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Georgia Criminal Defense Blog

Covers Georgia criminal defense, including domestic violence, sex crimes, drug crimes, white-collar crimes, DUI and theft.
By Conaway and Strickler

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Last Entry: November 20, 2009 at 08:00:00

Leandra's Law Approved: Drunk Driving Penalties More Severe

Posted on November 20, 2009
On November 18, 2009, the bill supporting Leandra's Law was signed, now making it a felony to drive drunk while a child is in the car. The new legislation is named after an 11-year-old girl who was killed as a passenger in a vehicle driven by a drunk driver...

Hackers Arrested for Stealing $ 9 Million from Atlanta Based Credit Card Processing Co.

Posted on November 11, 2009
According to an 11alive.com article, an unnamed accomplice and numerous Eastern Europeans have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly hacking into an Atlanta-based credit card processing company (RBS WorldPay) computer network and thieving $9 million...

Effingham County Arrest of DUI, Deputy Hit-and-Run Suspect

Posted on October 30, 2009
There was much media attention over the recent search for a drunk driving suspect who was wanted for allegedly running over a deputy. According to a wtoc.com article, the man was found and arrested in Effingham County. Based on authorities? statements, the man was stopped on US 1 for suspicion of drunk driving and allegedly failed a field sobriety test...

Mexico-Based Cartel Bust: New York One of Many Drug Shipment Sites

Posted on October 23, 2009
A report from foxnews.com discusses the recent events of the largest drug bust of the last 10 years conducted by the Justice Department, in which New York State and many other U.S. states were main sites for receiving the shipment of illegal substances...

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$275,000 Stolen from NAACP: Ex-Employees Accused

Posted on October 15, 2009
A recent wsbtv.com news article reported that during an audit, it was discovered that $275,000 was stolen from the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Atlanta Branch. According to the article, the Atlanta NAACP Branch President stated that the organization?s former executive director and her assistant are suspected of stealing the money from the association over a period of six years...

Man Arrested in Spelman College Shooting

Posted on October 08, 2009
According to a wsbtv.com report, a 21-year-old man has been arrested for murder and aggravated assault in Atlanta. The man is considered the only suspect in a shooting that took place on the campus of Spelman College on September 3, 2009. Apparently, police believe the man fired six shots into a large group of people, and that one of the gun shots killed a 19-year-old female student from Missouri...

From a DUI Stop to a Stolen Police Car

Posted on October 01, 2009
After being pulled over for suspicion of DUI, a man decided his best option for escape wasn?t the allegedly stolen U-Haul vehicle he was driving, but the police car that had pulled him over for the possible infraction. According to an article, the main reason police did in fact pull the man over was because he left the scene after apparently striking another automobile, although the man claimed that he didn?t know he had hit another vehicle...

Georgia Man Was Falsely Imprisoned for 17 Months Due to Mistaken Fingerprints

Posted on September 24, 2009
Fingerprints are considered to be insurmountable evidence. However, in the case of a convicted Georgia man, a routine check of the supposed offender?s identification revealed the huge mismatch: his fingerprints were inaccurately identified as those of a criminal, and he had, consequently, been wrongly incarcerated for 17 months for a robbery that he didn?t commit...

Child Exploitation Charges against Peachtree City Golf Pro

Posted on September 16, 2009
The growth of the Internet and its many uses is unprecedented; however, many communities are often shocked when someone within a neighborhood is arrested by law enforcement for using the Internet to sexually exploit children by arranging secretive meetings...

Georgia Participates in ?All Hands Across the Border? DUI Crackdown

Posted on September 07, 2009
The ?All Hands Across the Border? campaign was announced as an effort to dissuade and prevent drunk driving during the upcoming holidays, such as Labor Day and other long weekends. The program began on Sunday, August 30, 2009 and will hopefully curb the DUI incidents that habitually pop up over 3-day weekends and the like...

Investigation Hints at Arrests in Snellville Shooting of Mother

Posted on September 03, 2009
A 25-year-old mother was shot and killed nearly three months ago by a disguised attacker whom investigators believe they now know the identity of. The Snellville Police Department stated in a report that they are ?very close? to making an arrest and are waiting for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to analyze evidence that could bolster the strength of their case regarding the violent crime...

