Major Cases Prosecuted by Steve Counelis

By Steve Counelis

This is a sampling of the major cases prosecuted by Steve Counelis that demonstrate his effectiveness, his commitment to justice, and his compassion for victims of crime.

James Henry Pennington had a history of drunk driving and had been convicted of 7 DUI's. Pennington, with his estranged wife as a passenger, drove with a blood alcohol level 50% over the legal limit when he rolled his truck down a ravine off of a freeway. His wife was ejected from the vehicle and died.

Preparing the case, Steve Counelis learned that Pennington had thought about murdering his wife, and had discussed doing so in a murder-suicide by driving his truck off a cliff. Counelis built such a strong case that Pennington pled guilty to Gross Vehicle Manslaughter and was sent to prison for 10 years, the maximum sentence available.

People vs. Rose Case #133140, Stanislaus Superior Court The Charges: Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child Under 14 The Result: Guilty

William Joseph Rose befriended a single mother and offered to provide babysitting while she was at work. Rose used the opportunity to sexually molest one of the daughters for more than a year. He would buy the girl candy and give her money to keep her silent about his crimes.

People vs. Parham Case # RIF120687, Riverside County Superior Court The Charges: Burglary, Identity Theft, Grand Theft, Fraudulent Credit Card Use, Felony Possession of a Firearm, Financial Abuse of a Dependent Adult, and Insurance Fraud. The Result: Guilty

While the identity theft victim, a paraplegic man, was in the hospital for two years, his home was burglarized and all of his personal and financial paperwork, his personal property, and even the fixtures of his home were stolen. The victim returned home to find his home in foreclosure, his specially-equipped car stolen, his bank account emptied, his credit card accounts taken over, and credit history ruined.

A search of Tammy Parham's house recovered most of the victim's property, and led to the recovery of his specially-equipped car. As Steve Counelis began jury selection, Parham voluntarily pled guilty to all 47 charges against her. She was sentenced to 14 years in state prison. This was one of the longest prison sentences for identity theft in Riverside County's history.

After the trial, Steve Counelis went the extra mile for the disabled victim in the matter. Counelis prepared a detailed Factual Innocence Order, which the Court granted. The victim was able to use this order to remove the damage from his credit report, qualify for a new home loan, and restart his life that had nearly been destroyed by Parham.

People vs. Smith & Casey Case # SWF000699, Riverside County Superior Court The Charges: Assault with the Deadly Weapon, Terrorist Threats, and Possession of a Firearm The Result: Guilty

Susan Smith went to a home with her friend, Jennifer Casey, looking for Casey's boyfriend and their infant daughter. Neither the boyfriend nor the baby was at that house, but Smith and Casey did not believe the residents. Casey gave Smith a .380 semi-automatic pistol. Smith pointed the gun at the two adults and five children in the house. Smith gave until the count of five to produce the baby or she was going to open fire. Fortunately, no shots were fired. Smith and Casey said they would be back later, but were soon arrested.

Steve Counelis successfully prosecuted this case, convicting Susan Smith of the felony charges against her. Jennifer Casey was convicted for misdemeanor gun possession.

People vs. Kannike Case # RIF109039, Riverside County Superior Court The Charges: Embezzlement, Identity Theft, and Loss Over $50,000 The Result: Guilty

Kannike was a bank teller for Bank of America. Over a 55-day period, Kannike processed 42 fraudulent cash advances, stealing $104,000 from the bank. Kannike was working with an identity theft ring that was stealing people's personal information and their money. Steve Counelis won a conviction against Kannike and she was sentenced to state prison for 3 years.

People vs. Brown Case # RIF 106383, Riverside County Superior Court The Charges: Grand Theft and Diversion of Construction Funds The Result: Guilty

Kevin and Lori Brown owned and operated a swimming pool construction company, Kevin Brown Pools. The Browns solicited contracts and accepted payments, but failed to provide the services they were paid for by 19 homeowners. Instead the Browns spent several hundred thousand dollars of their clients' money on personal luxuries and unrelated projects. Steve Counelis won convictions against the Browns. They were found guilty of 20 felonies and are barred from doing contracting work ever again.

People vs. Bedolla Case # RIF130974, Riverside County Superior Court The Charges: Unauthorized Computer Network Access The Result: Guilty

Bedolla was a student at the College of the Desert where he was using a computer in the student counseling center to collect the usernames and passwords of people on the College's computer network. The College staff detected a major network slowdown and attributed to the computer Bedolla was using. An investigation discovered that he had installed a program to collect computer users information that was causing the slowdown.

Steve Counelis successfully prosecuted Bedolla who was sentenced to jail and forced to forfeit his own computer equipment that he had been using to commit crimes.