Leading sex crime defense attorney thinks Bustamante could be innocent

Can Santa Ana Council Member Carlos Bustamante mount a successful defense and defeat the sex crime charges he is facing?  Paul J. Wallin, a local attorney who is a leading expert in defending those accuse of sex crimes thinks he can.

I know Wallin quite well.   I used to work for him many years ago, as a marketing director for his firm, Wallin & Klarich.  This firm defends many professionals, including teachers and other government employees, who are charged with sex crimes.  They also handle all sorts of other criminal defense matters.

Wallin submitted a comment over at the Voice of OC, outlining why he thinks Bustamante isn’t getting a fair shake – and may indeed have a decent defense.  Here is Wallin’s comment:

I am the senior partner of Wallin and Klarich. Our law firm has been successfully defending persons accused of sex crimes for over 30 years.

I have read the news coverage pertaining to the recent arrest of Carlos Bustamante related to several sexual abuse charges. I am shocked that so many people are willing to convict this man when the case facts indicate that he may not be guilty of any crimes.

From my review of the article in The Orange County Register about this case, it appears that two of the four alleged victims strongly deny that they had sexual contact with Mr. Bustamante. If this turns out to be accurate information, then this will prove extremely helpful to his defense.

It was also reported in the Register article that Supervisor [John] Moorlach has stated: “We will do our best to make sure that management identifies this type of behavior sooner and deals with it. … We have to make sure it never happens again.”

These type of “rush to judgment” comments are exactly the reason that it is difficult for someone to receive a fair trial when he or she is accused of a sex offense. It is clear that Mr. Bustamante has emphatically denied his guilt, and already a fellow supervisor is concluding he is guilty by his statements above.

— Paul J. Wallin / July 3

Could Bustamante be innocent?  Or could he be guilty and still get away with it?  We’re already talking about who will replace Bustamante, but God help us if his lawyer is a good one we might be stuck with Bustamante for four more years.  Here’s the kicker – Bustamante has apparently retained James D. Riddet as his attorney, and he is indeed very good.  If he somehow prevails in court he will no doubt run for Ward 3 again.  And incumbents are hard to beat…