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  • Testimonials

    My case was a worst case scenario, when I called Todd for help I was a 48 year old professional with no criminal background. I knew I could rely on Todd as we had known each other for years and I knew him to be an excellent lawyer and well respected by his peers as a seasoned and skilled attorney. Todd informed me of what he expected to accomplish and the worst that could happen. I thought he was extremely patient and understanding with me and I was able to communicate with him whenever I needed. I felt completely protected throughout the entire process. The only thing I did not know about Todd was how incredibly experienced and knowledgeable he is and his unwavering commitment to protecting his clients. The result I received was well beyond my expectations. I was given a suspended sentence, probation and allowed to rebuild my life. I know without Todd I would never have received such a sentence. His ability to work with the prosecution, convince the Judge to do the right thing and his no nonsense manner impressed me and I recommend him to those who need the best criminal defense lawyer. — - Rob M.

    I’ve been a private investigator for over 15 years and I specialize in criminal defense cases. I’ve worked with hundreds of attorneys over the years and worked closely with Todd Melnik on several. I could count on one hand how many lawyers I would trust with my own family. Melnik is one. Many veteran attorneys care more about squeezing out your last dollar than defending you. Todd Melnik is passionate, diligent and presents cases for the best possible outcome. It’s a honor to have my name affiliated with his office. — - Leigh-Anne Salinas, Chief Investigator

    Todd, I can’t thank you enough and will never forget your hard work, tenacity and responsiveness during this seemingly unbearable time. I am grateful for the outcome you actualized, in addition to the second chance Jeffrey will now receive. I know my son was facing life in prison, but a 6 year deal was more than we had ever hoped for. Thank you so much for your hard work and caring so much about my son. — - Laura B.

    I was charged with five counts of assault weapon sales with gang allegations. Mr. Melnik took over my case as my criminal defense attorney. His availability to discuss my case was impressive. He always returns calls and is extremely professional. Immediately after accepting my case, Mr. Melnik conducted intensive research on the types of weapons I was being accused of. He wanted to make sure the weapons were in fact illegal in California. He discovered one of the weapons was legal and it was dropped from my charges. After multiple court appearances, and after conducting an interview with the ATF’s informant, Mr. Melnik discovered the he was not being truthful about my gang affiliation and the gang allegations were dropped. Mr. Melnik discussed my case with the District Attorney on several occasions. After first wanting to send me to prison, after discussions with Mr. Melnik for over a year, the District Attorney gave me a plea bargain in which I obtained three years probation with no jail time at all! Overall, Mr. Melnik is a very professional attorney with a lot of experience and an exceptional defense record. You can’t go wrong with him. — - Jose P.

    • Practices Areas

    3 Strikes Cases Lawyer Los Angeles

    What is a strike case? In California, there are two ways in which a strike can affect you. It can affect you if you have a prior strike and a new case or if you are now charged with your first strike….or both. First, a felony strike is permanent on your record even if it was expunged previously. A felony strike is a serious or violent crime, such as an assault with a deadly weapon, burglary of a house or making a terrorist threat against someone. The list is very long of what qualifies. See Penal Code 1192.7 for a list of serious felonies. (link)

    If you have a prior record, even long before the law changed making certain crimes a strike, you can be charged with a strike prior. As an example, if you have a clean record since 1994, but pled to an assault crime, your case now falls under the 3 strikes law. That means you are more likely to receive a prison sentence in the case AND any state prison sentence you receive will be doubled. As an example, the lowest term you can receive for a case is 16 months. If you are sentenced to that term, it will be doubled for a 32 month sentence AND you may have to do up to 80% of your sentence.

    This applies to any person with a prior felony on their record, regardless of what State you may have been convicted in.

    If you have no prior record and you are charged with a Strike crime and you are convicted of that Strike crime, you will have to serve 80% of your sentence if its classified as a serious crime, and 85% of your sentence if its classified as a violent crime in a state prison.

    I have been successful in getting cases like these dropped to non-strike felonies which means you can serve your time at 50% or even serve a prison sentence in county jail. Every case is unique, but hiring a lawyer that fights for your individual case will undoubtedly assist a person in almost every single case. It is very rare that I have been unable to help a client when charged with a crime.

    If a person has two or more strike convictions on their criminal history, they can be charged with a 3rd strike for ANY offense, including petty theft with a prior. The 3rd strike does not need to be serious or violent. It only needs to be a felony to qualify. If you are charged with a 3rd strike, your sentence will be 25 years to life in a state prison.

    Once a person has one strike on their criminal record, the person will always be susceptible to enhanced penalties at sentencing if they pick up a future criminal case.

    I can help. There are motions that can be brought to reduce the penalties in various ways. Sometimes, after an investigation of prior convictions, the convictions are not strikes at all. Sometimes a person is convicted of multiple counts of a crime such as robbery by robbing several people at the same time. Arguments can be made through proper motions that that should only count as one strike and the life sentence goes away.

    Being charged with a strike crime, or having a strike prior and a new felony is extremely serious and requires a person to have an attorney who knows the law, understands how the court system can be used to benefit the client and has a lot of experience. Mr. Melnik has over 20 years of criminal defense courtroom experience in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties and will give you his best efforts to resolve your case in the best way possible.