November 2010 - Federal Criminal Law Center

Veterans Outraged by Appellate Court Decision

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 30, 2010
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A recent ruling by a U.S. Court of Appeals has outraged veterans. The panel voted 7-4 against a defendant’s appeal, which was based on the fact that a key witness at his trial had lied. The witness lied about his own military record, but the appellate court said it didn’t matter. Appeals attorneys note that […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 24, 2010
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In our last post, we discussed how federal courts have been reluctant to consider a defendant’s age when assigning sentences. Americans over the age of 50 comprise a large portion of defendants in white collar prosecutions. However, courts have been very reluctant to consider a defendant’s advanced age when making sentencing determinations and defendants like […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 22, 2010
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Mauricio Cohen Assor was convicted on October 7 of hiding a $33 million hotel sale from taxation authorities. He is facing up to 11 years in prison at his December sentencing by U.S. District Judge William Zloch. An 11 year sentence is a long time for anyone to spend in a federal prison, but for […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 20, 2010
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Numerous Georgia cases, especially those in Fulton County, have been dismissed due to the state not following speedy trial guidelines. As reported earlier, those cases have included murder, armed robbery and elder abuse. Here’s a look at some of those cases that judges ruled were dismissed based on defendants not having a speedy trial: • […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 19, 2010
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The Georgia Supreme Court has been upholding trial judge’s rulings on dismissing numerous criminal cases due to the state waiting too long to bring a case to trial. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution article examined why the state’s Supreme Court is dismissing such a large number of cases, and reported that the majority of these request […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 12, 2010
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The haul in an Atlanta-area federal drug bust last week was enormous: 45 people and more than two tons of drugs were seized, law enforcement authorities said. The Associated Press reports that the arrests were part of Operation Choke Hold, targeting the Atlanta-area distribution point for the Mexican drug cartel, La Familia Michoacana. Among the […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 10, 2010
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The federal appeals court in Atlanta has unanimously rejected a former Alabama insurance company executive’s plea to overturn his embezzlement conviction. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the embezzlement conviction of John Goff, former head of the now-defunct Goff Group, a workers’ compensation insurance firm that supplied coverage in its Alabama home, as […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On November 5, 2010
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A federal court has decided that a woman sentenced to prison for embezzlement received far too harsh a sentence. The judge decided that the original sentence exceeded sentencing guidelines. As a result, the original term of six years and ten months in prison has been reduced to five years of probation and restitution in the […]

Veterans Outraged by Appellate Court Decision

Old Age a Factor for Sentencing White Collar Defendants: Part II

Old Age a Factor for Sentencing White Collar Defendants: Part I

The right to a speedy trial in Georgia: Part 2

The right to a speedy trial in Georgia: Part 1

Atlanta-Area Federal Drug Bust: 45 Arrested, Two Tons Pot Seized

Appeals Court Upholds Insurance Embezzlement Conviction

Embezzlement Prison Sentence Reduced to Probation