Open and Gross Lewdness Open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior in Massachusetts is a crime under G.L. c. 272 Section 16. To convict someone of this crime the prosecuting attorney must prove the element of shock or alarm. This requirement was recently clarified by the Supreme Judicial Court in…
Allegations of Sexual Assault Everyone is aware of just how quickly news travels these days. The smallest events in a person’s life can be shared immediately over over the Internet through some form of social media. I am not aware of anyone who does not own a smartphone, capable of…
Attorneys Defend Rape Allegations in Massachusetts One of the most heinous accusations you can face in the Massachusetts criminal courts is an allegation of rape. Virtually everyone who reads about or hears about a rape complaint initially believes that the accusation is true and that the accused is dangerous. Few…
DNA Evidence By now everybody has heard stories about how DNA evidence linked someone to a crime or, alternatively helped someone win a criminal trial. Not everyone however is aware that it is never too late to use DNA evidence to prove your innocence and right a wrong. Just today,…
Sexual assault allegations are common on college campuses throughout the country. Usually a male student is accused of committing some sort of illegal act on a female student. As a matter of fact, in nearly thirty years of practice I have never had a woman charged with rape on a…
False Rape Allegations Several weeks ago I received a call from a potential new client. He had been contacted by a police officer and was told that he was being investigated for a sexual assault. The young man asked the officer what he was talking about. The officer described the…
The Police Want To Talk To Me…What Should I Do? Several times each month I get a similar call from a perspective client telling me that “the police want to talk to me…what should I do?”. My advice never waivers. I have always been consistent in my belief that nothing…
Defending Date Rape Allegations in Massachusetts When someone is charged with rape in Massachusetts the indictment reads that the defendant “did unlawfully have sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, with the named victim and compelled said person by force and against her will, or compelled said person to submit by…
Will The Jury Believe Me Or The Police? Deciding whether to go to trial or resolve a criminal case in Massachusetts without going to trial is a big decision. Some people cannot handle the pressure of having a case pending. These people want to get the case over with regardless…
Defend a Rape Case With The Help of Social Media On many occasions in the past I have posted articles about how social media has helped the prosecution prove crimes. Those articles warn against the stupidity of going public with certain activities that might add to the government’s evidence. Even…