United States District Court, Central District of California
Filing Procedures
Subject: Section:Contact: Last Updated:
General Criminal Filing Information General Criminal Filing Information Clerk of Court01/06/2009
GENERAL CRIMINAL FILING INFORMATION

Bond Posting
Fine/Resitution
Reconveyance/Deed of Trust
Post-Indictment Arraignment
Central Violations Bureau (CVB) - Violation Notices

All documents presented for filing must comply with the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Local Rules of this court. For further filing information, refer to the following Local Rules. (Local Rules are available on this web site under "Local Rules" menu.)
  • Rule 3 Indictments and Informations
  • Rule 5 Bail
  • Rule 6 Sentencing
  • Rule 7 Subpoenas
  • Rule 9 Motions to suppress
  • Rule 14 Settlement conferences in complex criminal cases
Copies of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and Local Rules may be obtained by calling the Daily Journal at (213) 625-2141.

All filings are to be made in original and one copy, blue-backed on 28-lined paper. You must provide additional copies if you wish conformed copies. If you are filing by mail, please submit a self-addressed, stamped envelope for returning the conformed copies.

Effective March 1, 2002, all documents must be presented for filing at the division where the case is pending.

Criminal cases are deemed pending in the division where the district judge holds court. Therefore, subsequent documents for these cases must be filed at the location where the district judge is located.

Documents not filed at the proper location will be returned to the filer.

Court locations for criminal filings are as follows:

Western Division
225 E. Temple St., Rm 178
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Southern Division
411 West Fourth St., Rm 1053
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4516
Eastern Division
3470 Twelfth St., Rm. 134
Riverside, CA 92501

Please refer to Judges' Procedures & Schedules to determine the location of the judge for pending cases.

There are no fees in criminal cases until an appeal is filed. Information on filing an appeal is available on this web site under "Appeals" menu.

A Notice of Bail Hearing cannot be filed unless the date and time of the bail hearing have been approved in writing by the Courtroom Deputy Clerk of the Judge or Magistrate Judge to whom you are seeking review of bail, and the Office of the U. S. Attorney and Pre-Trial Services and the Interpreters Section (if the defendant requires an interpreter) has received notice of the bail hearing. An Application For Bail Review form can be obtained at the Criminal Intake Window or on this web site under "Forms" menu.

BOND POSTING

Bonds may be posted between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and must be presented in person. Bond forms are ONLY available from the Criminal Section and must be obtained in person. They will not be mailed. Please coordinate the posting of a bond with the defendant's attorney.

If you wish to post the monetary condition of bail, you must present either a cashier's check or money order. Cash and personal checks are NOT accepted.

If you wish to post property to satisfy a bond, you must come in person to obtain the property bond package which will include instructions for posting property. The package must be presented to the U. S. Attorney's Office for approval before submission to a magistrate judge for approval.

Prior to posting a bond for a defendant, you must have the conditions of bail. This information is available on the docket sheet which can be accessed through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) on this web site (refer to "PACER" menu).

FINE/RESTITUTION

For information on payment of fines and restitution, contact the Fiscal Section by calling (213) 894-3648.

RECONVEYANCE/DEED OF TRUST

For information on payoff statement and reconveyance for a Deed of Trust, contact the Criminal Section by calling (213) 894-3642.

POST-INDICTMENT ARRAIGNMENT

PIA Schedule:
DivisionDayTime
(Custody)		Time
(Non-Custody)		Location
WesternMonday*9:00 a.m.10:00 a.m.255 Temple St., Courtroom 341, 3rd Floor
SouthernMonday*10:00 a.m.10:00 a.m.6th Floor
EasternWednesday3:00 p.m3:00 p.m.3470 Twelfth Street, Riverside
* If Monday is a holiday, post-indictment arraignment is held on Tuesday following the holiday.

General Information:

Copy of Indictment or Information given to defendant: All defendants are given a copy of the Indictment or Information before court is in session.

