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Michael Eric Kraut
Criminal Defense · DUI / DWI Defense
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Freddie's Review
Michael E. Kraut Stopped a Prosecution When the Evidence Didn’t Add Up—Now He Defends the Accused
Some lawyers build their reputations on the cases they win. Michael E. Kraut distinguished himself by recognizing when justice required him to stop—and he did just that while standing before the jury as the prosecutor.
In 1997, while serving as a Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, Kraut was preparing to deliver his closing argument in a cocaine prosecution when he made an extraordinary decision. Troubled by the credibility of police testimony, including testimony involving LAPD officer Rafael Perez, he dismissed the case. Kraut then documented his concerns in a memorandum to his superiors. More than a year later, Perez became the central figure in the Rampart police-corruption scandal.
That episode says something important about Kraut’s professional instincts. He was willing to stop a prosecution when the evidence no longer deserved his confidence. Today, as a criminal-defense attorney, that same ability to identify unreliable witnesses, investigative failures, and unsupported accusations can become a powerful advantage for someone facing the full pressure of the justice system.
Kraut spent approximately 14 years with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, ultimately serving as a Senior Deputy District Attorney. His assignments included the Hardcore Gang Homicide Division and Major Frauds Division—units responsible for some of the county’s most serious and complicated prosecutions. His professional materials report more than 80 felony jury trials, with a 99% success rate during his prosecutorial career. Even before joining the District Attorney’s Office, Kraut worked as a law clerk with United States Attorney’s Offices in San Diego and Boston.
That background now informs the defense practice he leads at Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers. The consumer value is not simply that Kraut once worked for the prosecution. It is that he understands how charging decisions are made, how investigators frame evidence, and where a case may be vulnerable before it gains momentum.
One especially significant result is documented in an official State Bar court record. Kraut represented a client arrested on a rape allegation and communicated with the Marin County District Attorney’s Office while it reviewed the matter. After examining the police report, witness statements, and transcripts, the District Attorney declined to file charges. For the client, the difference was enormous: an arrest involving an exceptionally serious allegation did not become a filed criminal prosecution.
The firm also publishes results involving dismissed fraud and theft charges, DUI cases resolved through diversion and dismissal, and serious felonies reduced or eliminated. Past outcomes never guarantee what will happen in another matter, but they illustrate a defense practice focused on measurable changes in a client’s exposure—not merely promises of aggressive representation.
Kraut’s judgment has also made him a recurring source of legal analysis beyond the courtroom. ABC News has consulted him on nationally followed murder and DUI cases, and his professional biography reports commentary for Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, BBC News, and KTLA. He has also educated attorneys, prosecutors, and law-enforcement personnel about criminal procedure, investigative methods, DUI defense, and courtroom advocacy. When professionals throughout the justice system turn to a lawyer for instruction, it signals authority beyond media visibility.
Public feedback reinforces that professional record. Kraut maintains a 4.7-star Google rating based on 305 reviews, giving prospective clients a substantial body of firsthand feedback to consider alongside his prosecutorial experience and documented professional standing.
Michael E. Kraut’s story is ultimately about judgment: knowing how prosecutors build cases, recognizing when evidence cannot withstand scrutiny, and having the conviction to intervene before an accusation becomes a life-altering result. For an accused person, that command of both the force of prosecution and the weaknesses that can stop it may be the credential that matters most.
That combination of experience, reputation, verified professional standing, and public credibility is why Michael E. Kraut was included on FreddieFender.com.
Credentials
- Juris Doctor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 1993
- Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, 1988
- Additional legal studies at Harvard Law School, 1992–1993
- Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Member, Beverly Hills Bar Association
- Attorney Member, National Criminal Defense College
Career Highlights / Proven Experience
Career Highlights
- Firm Founder: Established Kraut Law Group Criminal & DUI Lawyers, Inc., where he serves as managing attorney and leads the firm’s criminal-defense practice.
- More Than Three Decades of Experience: Has practiced law since 1993, developing substantial experience in criminal investigations, negotiations, jury trials, and prefiling defense.
