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With the rise of the internet also came the rise of internet crimes. The internet opened up an entirely new realm for criminal offenses, especially due to the potential for anonymity in many online communications. However, authorities in Pennsylvania prosecute internet and computer crimes aggressively and…
It seems like all the news talks about lately in the United States is cops shooting unarmed black men who did not actually present a threat to the police or the community. The Washington Post reports that 990 people were shot and killed by law enforcement officers…
In order to convict you of any criminal offense, a prosecutor must prove all of the elements of that crime as set out in Pennsylvania criminal law. For example, if you are charged with possession of marijuana, the prosecutor would have to prove not only that…
Yesterday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathy Kane was found guilty of two counts of perjury and multiple misdemeanors. Today, the question is, what will be Kathy Kane’s sentence? Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines The Pennsylvania sentencing guidelines layout a matrix to be applied to every defendant. However, the guidelines are not mandatory and…
As if the federal sentencing guidelines aren’t harsh enough, the guidelines occasionally contain a “cross reference” or a “special instruction”. At sentencing in federal court, Cross References & Special Instructions create a situation where the guidelines are increased to suggest to the court the defendant should get…
You may hear or read news reports of individuals being accused of “fraud.” Fraud can refer to many acts, all of which involve the element of deceit or dishonesty with the intent for wrongful personal gain, usually financial gain. In some cases, fraud allegations may be…
In Birchfield v. North Dakota, 579 US _ (2016), the Supreme Court of the United States changed the Driving Under the Influence laws throughout the United States. More specifically, in Pennsylvania, the holding in Birchfield calls for sweeping changes to our DUI laws. Philadelphia criminal defense…
If you are a driver and have casually read or discuss drunk driving in the United States, chances are that you have heard of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test, 1 or SFST. This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-approved test was designed to help law enforcement…
All of us make mistakes at one point or another. If you are one of the lucky ones, your mistakes do not result in the creation of a record that can follow you around and create problems for years. Unfortunately, not all of us are so…
Bribery and public corruption cases often make headlines when a police officer is under federal investigation for taking bribes from drug dealers or a judge solicits campaign contributions in exchange for favors. Bribery most often refers to bribery of public officials, such as the giving of money…