When should counsel be present? Counsel should be present in the courtroom 30 minutes before the PIA calendar is called.
Counsel should check the PIA calendar located in the courtroom for the name of their client and item number of their case, and check in with the arraignment clerk. The arraignment clerk will give counsel a copy of the Indictment or Information and ask counsel to prepare the appropriate forms:

  1. Statement of Defendant's Constitutional Rights
  2. Financial Affidavit (if not previously completed at first appearance)
  3. Designation and Appearance of Counsel (for retained counsel only)

Use of an interpreter: If an interpreter is required, counsel must see that the Indictment or Information is read to the defendant by the interpreter. The Statement of Defendant's Constitutional Rights form must be also be explained by counsel to the defendant through the interpreter and signed by the defendant, counsel and interpreter.

Reporting to the U. S. Marshals Office (non-custody defendants): Defendants who have been issued a summons and make their first appearance at the post-indictment arraignment and post a bond at the time of the post-indictment arraignment shall report to the U. S. Marshals Office immediately after the post-indictment arraignment for processing.

Defendants consenting to plead guilty in this district pursuant to Rule 20, who have not posted bail at the district court in which the case is being transferred from, or where bail has not been ordered, must also report to the U. S. Marshals Office immediately after the post-indictment arraignment.

The arraignment: At the arraignment, the magistrate judge or clerk will ask each defendant the following questions.
The defendant should be prepared to respond.

  1. Is (name of defendant on the charging document) your true name?
  2. Did you hear and understand the statements of this court pertaining to your rights and the appointment of counsel?
  3. Did you see and sign a statement of your rights?
  4. Did you receive a copy of the Indictment/Information?
  5. Do you want the Indictment/Information read to you?
  6. Has the Indictment/Information been read to you in (language)? (Only when an interpreter is used.)
  7. How do you plead to the charges contained in the Indictment/Information?

Rule 20 arraignment: On a Rule 20 arraignment, the magistrate judge will ask the defendant the following questions in addition to the questions above.

  1. Is it a true statement that at your request and signed consent, this case was transferred from (district) to this district for all further proceedings?
  2. Do you understand that under Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, if you enter a plea of guilty, you will be sentenced by a judge of this district? But if you enter a plea of not guilty, you and this case will be sent back to the (district)?

Assignment of case number and judge: After a defendant is arraigned, a case number and district judge or magistrate judge are randomly assigned through the Automated Case Assignment System. Depending upon the judge to whom the case is assigned, the magistrate judge may set a trial date, status conference, motion cut-off date and briefing schedule, and/or issue a discovery order. Cases in which a guilty plea will be entered are scheduled before the judge to whom the case is assigned.

CENTRAL VIOLATIONS BUREAU (CVB) - VIOLATION NOTICES

The following is information concerning violation notices (citations) received in the Central District of California.

The Central Violations Bureau (CVB) processes all violation notices and schedules court hearings. If you have any questions concerning a violation notice you received, you may write or call CVB at the following:

Central Violations Bureau
P.O. Box 780549
San Antonio, TX 78278-0549
(800) 827-2982
www.cvb.uscourts.gov

Payment of the violation notice (citation): If you wish to pay the amount indicated on the violation notice, send your payment to the following address:

Central Violations Bureau
PO Box 70939
Charlotte, NC 28272-0939

Your cancelled check is your proof of payment. To verify receipt of payment, you may call CVB at the telephone number listed above.

Court Appearance: If payment is not received within 60 days of the date of the violation notice, you will receive a Notice To Appear in court.(If you have not received a Notice To Appear within 60 days, call CVB.) To reschedule a hearing at the U. S. Courthouse in Los Angeles or Santa Ana, submit a written request to the court and mail it to the court address that appears on the Notice To Appear. Your request must be received by the court at least one week prior to your scheduled hearing date. You must include your name, the citation number, scheduled hearing date, how long of a continuance you're requesting and the reason for a continuance.
  • To reschedule a hearing at U.S. Courthouse, 1415 State Street, Santa Barbara, for Vandenberg Air Force Base, Point Mugu, Port Hueneme, Las Padres National Forest or Channel Island offenses, please call (213) 471-2120.
  • To reschedule a hearing in Barstow, Fort Irwin or Yucca Valley, please call (951) 328-4455 or (760) 577-6513.
  • To schedule a hearing on a warrant or driver license hold, please call (213) 894-3642.
Transfer of venue: If you wish to transfer your case to another district, please call CVB. CVB will provide you with the necessary information.

Warrant: To verify that a warrant has been recalled, please call U.S. Marshals at (213) 894-2075.