Brooklyn Assault Puts Student in a Coma: CrimeStopper Tip Leads Police to an Arrest

Posted on August 27, 2009
A nydailynews.com story reported that a 22-year-old, male student from Pratt Institute suffered severe head injuries during an August 6, 2009 assault, and was placed into a medically induced coma as a result. Due to an anonymous tip from local CrimeStoppers, one teenage has been arrested in connection with the violent crime in New York, with police still searching for at least two others in connection to the assault...

267 Georgia DUI Arrests Made in "Take Back Our Highways" Program

Posted on August 20, 2009
In a report issued by the Georgia Department of Public Safety on August 7, 2009, it was announced that after a week-long concentrated patrol, Georgia State Troopers arrested 267 people for DUI in Georgia. Four other Southeastern states, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Mississippi, participated in the ?Take Back Our Highways Program...

Associate Professor at Georgia Tech Charged with 15 Counts of Sexual Exploitation

Posted on August 13, 2009
According to a recent report, illicit computer activity impelled Georgia Tech to contact law enforcement regarding an associate professor who became the target of a week-long investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The professor was arrested the night of August 12, 2009 and charged with a hefty accumulation of 15 counts of sexual exploitation of children...

NORML Attempts to Change Georgia Law

Posted on July 21, 2009
According to a 2007 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, more than 62 million Americans said that they have used marijuana at some time in their life and 4.6 million Americans 35 years or older said they had used marijuana in the last month...

Hitman?s Lawyer Argues Client Functions at the Level of a 12 Year Old

Posted on July 14, 2009
In what may be looked at by some as a desperation shot or even a ?hail mary? attempt, the defense lawyers of a convicted hit-man called in a neuropsychologist and director of the Shepherd Center in Atlanta to testify that the convicted man functions at the level of a 12 year old child...

Police Seeking Home Invasion Suspect after Gunfight

Posted on July 07, 2009
A home invasion robbery in Mableton, GA ended with gunshots, according to a published report on 11alive News online. Police allege that the robber entered the home with his weapon at about 1pm and tied the two occupants up. One of them was able to get free of his restraints, retrieve his own pistol, and fire at the suspect, possibly injuring him before he escaped...

Georgia DUI Sweeps Net 4 Dozen in One Night

Posted on June 30, 2009
The website onlineathens.com reported in an article on June 27, 2009 that two DUI checkpoints in Georgia patrolled by the University of Georgia police, Athens-Clarke police, and Georgia State Patrol on the second night of AthFest resulted in the arrests of 48 people for DUI in Georgia...

Man Held in Rape, Pimping of Juvenile

Posted on June 23, 2009
A man is being held in Fulton County Jail and has been charged with sex crimes in Georgia including rape, child molestation and procuring for pimping by the Fulton County police. The underage girl who accused him of rape met the suspect at the West End MARTA station on June 6...

Weapons Charges Filed In Road Rage Case

Posted on June 16, 2009
Atlanta placed 5th in cities with road rage in the country, and its surrounding areas must surely not fall far behind them, as the following story illustrates. A preacher was not intimidated when he faced a man who acted very aggressive and threatening...

Man Sought After Attempted Bank Robbery in Sandy Springs

Posted on June 09, 2009
Police are seeking a man who attempted to rob a bank in Sandy Springs, according to a published report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The man walked into the Bank of America, which was on Roswell Road, at 11:30am and presented a large envelope with a note to a bank teller...

Staten Island Drug Charges Against Dr. Arrested For Prescribing Steroids

Posted on June 02, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in a story on February 10, 2009 that Dr. Richard Lucente, 37, had been arrested for the NY drug crime of illegally selling steroids to bodybuilders. Lucente is also the main doctor involved in a steroid scandal involving NYPD officers...

New York Domestic Violence Case of Soprano?s Vincent Pastore Settles Out Of Court

Posted on May 28, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an account on February 10, 2009 that Vincent Pastore, 62, known as Sal Bonpensiero on the HBO television series called The Sopranos, had agreed to settle out of court for being accused of domestic violence in Manhattan...

New York DWI Manslaughter Leaves One Alive

Posted on May 26, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in a story on February 9th, that a woman who described herself as the mother of New Jersey officer Martin Abreu, 25, was placing the blame of the car accident on the dead female victim and the other pedestrian who was seriously injured...

Modern Crooks ?Never Steal Anything Small?

