snapped shot

John Monti, who is married to a Colombia-born woman, is a public school teacher who lives near the migrant camps in California. He became incensed when he learned that some illegal activities were occurring in a nearby neighborhood, and he wanted to get some photographic evidence of it.

When Monti was getting the photos, Kreep says, more than a half-dozen day-laborers -- several of them illegal aliens -- assaulted him. "He stopped at this day-labor site, started taking photographs, and he was attacked by a group of the day-laborers," says the attorney. "First they threatened him, and then they attacked him. They took and smashed his camera ... [and] his cell phone."

Monti was able to escape, but when he reported it to authorities, he was the one charged because his assailants claimed he attacked them. Kreep says even though his client was clearly the victim, prosecutors falsely charged Monti with attacking the day laborers. But, according to Kreep, the prosecution could not prove its case.

"Mr. Monti was criminally prosecuted [and] a jury found him not guilty. The criminal case is over. However, now the attackers [who are] claiming to be victims have civilly sued him, and that is now going through a variety of motions," Kreep contends.