toxic Enforcement Fund.
January 17, 2012
As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office is proud to co-sponsor an informational session called 'Keeping Our Children Safe'. The aim of the program is to educate parents on how to assist their children in navigating the internet safely.
While the internet is used for positive social, educational and commercial applications, it is also increasingly used to facilitate human trafficking. The Alameda County DA's Office encourages parents to attend one of the forthcoming sessions to gain the knowledge needed to protect their family in this era of increasing online participation.
The free session will be repeated in Livermore, Fremont and Oakland, and will feature speakers from the FBI.
January 4, 2012
OAKLAND -- Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley announced today that dietary supplement distributors Iovate Health Sciences, Inc., a Canadian corporation, and its American affiliate, Iovate Health Sciences USA, Inc., have agreed to pay a total of $1.5 million in civil penalties and costs in the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the District Attorney’s Offices in Alameda, Napa, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano and Sonoma counties.
The lawsuit alleged that the company engaged in false and misleading advertising in connection with the marketing and sale of certain of its dietary supplement products, and violated Proposition 65, which requires a warning label on products that expose the consumer to over one-half microgram of lead per day.
The settlement, signed in Napa County Superior Court, pertains to Iovate products marketed and sold throughout the state of California, and requires the Iovate companies to pay $1,200,000 in civil penalties that will provide support for the future enforcement of California consumer protection laws. The agreement also provides for $300,000 in investigative costs. It is the second largest multi District Attorney dietary supplement settlement of its kind in California history.