Posted on May 21, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an account on February 10th that today?s modern crooks are the leaders of our financial institutions who have sent the economy into a downward tailspin, thrashing the American way of life with their New York white collar crimes...

Mans Body Dragged Through Queens and Brooklyn

Posted on May 19, 2009
The nydailytimes.com website reported in a story on February 11th, that Manual Gaspar Latuna Sanchez, a cargo van driver, inadvertently struck and picked up a body that had already been hit, dragging it for 17 miles. According to police reports an SUV first hit a man trying to cross at 108th St...

Queens Violent Crime Kills Landlord

Posted on May 14, 2009
A nydailenws.com report from February, 11th stated that Rosario Prestigiacomo, 64 was killed with a knife while inside his apartment in Ridgewood on Green Ave. According to police reports, Prestigiacomo was the landlord there and family relatives said that he owned the apartment...

New York Sex Crime Offender Russell Harding Fights To Stay Off Sex Offender List

Posted on May 12, 2009
The nydailynews.com reported in a story on February 10, 2009 that Russell Harding, housing czar during Rudy Giuliani?s governor term, is fighting court attempts to place his name and address in a New York state wide registry of sex offenders for life...

Brooklyn Hit And Run Critically Injures 2

Posted on May 07, 2009
A nydailynews.com report from February 10, 2009 stated that an SUV fled the scene after running down a family crossing the street. Following their mother, Ralph Nicholas was struck as he was holding his sister Sade?s hand at the intersection of Avenue H and Utica Ave in Brooklyn...

Bronx Drug Crime Leads To Women Being Held Hostage

Posted on May 05, 2009
The nydailynews.com reported in an account on February 10, 2009 that an undercover sting operation resulted in the arrest of parolee Kirkland Smith, 58, for selling methadone to an undercover police officer. Due to a slip up, either by the NYPD or the district attorney?s office, they botched up the drug test results and were unsuccessful in meeting a deadline to indict Smith; therefore, he walked out of jail...

Brooklyn Weapon Carried By Teen Results In Cop Shooting Him

Posted on April 30, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an article on February 10, 2009 that a NYPD police officer who just graduated from the police academy had shot and wounded an 18 year old Brooklyn man, Akeem Harvey. According to police and witness reports, the NY violent crime happened outside an R&R grocery store in Brownsville at around 2:30pm...

Bronx Violent Crime Shooting On Sidewalk Injures Pedestrians

Posted on April 28, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an article on February 11, 2009 that two men began shooting at each other outside the entrance to the Gun Hill Rd. No. 5 train station located at the busy intersection of DeWitt Pl. and East Gun Hill Rd. Occurring just before 9 a...

Whitfield County Rape Charges against Tennessee Man

Posted on April 22, 2009
The cbsatlanta.com website reported in an article on March 13, 2009 that Whitfield County officials in Dalton Georgia will be charging Joshua Bedwell, 26 from Cleveland Tennessee with rape and child molestation of a 15 year old relative. According to Rick Swiney, Sheriffs Captain the charges include statutory rape and several counts of Georgia aggravated child molestation...

NY Statutory Rape Convicted Teacher Sent Letter from Jail To Teenage Lover

Posted on April 20, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an account on March 14, 2009 that the Nassau County District Attorney reported that Heather Kennedy, 26 had been re-arrested for violating a court order. Kennedy was a math teacher in Long Island who was caught having sex with a 16 year old boy back in March 2008 in the school?s parking lot...

Georgia Murder of Arrested Woman?s Ex Husband

Posted on April 17, 2009
The website ajc.com reported in an account on March 13, 2009 that Rhonda Sosebee Young, 43 was apprehended in Gordon County and charged with the murder of her husband. Young?s husband Stephen Young, was found lifeless in his own home. According to Howard Ensley, Sheriff, detectives say Rhonda Young had traveled extensively across the country including Missouri, Utah, and Tennessee, just within the last couple of weeks...

New York Sex Crime Conviction of Rabbi Guilty Of Molesting Daughter

Posted on April 15, 2009
They nydailynews.com website reported in an account on March 11, 2009 that Israel Weingarten, a Hasidic rabbi in New York, was found guilty by a jury in Brooklyn Federal Court of molesting his daughter for more than 7 years. Accompanied into the courtroom by US marshals, the victim sat down in the front row...