- Former Senior Prosecutor: Served with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office from 1994 through 2008, including service as a Senior Deputy District Attorney.
- Specialized Felony Assignments: Handled serious prosecutions through assignments in the Hardcore Gang Homicide Division and Major Frauds Division.
- Extensive Jury-Trial Record: Kraut’s professional materials report more than 80 felony jury trials and a 99% success rate in felony jury trials during his prosecutorial career.
- Early Federal Experience: Worked as a law clerk with the United States Attorney’s Offices in San Diego in 1991 and Boston from 1992 to 1993.
- Early Rampart Scandal Warning: Raised documented concerns about LAPD officer Rafael Perez more than a year before the Rampart scandal emerged. Kraut dismissed a cocaine prosecution after concluding that Perez and other officers had provided unreliable testimony and memorialized his concerns in a 1997 memorandum.
- Prosecutorial Honors: Professional directories report that Kraut received an Association of Deputy District Attorneys Award in 2002 and a Homicide Prosecutor Award from Justice for Homicide Victims in 2006.
- Criminal-Law Educator: Has presented programs addressing criminal procedure, investigative techniques, courtroom advocacy, DUI defense, and domestic-violence cases for attorneys, prosecutors, and law-enforcement personnel.
- Published Criminal-Law Contributor: Authored educational material addressing California Evidence Code section 1101(b) and the admissibility of prior-act evidence, along with numerous published criminal-law and DUI guides.
- National Legal Commentary: Has provided criminal-law analysis for ABC News concerning nationally followed murder and DUI cases. His professional biography also reports commentary for Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, BBC News, and KTLA.
Proven Experience
- Serious Felony Filing Prevented: Represented a client arrested on a rape allegation and communicated with the Marin County District Attorney’s Office during its charging review. After examining the police report, witness statements, and transcripts, the District Attorney declined to file charges.
- Third-DUI Case Dismissed After Officer Testimony Challenged: Obtained dismissal of a third-DUI prosecution involving a reported .23 blood-alcohol reading after developing substantial contradictions in the arresting officers’ accounts and challenging their testimony in court.
- DUI Dismissed and Driver’s License Preserved: Secured dismissal of a DUI prosecution involving a reported .09 blood-alcohol reading while also preventing any period of driver’s-license suspension through the related DMV proceedings.
- DUI Refusal Case Rejected Before Court: Intervened for a real-estate professional arrested at a sobriety checkpoint after refusing field-sobriety and chemical testing. The case was rejected before the scheduled court date, avoiding a DUI conviction, criminal fines, and court-ordered alcohol programs.
- Felony DUI with Injury Reduced: Took over a case in which the client faced a felony DUI-with-injury charge and a prosecution demand reportedly including one year in jail. Kraut obtained a reduction from the felony to a misdemeanor.
- Four Welfare-Fraud Counts Dismissed: Secured dismissal of four welfare-fraud charges, leaving the client without a resulting criminal record and preserving eligibility for employment requiring fingerprint-based background checks.
- Credit-Card-Fraud Case Dismissed: Obtained complete dismissal for a client charged with credit-card fraud, eliminating the criminal charges and threatened conviction.
- Domestic-Violence Charges Defeated: Defended a client against domestic-violence allegations and a related restraining-order proceeding. After Kraut’s examination exposed problems with the allegations, the judge dismissed the charges, allowing the client to resume contact with his child.
- Felony Charge Dismissed Within Three Weeks: Took over representation of a client facing a felony charge and a reported possibility of at least one year in custody, obtaining complete dismissal in less than three weeks.
- Felony and Sex-Crime Charges Eliminated: Obtained removal of felony and sex-crime charges at arraignment, resolving the remaining matter as a misdemeanor with 30 days of electronic work release so the client could continue working.
- Assault Charge Dismissed Before Trial: Secured pretrial dismissal of an assault charge identified in the client’s published account as a Penal Code section 417.1(a) allegation, ending the prosecution without a trial.
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