February 2011 - Federal Criminal Law Center

Georgia House considers expanding mortgage fraud law

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 28, 2011
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As part of the legislative agenda being promoted by Georgia’s new Attorney General Sam Olens, the Georgia House of Representatives is considering a bill that would expand Georgia’s mortgage fraud statute to include falsifying or altering documents used by banks in the foreclosure process. The bill, known as House Bill 237, is expected to be […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 25, 2011
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In a recent Oklahoma case making national headlines, an Oklahoma City mother of four received a sentence of 10 years in prison for $31 worth of marijuana sales. She was charged with drug distribution and, because she had children in the home, possession of a dangerous substance in the presence of a minor. In Oklahoma, […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 22, 2011
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Another recent federal appellate case has brought good news to people convicted of crack cocaine-related federal drug crimes. Recent reforms, sometimes called the “crack amendments,” to the federal sentencing guidelines have reduced the sentencing disparity between comparable drug crimes involving powder cocaine and those involving crack cocaine. Both Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission have […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 17, 2011
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A report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a not-for-profit company working on behalf of insurance companies to stop insurance fraud and car theft, indicates that Florida leads the nation in staged accidents and other questionable insurance claims. The company found a 58 percent increase in potentially staged car accidents in Florida between 2008 […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 15, 2011
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19-year-old Demrick M. of Cleveland, Ohio, was facing serious criminal charges — kidnapping and felonious assault. A student at his high school said that Demrick led a gang of teens that beat him up and held him at gunpoint as he was walking home from school at around 1:00 p.m. on October 13, 2010. Demrick […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 14, 2011
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The infamous Red Dogs, a drug task force unit of the Atlanta Police Department, have been disbanded following repeated accusations that Red Dog officers violated civil rights during arrested, using excessive force and performing illegal searches and seizures during drug raids. Mayor Reed announced that he was dissolving the unit last Monday and replacing it […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 11, 2011
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Two former narcotics detectives from Gwinnett County accused of misusing department money intended for undercover investigations. A grand jury handed down an indictment on Wednesday, charging both men with violating the oath of a public officer and theft by taking. One of the men has also been charged with credit card fraud and the other […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 9, 2011
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For nearly two decades, criminal defense attorneys and social justice activists had bitterly complained about the 100-1 sentencing differential in the federal sentencing guidelines for crack vs. powder cocaine. The guidelines advised judges to sentence those convicted of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine to, on average, 100 times more jail time than those […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 4, 2011
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In December, five students at Columbia University were arrested and charged with running one of the largest college-campus drug conspiracies in recent memory. This week, criminal defense attorneys for two of the students announced that they plan to ask the judge to approve them for diversion into a drug court, where they could be given […]

Posted by Marcia Shein
On February 3, 2011
0 Comments

When five Columbia University students were arrested on drug charges in December, it brought up a number of troubling questions about America’s War on Drugs. It was allegedly one of the largest college-campus drug conspiracies in recent memory — run by five Ivy League students with majors like applied mathematics and anthropology. This week, criminal […]

Georgia House considers expanding mortgage fraud law

Mom gets 10-year sentence for drug possession; $31 of marijuana

Federal appeals court orders lower court to redo crack sentence

Industry group: Car insurance fraud claims soaring in Florida

After acquittal, jurors furious at false accusations against teen

Red Dog drug task force disbanded after civil rights violations complaints

Two ex-Gwinnett County narcotics cops charged with embezzlement

Sentencing Commission: 12,835 crack convicts qualify for reductions

Ivy League drug conspiracy: ‘Issues of privilege and promise’ – 2

Ivy League drug conspiracy: ‘Issues of privilege and promise’ – 1