New York Police Behaving Badly Cost City $35 Million

Posted on April 13, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an article on March 12th that New York City controller William Thompson released a report that the city paid out $35.2 million in settlements last year a 40 percent jump from just the previous year. Police procedures, such as false arrests and excessive force, are costing the taxpayers heavily in a time when all efforts and sacrifices must be made to use taxpayer money for critical services...

Hall County Murder and Rape of 4 Year Old, Defendant Pleads Guilty

Posted on April 10, 2009
The gainesvilletimes.com website reported in an account on March 13, 2008 that Cornelio Zamites will plead guilty to the rape and homicide in Georgia of a 4 year old girl. Zamites agreed in order to avoid the death penalty and the district attorney agreed on this plea in order to secure a conviction...

Georgia Child Porn Sweep Nets 23

Posted on April 08, 2009
The ajc.com website reported in a story on March 10, 2009 that local, state, and federal agents had conducted a state wide sweep in Georgia which had resulted in the arrest of 27 people and more than 100 computers being confiscated. Two teenagers were amongst those arrested for possession of child pornography in Georgia...

Former Falcon Sentenced For Cocaine

Posted on April 06, 2009
The wbstv.com website reported in an account on March 13, 2009 that Ken Tippins, former Atlanta Falcons player from 1990-1995 will serve four years in jail after pleading guilty to a cocaine charge according to Charles Stines, Alapaha Chief Assistant District Attorney...

Bronx First Degree Manslaughter Charge against Officer

Posted on April 03, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in a story that there is a correction from their original story on March 13, 2009 that Officer Rafael Lora faces first degree manslaughter charges in New York for the deadly shooting of Fermin Arzu, 41, in May 2007...

Bronx Forgery and Abandonment of Five Year Old

Posted on April 01, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in a story on March 13, 2009 that Paul Casson, 28, an EMT was arrested and charged with forging a nurse?s signature and abandoning a five year old at the hospital. A spokeswoman for the Department of Investigation said that Casson did not want to wait and fill out the necessary paperwork so he forged the necessary documentation required before he left the hospital...

Augusta Armed Robbery Nets One, One Wanted

Posted on March 30, 2009
The wrdw.com website reported in an article on March 13, 2009 that Richmond County investigators were searching for one suspect who committed armed robbery in Georgia. Police say that they were able to apprehend one of the suspects, Maurice Overstreet who is now in jail...

Staten Island Drug Charges Against Dr. Arrested For Prescribing Steroids

Posted on March 27, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in a story on February 10, 2009 that Dr. Richard Lucente, 37, had been arrested on charges that he illegally sold steroids to bodybuilders. Lucente is also the main doctor involved in a steroid scandal involving NYPD officers...

New York Domestic Violence Case of Soprano?s Vincent Pastore Settles Out Of Court

Posted on March 25, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an account on February 10, 2009 that Vincent Pastore, 62, known as Sal Bonpensiero on the HBO television series called The Sopranos, had agreed to settle out of court for being accused of domestic violence in New York...

New York DWI Of Cop Killer May Go Back For Life

Posted on March 23, 2009
A report from nydailynews.com stated that a convicted NYPD cop killer may have to go back to prison to finish his remaining 25 to life sentence for violating his parole. Albert Victory, 68, was convicted in 1968 for the murder of NYPD officer, John Varecha, outside a disco located in Manhattan...

New York DWI Manslaughter Leaves One Alive

Posted on March 20, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an article on February 9th, that a woman who described herself as the mother of New Jersey officer Martin Abreu, 25, was placing the blame of the car accident on the dead female victim and the other pedestrian who was seriously injured...

New York White Collar Crimes, Modern Crooks ?Never Steal Anything Small?

Posted on March 18, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an account on February 10th that today?s modern crooks are the leaders of our financial institutions who have sent the economy into a downward tailspin, thrashing the American way of life with their New York white collar crimes...

Man's Body Dragged Through Queens and Brooklyn

Posted on March 16, 2009
The nydailytimes.com website reported in a story on February 11th, that Manual Gaspar Latuna Sanchez, a cargo van driver, inadvertently struck and picked up a body that had already been hit, dragging it for 17 miles. According to police reports an SUV first hit a man trying to cross at 108th St...

