02/18/2026
A Spanish-speaking, noncitizen friend of my family found himself in a position no one ever wants to find himself in.
During our recent wave of freezing temperatures, he noticed someone standing on a sidewalk, not wearing any type of coat. Trying to be the good Samaritan he has always been, he approached her and tried to give her a spare jacket he had in his car.
Unbeknownst to him, though, this person was actually a minor, and she thought he was trying to kidnap her. He was then arrested outside his job later in the week and was charged with luring, endangering the welfare of a minor, and attempted kidnapping. Just the luring and attempted kidnapping charges each carried up to 10 years in prison. The endangering charge carried up to 5 years. On top of that, he would have had to register as a s*x offender and then would have been deported to his country.
We immediately got to work on preparing the best possible defense for him. After the first appearance on the case, the judge was so moved by our defense that she called us in the very next day again and urged the prosecutor to reconsider her case. Today, we finally walked out with a plea where he walks after spending just 3 weeks detained. The judge did not even want to impose the agreed-upon probation.
If you want someone who will make even the judge second-guess himself after the fact, then contact me immediately!
You have rights! Make them count! Call Santamaria!
*xcountynj *xlawyer *xcountynj
