Category Archives: Criminal Defense
Statewide Sweep Results in 27 Arrests for Insurance Fraud
A recent sweep led to 27 people being placed under arrest for insurance fraud in Pennsylvania. The offenses are unrelated, but Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane believes this wave of arrests will send the message that insurance fraud will not be tolerated in the state. Among those arrested were two New Jersey men who […]
Protecting Your Record: Expungements in Pennsylvania
Having a criminal record remains a major hurdle to a number of benefits, privileges and opportunities to better your life. It can make it harder to find quality work and good housing, prevent you from becoming professionally licensed, bar you from international travel and restrict your opportunity to attain higher education. In short, even if […]
Pennsylvania Ramps Up Efforts to Target Heroin-Related Drug Crimes
In an effort to crack down on a growing heroin problem, Pennsylvania is joining with New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts to form an interstate coalition for investigating and prosecuting heroin traffickers. It is expected that other Northeastern states will join the group in the coming weeks. The idea for the coalition grew out of […]
Pennsylvania Legislature Passes Ignition Interlock Bill
In an effort to address Pennsylvania’s drunk driving problem, the state Senate approved a bill that will require DUI offenders whose blood alcohol concentration exceeded 0.10 to install ignition interlocks in their vehicles. The bill passed unanimously 50-0, and will proceed to the House, where it is expected to be approved. While ignition interlocks have […]
Marijuana Legalization Efforts Stall, Advocates Push On
Although the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is beginning to seem amenable to the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes and the overall movement on the issue is trending toward broad legalization, the House does not yet seem ready to sign on to a bill that recently passed the Senate. While the Senate bill took almost […]
Tougher Pennsylvania DUI Laws Ineffective at Reducing Drunk Driving
When Pennsylvania lowered its legal alcohol limit from .10 to .08 in 2003, the expectation was that the stricter driving under the influence law would act as a deterrent, resulting in safer streets, fewer fatalities and fewer arrests for intoxicated driving. Additional changes in Pennsylvania DUI law mandated longer jail times for repeat offenders. Unfortunately, […]
US Attorney General Calls for Broad Review of Police Tactics
At a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors in Little Rock, AR, outgoing Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. asked the assembled mayors and police chiefs to cooperate in a broad review of policing tactics. Referencing President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 Commission on Law Enforcement, Holder said he hoped the current Justice Department […]
False Confessions, Corpus Delicti and Pennsylvania Law
Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued two important rulings that will have an impact on the state’s legal system. However, the rulings send a mixed message at best, and are directly contradictory at worst. In the first case, the Court ruled that experts on human memory, particularly as it applies to eyewitness testimony […]
Man in Boating Accident Gets Unusual ARD Outcome
A 21-year-old man involved in a fatal boating accident last summer was placed on probation for four years at a hearing on September 2. A first-time offender, the defendant was accepted into Pennsylvania’s accelerated rehabilitative disposition program and required to pay $650, complete 100 hours of community service, and take a boating safety course. Successful […]
Juvenile or Adult: How It Works in Pennsylvania
One of the suspects in an August bar robbery admitted in juvenile court to his involvement. The 14-year-old, along with three teenagers 18 years or older, allegedly robbed Victor’s Café in Spring Township after closing time, making off with liquor and $700. The younger teen has admitted to conspiracy to commit robbery. This case comes […]
