Collect Call with Lawstache
Every week, Anton Vialtsin (California attorney and YouTuber) discusses legal cases from the Supreme Court, 9th Circuit, and California State Courts. We focus on the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments. We make predictions and scrutinize the law. Anton Vialtsin handled over a hundred federal criminal cases from initial client interviews through sentencing. He has an in-depth knowledge of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Federal Criminal Codes and Rules, mandatory-minimum sentences, the death penalty, and too many state laws to list.
Episodes
188 episodes
Police Tased Him and His Pet Snake for “Matching the Description” Because He Had Dreads. OVERTURNED
Police tased Robert Holliday after he "matched the description" from a 911 burglary call. He was walking his two pet snakes around his own apartment complex. A Florida appeals court just reversed his resisting arrest convictions and ordered a j...
FLOCK CAMERA Searches Violate the 4th Amendment; Federal Judge Throws Out ALL Evidence!
A federal judge just ruled that a cop's FLOCK CAMERA search violated the 4th Amendment and threw out all the evidence. Here is how one California license plate led to a ruling that could change how police use license plate readers across the co...
Scratched Serial Numbers Enhancement Does NOT Count If Gun Is Traceable. Glock Machine Gun Switch.
A Glock with a machinegun switch had its serial number stamped in three places. Two were scratched off. The Fourth Circuit says that is not enough for a four-level sentencing enhancement, as long as the gun can still be traced.In United...
Can Police Stop You JUST Because You're on Probation or Parole? (California Law)
Can police pull you over in California JUST because the registered owner is on probation or parole — with no traffic violation, no equipment issue, nothing else? In this video, we break down a real 17-minute traffic stop where that was the offi...
Cops Wore NIGHT VISION Goggles to Spy on This Driveway... Was It Legal?
Cops used night vision goggles to walk up someone's driveway with NO warrant.Today, we break down People v. Lieng (2010) — a California case that explains one of the most misunderstood concepts in Fourth Amendment law: curtilage. When a...
Can Cops Use a Thermal Camera on Your Home Without a Warrant? | Kyllo v. US
Can police point a thermal camera at your house and use it as evidence — without a warrant? That's exactly what happened in Kyllo v. United States, one of the most important Fourth Amendment cases of the modern era. In this video, we break down...
"He Put Stuff in My Room, Bro" — Kid Destroys 4th Amendment Defense (US v. Gatkuoth)
A man flees a traffic stop, runs into a stranger's house, and hides a gun in an 8-year-old's bedroom — then claims the police violated his 4th Amendment rights. Can he? In this video, we break down United States v. Gatkuoth (8th Cir. 2026), a b...
FBI Raids Home, Refuses to Show Warrant — State Can't Just Take the Feds' Word for It. 4th Amendment
FBI agents raid a man's home with over 80 officers, an armored vehicle, and a sealed federal warrant — then local police make arrests without ever producing the warrant in court. Florida's Third District Court of Appeal said that's not good ...
Craigslist Child Enticement Sting: How Federal Agents Caught One of Their Own (ICE Supervisor)
An ICE supervisor caught in a sting, nearly 100 text messages, and a 135-month sentence. Today, we dive into the Ninth Circuit’s April 2026 decision in United States v. Williams. When Koby Williams was arrested during an und...
The U.S. Seized $50 Million (700,000 Barrels) of Iranian Oil Mid-Ocean. Turkey Made a Claim as Owner
The U.S. government seized 700,000 barrels of Iranian oil from two tankers in the Mediterranean Sea — sold it for $50 million — and a Turkish company that claimed to own it walked away with nothing. Here's how that's legal.In today's vi...
Suspended License Since 1993. Cop Towed His Car. Cop Found Drugs & a Gun. Judge Threw It All Out!
A police officer pulls over a driver for rolling across a sidewalk. Routine stop — until a records check reveals his license has been suspended since 1993. The cop decides to tow the car, conducts an inventory search, and finds meth, fentanyl, ...
