A federal racketeering case is currently proceeding in Brooklyn against an alleged drug gang and the U.S. District Attorney prosecuting the case asked the judge to admit mafia tattoos into evidence, as well as to admit YouTube music videos that were made by the alleged gang leader. The Brooklyn judge ruled that the videos were […]
READ MOREUSA Today Op-Ed Warns That Everyone is a Criminal
In the American justice system, the rule has long been that ignorance of the law is no excuse. If you are charged with a crime, claiming you didn’t know your actions were illegal is generally no defense. While this rule may have worked a century or two ago, however, some believe the principle no longer […]
READ MOREThe Admissibility of Statements Involving Criminal Defendants
If you are under investigation by the police, it is important to remember the words of the Miranda Warning: anything you say can and will be used against you. This warning is intended to serve as a reminder that any statements you make during police questioning can be admissible in court. For many criminal defendants, […]
READ MORESharks, Remoras and Arizona v. Johnson: Supreme Court Further Cuts Fourth Amendment Protections in Case With Implications for Drug and Gang Policing
It is reasonable for an officer to “pat frisk” a person in the context of a traffic stop if the officer believes that person is “armed and dangerous,” the United States Supreme Court held today in Arizona v. Johnson. This might seem to be a pretty common sense opinion. Surely, if we care about the […]
READ MORENorthwest Georgia Banks and Credit Unions Hit By Debit Card Fraud
Federal investigators are investigating an outbreak of debit card fraud in Northwest Georgia, according to a story by WCR tv in Chattanooga. Customers of the Bank of LaFayette, Cohutta Banking Company, and Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union in Chickamauga, LaFayette, Rossville and Trion in Northwest Georgia have reported having their accounts drained. Authorities believe that […]
READ MORE3 UBS Execs Convicted of Municipal Bond Bid Fraud
Three former Union Bank of Switzerland–UBS–executives were convicted on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, as reported by NASDAQ. Peter Ghavami, Gary Heinz and Michael Welty were found guilty of fraud relating to bids to invest the proceeds from municipal bonds and other municipal finance contracts between 2001 and 2006. […]
READ MOREArizona v. Johnson: SCOTUS To Roll Back 4th Amendment Protections?
A non-drug law case with important implications for Fourth Amendment restraints on drug law policing, Arizona v. Johnson, is being heard in the United States Supreme Court today. The case is about whether police may “pat frisk” people for weapons in the context of a traffic stop when they think they might be gang members […]
READ MORERecent Ruling Could Impact Tsarnaev’s Friends
A recent ruling by the US Supreme Court involving a Florida fisherman could possibly have an impact on criminal cases brought against friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev. This is the indication that legal teams involved in the case have given to the media. John Yates, a commercial fishing boat captain was convicted […]
READ MORESecond Alleged Atlanta Terrorist Ehsanul Islam Sadequee Begins Trial; Representing Self
We closely followed the trial of Syed Haris Ahmed, who was convicted for providing material support to terrorism in early June–all of our posts may be found here. The trial of Ahmed’s alleged co-conspirator, Ehsanul Islam Sadequee on terrorism charges began yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Sadequee has apparently taken […]
READ MOREJudge alleges ‘fraud on the court’ by government attorneys in Dobyns case
Former ATF Agent Beats Federal Government in Court Take a former football player, mix in some motorcycles, add arson, murder, and smuggled guns and you the result is a former ATF agent who goes on to write the best selling book and is countersued by his former employer. Jay “Jaybird” Dobyns, born in Indiana in […]
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