Queens Violent Crime Kills Landlord

Posted on March 13, 2009
A nydailenws.com report from February, 11th stated that Rosario Prestigiacomo, 64 was killed with a knife while inside his apartment in Ridgewood on Green Ave. According to police reports, Prestigiacomo was the landlord there and family relatives said that he owned the apartment...

New York Sex Crime Offender Russell Harding Fights To Stay Off Sex Offender List

Posted on March 11, 2009
The nydailynews.com reported in a story on February 10, 2009 that Russell Harding, housing czar during Rudy Giuliani?s governor term, is fighting court attempts to place his name and address in a New York state wide registry of sex offenders for life...

Bronx Violent Crime Shooting On Sidewalk Injures Pedestrians

Posted on March 09, 2009
The nydailynews.com website reported in an article on February 11, 2009 that two men began shooting at each other outside the entrance to the Gun Hill Rd No. 5 train station located at the busy intersection of DeWitt Pl. and East Gun Hill Rd. Occurring just before 9 a...

Brooklyn Weapon Carried By Teen Results In Cop Shooting Him

Posted on March 06, 2009

Bronx Drug Crime Leads To Women Being Held Hostage

Posted on March 04, 2009

Brooklyn Hit And Run Critically Injures 2

Posted on March 02, 2009

Staten Island Attendent Killed, No Witnesses

Posted on February 27, 2009

Ponzi Scheme Con-Man May Be Freed On Bail

Posted on February 25, 2009
A report on the NY Daily News website dated January 29, 2009 stated that E. Thomas Boyle, Federal Judge, ruled that Ponzi scheme con-man Nicholas Cosmo, 37 can be freed on bail but will have to come up with more money first. Ordering Cosmo back to jail, Boyle stated that he did not believe that Cosmo, aka as ?little Bernie Madoff,? was a flight risk...

Cobb Mother Furnished Alcohol To Step-Son Causing Fatality

Posted on February 23, 2009
The website 11alive.com reported in a story on January 31, 2009 that police will be charging Kecia Whitfield with reckless conduct and furnishing alcohol to a minor. Garrett Reed was among those consuming the alcohol that, in the end, was a direct cause for the car accident that killed him...

Queens Man Who Killed Dentist Identified

Posted on February 20, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in a story on January 28, 2009 that two police reports show that murder victim Daniel Malakov had been involved in a heated argument with Mikhail Mallayev, 51 and another nameless Russian man a day before Malakov was murdered...

Athens-Clarke County Man Accused of Killing 3 Siblings

Posted on February 18, 2009
The 11alive.com website reported a story on January 29, 2009 that David Latimer, 52 has been taken into custody after police found three people dead in what appeared to be a shooting. Mike McKeel, Athens-Clarke Police Lt., said Latimer shot his two sisters and brother to death...

Rikers In-House Jail Beatdown Kills Man

Posted on February 16, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in a story on January 29, that 10 inmates described as thugs were charged with the deadly beat down of Rikers inmate Christopher Robinson, 18, who had been jailed for a parole violation. The inmates are accused of being in a jail club known as ?The Program...

Spitzer Hooker Ring Boss In Scandal Sentenced

Posted on February 13, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported on January 30, 2009 that Cecil (Katie) Suwal, 24 was sentenced to 6 months in prison for assisting her boyfriend, Mark Brener, 63, in laundering illegal money and signing up call girls for the hooker ring Emperors Club VIP...

Harlem Neighbor Shoots Teen Over TV

Posted on February 11, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in a story on January 29, 2009 that Rodney Lewis, 17 was shot to death by his neighbor who did not want to return a television he had borrowed. Authorities allege that Cloves Roche, 26 was confronted by Lewis to return the 32 inch television he had borrowed...

New York Gambino Crime ?Executioner? On Trial

Posted on February 09, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in a story on January 30, 2009 that Charles Carneglia is being accused of five murders in New York City. Marisa Seifan, Assistant United States Attorney, accused the alleged Gambino crime family hitman as being an ?executioner? who murdered when he was ordered to or ?felt he was disrespected...

Harlem Crack Supermarket Shut Down By Cops

Posted on February 06, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in an account on January 29, 2009 that police had arrested 17 people for dealing drugs at a seven story apartment building located at 135 Hamilton Place. According to officials they sold crack at all times from the grand building...

