Erika has been a licensed private investigator in the state of California since 2018. She has been recognized for her tenacity, diligence, and compassion, and effective investigative skills, while maintaining a determined and empathetic approach to every case she works on. As the owner of Valiente-Thompson Investigations, Erika brings over 29 years of experience as a Criminal Defense Investigator at the Orange County Public Defender's Office. She is a Registered Process Server in Orange County - #6417 and a Notary Public State of California.
She speaks and writes fluent Spanish.
Throughout her career, Erika has worked on various cases across all Orange County courts, advocating for homeless clients, veterans, juveniles, and indigent clients facing both misdemeanor and serious felony charges. Her extensive experience includes complex and challenging cases, some including human trafficking, sexual offenses, gang-related crimes, robberies, homicides, capital cases, and Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity investigations.
Her investigative niche as an experienced Defense Investigator involves California Penal Code 288 cases, specifically in conducting interviews with minors and alleged victims.
In 2014, Erika was honored with the “Investigator of the Year” Award from the O.C. Public Defender’s Office, reflecting her commitment to justice.
Erika became a Certified Criminal Defense Investigator from the Defense Investigators Training Academy (DITA) at Allan Hancock College in 2002.
Erika is part of the SFSU Alumni Association and assists as scholarship evaluator.
She has been a member of the Defense Investigators Association (DIA) since 2000. Erika has served on the DIA board since 2016, recently holding the position of Interim President from 2023 to 2024, as well as, chairing the Annual DIA Conference from 2022 to 2024.
In 2022, she became certified in the Fundamentals of Mitigation Certificate Program by the National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists/National Legal Aid Defender Association (NASAMS/NLADA.)
Erika is a member of the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) and serves on the Conference Committee. She is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) and the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association.