Real estate scams are on the rise. Deputy District Attorney John Dunn talks about recent fraud schemes and how to protect yourself. Recently in San Diego, a couple learned their vacant land parcel that they’ve owned for a decade was sold without them knowing it, in what’s called a seller impersonation fraud. Bio: John Dunn has been a Deputy Distric…

On July 21, 2023, 20 year-old Adam Thomas of Sacramento was tried for 1st degree murder for the death of his brother, Trenton Thomas. Trenton was found shot to death by a crossbow in a park in San Diego. Was it an accident or was it a murder? Deputy District Attorney Christina Eastman joined the podcast to discuss this trial. Facts: Adam drove from…

Author N. Leigh Hunt joins the podcast and talks about his book "I Don't Like Mondays: The True Story Behind America's First Modern School Shooting". This book uncovers key details behind the 1979 school shooting at Cleveland Elementary School, in the San Carols community of San Diego, CA. On the morning of January 29, 1979, 16 y.o. Brenda Spencer …

Deputy District Attorneys Teresa Pham and Jorge Del Portillo talk about their trial strategies in prosecuting People v. Jade Janks. On December 21, 2022, Jade Janks was found guilty of first degree murder. Janks murdered her former stepfather, Tom Merriman, after discovering nude photographs of herself on Tom's computer. Tom was the founder of the …

San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan was re-elected in 2022 after a rare uncontested election. DA Stephan returns to the podcast to discuss her accomplishments in her first term and some of her goals for her next term. DA Stephan discussed a recent school threat assessment conference and a new app to help the homeless find an available bed. D…

San Diego Human Trafficking prosecutor Flavio Nominati joins the podcast to discuss the crime of human trafficking. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and we wanted to speak with our local expert on this important topic. Deputy DA Flavio Nominati tells us about how he prosecutes these crimes, what are the red flags …

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Deputy DA Ben Barlow joins the podcast to talk about prosecuting domestic violence cases, the impact of these crimes, and helping survivors recover from abuse. Harris County, Texas reported that 35% of homicides in its county were related to domestic violence. Atlanta reported 25% of homicides …

Detective Anthony Tripoli with the San Diego Sheriff's Department joins the podcast to talk about investigating fires, what makes it an arson under the law, and what it takes to dismantle a bomb. Arson has been in the news lately, from wildfires to buildings being set on fire during protests, and attempted arsons at the home of political figures. E…

Frank Figliuzzi was the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the government. He is a national security contributor and regular columnist for NBC News and MSNBC. He is the host of the popular podcast “The Bureau with Frank Figliuzzi” and he…

A dangerous trend is happening across the country called street takeovers, where numerous cars block an intersection and perform dangerous stunts. Police in Bristol, Connecticut said they have seen a rise in takeovers, and recently in Los Angeles, California witnesses said 2 women died after fleeing from a street takeover. And it's happening in San…

In April, an investigative report from the North Carolina State Auditor states a North Carolina charter school falsified student records and misused school funding, to the tune of $400K. Earlier this year a man in Minnesota was charged with misspending $30M dollars in federal funding for meals for children, spending it instead on luxury cars and la…

On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, and wounded seventeen other people, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States. Earlier in the day, he shot his grandmother in the forehead at home, severely wounding her. There have been 119 school shootings since 2018, in which 88 people have died and 229 peop…

DUI fatalities have spiked in San Diego County. 2021 marked the most fatal DUI crashes in two decades. Our county typically averages around 15-20 DUI fatalities annually, but 2021 saw more than 37 DUI fatalities. The average blood alcohol content (BAC) of someone arrested for DUI was .18%. Summer Stephan announced a half-million dollar grant from t…

Deputy DA Scott Pirrello joins the podcast to discuss his fight against elder abuse. Background: The Wall Street Journal recently reported a surge in elder abuse cases, stoked by the pandemic. “Elder Abuse Spreads, Stoked by the Pandemic.” In Pittsburgh, 2 people were initially arrested for elder abuse for neglecting the care of a 76 year old woman…

We review podcast stats, quiz stats, provide an update on cases, and discuss crime news we didn't get to cover. We also play some of our funniest moments from this year and some outtakes. Thanks for listening and have a happy new year! Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Dep…

A Best Buy in Minneapolis, a Louis Vuitton store in Chicago, and a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, CA were all struck recently by organized retail theft. But even before these high-profile thefts in the news, some cities have been plagued by constant theft. Wal-Greens in San Francisco had to close 5 stores due to rampant and brazen shoplifting. A Safewa…

San Diego County is the 5th most populous county in the United States, and the second most populous county in California. The City of San Diego is, by many measures, one of the safest major cities in the United States. The San Diego DA’s office is the second largest DA’s office in California and has 1,000 employees. Bio: Summer Stephan was the firs…

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys John Lewin, Habib Balian, Ethan Milius, Euguene Miyata, and Rob Britton join the podcast and discuss the prosecution of Robert Durst. In this episode, the prosecutors discuss organizing discovery, preparing clips for cross examination, how they decided who would do opening and closing argument, whether they cou…

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys John Lewin, Habib Balian, Ethan Milius, Euguene Miyata, and Rob Britton join the podcast and discuss the prosecution of Robert Durst. In this episode, the prosecutors discuss investigating the case, interviewing Durst, preparing for trial, and catching a fabrication by Durst while he was on the witness stand. (…

Deputy DAs Jennifer Kaplan and Gabriella DiCaprio join the podcast to talk about the San Diego Deputy DAs Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Claudine Ruiz Scholarship that is awarded each year. You can donate to the foundation through our website at https://sdddaa.net/the-claudine-ruiz-scholarship/ Deputy District Attorney James Fontaine, t…

Several cold cases throughout the United States have recently been solved using new DNA technology and genealogy investigations, including the infamous Golden State Killer who was arrested in 2018. The San Diego District Attorney's Office has also solved several cold cases using genealogy, such as the Potter murder and the Martinez murder. Deputy D…

Every now and then we interview criminal justice leaders and promote the good work they do, both on and off the court. Deputy DA John Dunn is the author of the children's book "Boo and Ted's Amazing Adventures". Deputy DA Nicole Gerard is the author of the children's book "My Aunt is a Lawyer". This is second book in the series and follows "My Mom …

A mass shooting in downtown San Diego resulted in the death of a valet driver and injured 4 others. Authorities reported that the suspect used a “ghost gun.” Laurie discusses an article in the San Diego Union Tribune by Teri Figueroa about the rise of ghost guns seized by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). 1 out of 5 guns seized by SDPD are gh…

Ransomware attacks crippled Scripps Health and Colonial Pipeline. Learn why Colonial Pipeline was able to recover quickly and Scripps Health in San Diego has not. San Diego Deputy District Attorney Ryan Karkenny, a member of the Computer and Technology Crime Hight-Tech Task Force (CATCH) joins the podcast to discuss ransomware attacks, internet sca…

There was a more than 164% increase in anti-Asian hate crime reports to police in the first quarter of 2021 in 16 major cities and jurisdictions compared with last year, according to a report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. The new data comes after several high-profile attacks. A m…

Introducing Crime News Insider.By San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Association