Call for a Free Consultation
212-682-0700May 27, 2015
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced the seizure in the Bronx of enough heroin to get every one of the residents of New York City high. In case you don’t know, that’s almost eight and a half million people. In terms of local drug busts, it was the largest DEA heroin seizure in New York state history. It was also the agency’s fourth largest heroin seizure in the entire country. The heroin, which apparently […] Read On
May 21, 2015
Back in 2010, 19-year old Sharif Stinson was issued summonses by an NYPD officer, and he found himself accused of criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. When the case went to court, however, a judge threw both charges out. He found that they were “legally insufficient.” If you think this is an unusual situation, and that it’s rare for summonses to be tossed out based on facial insufficiency, think again. Between 2007 and 2014, the NYPD […] Read On
April 28, 2015
There are literally thousands of laws and regulations out there prohibiting various types of conduct. Many of the laws relate to serious crimes, such as sexual assault, homicide, and others. But there are a host of criminal offenses that fall on the less serious side of the ledger. Up to now, the policy in the city has been to arrest people for minor violations of the law, including possession of small amounts of marijuana. According […] Read On
April 24, 2015
The death of an unarmed black man at the hands of a South Carolina cop has made a believer out of former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Kelly told ABC reporters this week that watching a video of the shooting taken by a bystander changed his mind. Kelly stated that the incident would likely not have occurred had the cop been wearing a body camera, knowing that his actions would be recorded. The video of the […] Read On
March 18, 2015
New legislation is in the works that will impose tougher penalties on sex trafficking. This week the New York State Assembly passed a bill that would significantly increase the sentence for sex trafficking offenses. The measure was previously passed by the Senate, and is now headed for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s desk. The Governor has already indicated he looks forward to signing the new law. Sex trafficking is defined under § 230.34 of the New York […] Read On
March 5, 2015
The case of Floyd vs. City of New York challenged the practice of the NYPD known as stop and frisk. The essential allegation in the case, which achieved class action status, was that the stops, and what followed, were made on the basis of race and/or national origin. The charge was based, in part, on the apparently undisputed fact that a hugely disproportionate number of blacks and Latinos were stopped and frisked in New York […] Read On
March 4, 2015
In a series of events reminiscent of a detective novel, Derrick Deacon, who was convicted of a murder he did not commit, and who has spent almost a quarter century in prison as a result, is now a free man. He’s suing the city, as well as the NYPD detectives who he says were responsible for the miscarriage of justice. The saga started in 1989 with the robbery and killing of a man in the […] Read On
February 19, 2015
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has issued its annual “Report to the Nation” for 2015. The report contains an interesting rundown of legislation among the states (and the District of Columbia) detailing legislation and enforcement activities that MADD says will help to reduce the number of fatalities caused by drunk drivers. The study uses as a benchmark five different categories to rate the states’ performance. They are: Sobriety checkpoints. These are random checkpoints that […] Read On
January 19, 2015
For those who scoff at suggestions that we need to police the police, you might want to take a look at one of the latest NYPD fiascos. The background of this case includes at least six instances where cops from New York’s 67th Precinct in Brooklyn busted people on gun charges. It was reported that in each of the cases, the officers said they received tips from an unidentified “confidential informant”, and that the information […] Read On
January 6, 2015
A New York City physician has been sentenced to 10⅔ to 20 years in prison. He was convicted of manslaughter in connection with the death of two of his patients, both of whom had overdosed on prescription pain medications. While the case of Michael Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, stands as a notable exception, it is not often that one hears a report of a doctor being convicted of manslaughter in an overdose case. In fact, […] Read On