The Purpose of The RICO Statute The RICO statute, or the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, was designed by the federal government as a measure to fight against organized crime in the United States. Being convicted of violating RICO can result in serious penalties. People who face RICO charges often benefit from obtaining the… Read More
Key Components of Federal Felony and State Felony Charges While some criminal offenses are classified as misdemeanors, others are classified as felonies. A person can also be charged with either state or federal felonies, which have some distinct differences. If you end up facing either a federal felony indictment or state felony charges, you should… Read More
Understanding Bail Laws In New Jersey In July of 2018, a federal appellate court in New Jersey ruled that criminal defendants do not have a constitutional right that guarantees the choice to pay a cash bail so that they can be released prior to a trial. This decision defies New Jersey’s recent bail reforms, which… Read More
Insufficient Evidence In Appeals Case An appellate case was recently heard by the Washington DC Court of Appeals, which was initiated by two defendants who had been convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin and a third individual who was convicted of conspiracy to launder money. This case represents an example of cases involving… Read More
Supreme Court Hears Native American Jurisdiction Case In May of 2018, the United States Supreme Court decided to hear a case about Native American territory and a murder in 1999, which could significantly affect issues involving tribal sovereignty and state legal authority. How this case is decided will have a significant impact on where criminal… Read More
The former owner of an accounting firm in Munster, Indiana was sentenced in May of 2018 to eight years in federal prison for bank fraud as well as other offenses, including concealment of assets during bankruptcy, false tax return, and wire fraud. The defendant has already announced plans to appeal by filing the required notice… Read More
In a large number of federal criminal cases, the defendant either makes a plea agreement or proceeds to trial. In some cases, however, a criminal defense attorney can help to have charges removed before trial through the use of a motion to dismiss. As a result, the pretrial motion is a particularly helpful tool for… Read More
In many situations, courts hand down decisions knowing that they fail to address a person’s needs or rights. While some people might be left with options after receiving their sentence, other people identify grounds on which to appeal the decision to a higher court. While a number of people ultimately decide to appeal their sentence,… Read More
You might not be surprised to learn that your personal property can be seized by law enforcement if it is determined to be connected to the commission of a federal crime. Some of the cases that result in asset seizure include drug crimes, fraud, homicide, racketeering, white collar crimes, and vehicular crimes. Not only can… Read More
A recent report issued by Human Rights Watch states that the federal government has begun using secret evidence to mount criminal cases. The technique for evidence collection is called “parallel construction” and involves federal law enforcement hiding classified or sensitive methods from a court of law due to the construction of parallel chains of construction…. Read More