Fighting Cops Who Violate Your Rights Every criminal defense lawyer I know has tons of stories about how client’s constitutional rights were violated. Some involve motor vehicle stops for no reason. Others involve searches without warrants. Sometimes people are compelled or tricked into talking to the cops. The good news…
Today’s Lawrence Eagle Tribune reports that Anita Allen, a Haverhill, Massachusetts woman has been arrested and charged with federal wire fraud charges in the Massachusetts Federal District Court. Allen was an accounts payable specialist for a local IT staffing company. She allegedly moved money between Internet based accounts and funneled the…
The large majority of people arrested or summonsed in Massachusetts and charged with a crime are going to get arraigned. At this stage of criminal proceedings it makes no difference to most Massachusetts judges whether or not the person is innocent or guilty. As a matter of fact, this makes…
You always hear about people going to New York City to buy pocketbooks, glasses, handbags, shoes and more from street vendors. They talk tongue and cheek about the great deals they are getting. These people know they are not getting the real thing. They go for the experience of “shopping”…
What is Domestic Assault and Battery? Assault is the threat of violence, and battery involves unlawful physical violence or intentional touching of another person that was nonconsensual. When assault and battery occurs in the home or in a domestic situation between those in a familial relationship, it is referred to…
Gun Possession Defense Anytime someone makes threats with a firearm in Massachusetts the district attorney will charge that person with everything under the sun. Take for instance the case of a Haverhill man who Monday afternoon got into an argument with a couple of people. As the dispute heightened the man,…
Very few criminal acts are considered more hideous than rape. This crime is commonly defined as non-consensual forcible sexual intercourse. The element of force is required in every rape case. Force must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. However, there is no requirement that the district attorney prosecuting one of…
Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 218 §35A provides a mechanism through which people can apply for criminal complaints. The process is simple. Go down to the district court clerk’s office, ask for an application for a complaint and fill it out. If the complaint is for a misdemeanor, and in some…
One of the things Massachusetts criminal defense attorneys have to consider when doing an arraignment is the potential issue of bail. Many prosecutors know very little about the cases their cases at the arraignment stage; particularly in the district courts. They arrive at work just before 9:00 a.m. and receive…
Sometimes people make mistakes and don’t exercise their best judgment when it comes to drinking and driving. That seems to be the case for Massachusetts State Trooper, Dale Jenkins III, who is the subject of a recent article in the Lawrence Eagle Tribune. Jenkins, of North Andover, has a 14-year history of…