Local Fentanyl Dealer Worked From HOME — And It Cost Him Extra Years in Prison b/c Home Enhancement
Isaac Tekola ran a fentanyl distribution operation out of his apartment — and when he got caught, he argued his home was just... his home. The Ninth Circuit wasn't buying it.In this video, we break down United States v. Tekola (9th Cir....
Border Patrol Tracked Him in Real Time & His Old Guilty Plea Buried Him in the New Crime
In this video, we break down United States v. Ruiz, a brand new Ninth Circuit opinion from January 2026. Alex Ruiz was convicted of transporting illegal aliens in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324 — but the way he got caught and convicted is what ma...
Probation Officer Walked Into Her Home Without a Warrant — Federal Court Says UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Federal probation officers showed up at Deanna Coleman's door while she was in her bathrobe. She asked them if they needed a warrant. They said no — and walked in anyway. What they found behind her bathroom mirror changed everything. But a fede...
Police Get Confession with Undercover Cellmate and Fake Lineup VIOLATES Miranda Rights
California appeals court just REVERSED a murder conviction because police went too far with an undercover interrogation. In People v. Zapata (2026), the court ruled that once a suspect invokes their right to a lawyer, police can't use undercove...
New 2025 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Just Changed Everything for Drug Cases. Are You Eligible?
San Diego Federal Drug Defense: 2025 Sentencing Changes for Border Couriers & Minimal Role ReductionsIf you've been charged with transporting drugs across the San Diego-Mexico border, the 2025 federal sentencing guideline amendments...
Can Police Search a Bag in Your Car Without a Warrant? | California v. Acevedo and 4th Amendment
Can police search a bag in your car without a warrant? The Supreme Court says yes—and this decision affects thousands of traffic stops and drug arrests every year.In California v. Acevedo (1991), the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the auto...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 10: Don't wait until things go wrong to hire a lawyer.
Strickland v. Washington (1984) is one of the most important criminal defense cases in American history. In this final episode of Top 10 Most Important Criminal Defense Cases series, San Diego Criminal Defense Attorney Anton Vialtsin breaks dow...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 9: Everything you need to know about your SENTENCING.
In United States v. Booker (2005), the Supreme Court transformed federal sentencing forever. Before Booker, federal judges were required to follow strict sentencing guidelines — even when they led to unfair results. But the Court ruled that man...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 8: Prosecution can't hide evidence favorable to accused
What really happened in Brady v. Maryland (1963) — and what does a Brady violation actually mean?In this video, we break down one of the most important Supreme Court decisions in criminal law history. You’ll learn how Brady v. Maryland ...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 7: Privacy rights in the digital age. Cell Phone GEO data
In Carpenter v. United States (2018), the Supreme Court faced a modern privacy dilemma: can the government track your cell phone’s location without a warrant?This landmark Fourth Amendment case reshaped digital privacy law and limited t...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 6: Can we get evidence excluded from trial & case dismiss
In Part 6 of our Top 10 Criminal Supreme Court Cases series, we break down the landmark case Mapp v. Ohio (1961) — the decision that applied the exclusionary rule to the states. This case is one of the most misunderstood in criminal law. How is...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 5: Can Police Search Your Car Without a Warrant?
🚔 Can police search your car without a warrant? This episode of our Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths series dives into the history of the “automobile exception” under the Fourth Amendment.In this video, we’ll cover:✅ The facts be...
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 4: Stop-and-Frisk & the Fourth Amendment Explained
Welcome to Part 4 of our series on the Top 10 Supreme Court Criminal Law Cases and the Myths Surrounding Them! In this episode, we break down Terry v. Ohio (1968) — the landmark case that created the legal foundation for stop-and-frisk....
Top 10 Criminal Law Cases and Myths | PART 3: Katz – The Case That Changed Privacy Forever.
Think you know the story of Katz v. United States (1967)? Most people believe this landmark Supreme Court case gave everyone a guaranteed right to privacy—but that’s not the full truth. In this video, we break down the biggest myths and misunde...