Brooklyn Raids Find Fakes And Realistic Toy Guns

Posted on February 04, 2009
A report from the New York Daily News website on January 30, 2009 reported that Fu Xian Bao, 48 and Xiao Ping Luo, 41, both of Brooklyn, were arrested on charges of trademark counterfeiting, counterfeiting and other charges, and are facing up to 15 years in prison for their white collar crime...

Bronx Women Gets 15 Years For Dumping Baby

Posted on February 02, 2009
The NY Daily News website reported in a story on January 30, 2009 that Lucila Rojas, 27, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing her newborn son. Apparently, Rojas, a Bronx resident, is accused the violent crime of smothering her infant son on a city bus, then disposing of the body in a sidewalk trash can...

Cocain Distribution and Conspiracy Charges in Narcotic Trafficking Ring

Posted on January 30, 2009
Montgomery Cocaine Ring Busted; 16 Individuals Charged with Conspiracy According to a July 10, 2008 federal grand jury indictment, 16 Montgomery, Alabama men and women were charged with a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute powder and crack cocaine throughout the region...

Federal Drug Crime Defendants Receive 20 Years Imprisonment

Posted on January 26, 2009
Two Modesto Residents Sentenced for Criminal Marijuana Conspiracy On November 4, 2008, the United States District Court sentenced two Modesto, CA residents, Luke Anthony Scarmazzo and Ricardo Ruiz Montes, to two decades in jail on federal drug crime charges for their participation in a massive criminal marijuana manufacturing and distribution enterprise...

Arizona Case Sheds Light on what a Police Officer may do at a Roadside Stop

Posted on January 23, 2009
On December 8, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court heard opening arguments in a case that may have long-term implications for drivers nationwide. The matter in question, Arizona vs. Johnson, pertains to whether or not a police officer has the authority to pat down a driver in search of weapons -- even if the driver is under no suspicion of committing or preparing to commit a crime...

Complex Bankruptcy Case holds Implications for Thousands Injured by Asbestos Poisoning

Posted on January 19, 2009
On Friday, December 12, 2008, the United States Supreme Court heard the case of Travelers Indemnity Company vs. Bailey et al, a complicated bankruptcy case that was originally decided in federal bankruptcy court. The case involves an asbestos company, Johns Manville, that had been implicated in a class action suit involving approximately 16,000 people, who claimed damages relating to asbestos poisoning and exposure...

Precedent Setting Case Regarding Identity Theft Heard Before the Supreme Court

Posted on January 16, 2009
On October 20, 2008, the Supreme Court granted to hear the case of Flores-Figueroa vs. the United States to decide a point of law that might yield profound ramifications for Federal identity theft law. In the original case, the defendant had been accused of stealing identifying documents and using the info to stay illegally in the United States...

Alabama's Ex-Governor Appeals his Conviction

Posted on January 12, 2009
Disgraced ex-Alabama governor Don Siegelman had been sentenced for seven years in jail for a 2000 federal bribery conviction. But according to a December 9, 2008 article in the New York Times, Siegelman's lawyers now believe that the conviction can be overturned...

Long, Twisting Case Involving Al-Qaeda Operative Takes New Turn

Posted on January 05, 2009
In the weeks following the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, President George W. Bush and authorities at the Pentagon developed new legal procedures to deal with captured individuals associated with the international Al-Qaeda terrorist network...

Federal Felony Drug Charges Filed After Massive Drug Trafficking Ring Uncovered

Posted on December 31, 2008
DMV Employee and Nine Others Indicted on Charges of Marijuana Trafficking and Corruption On December 2, 2008, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration unsealed an indictment of federal drug crime charges against 10 men and women involved in a massive inter-state conspiracy to distribute and sell marijuana illegally...

Drug Felony Conviction Lands Illegal Alien in Prison for Life

Posted on December 24, 2008
Illegal Alien gets Life in Prison for Role in Huge Drug Ring A U.S. District judge sentenced defendant Olivar Martinez-Blanco to life in prison without parole on December 9, 2008 on Federal drug felony charges stemming from his role in a massive cocaine distribution conspiracy...

Federal Crime Charges for Janet Jackson Super Bowl Case Reaches Supreme Court

Posted on December 18, 2008
Janet Jackson Super Bowl Case Makes its way all the way up to the Supreme Court On November 20, 2008, the United States Solicitor General's Office filed a motion in a matter familiar to the vast majority of American sports fans. During the Super Bowl 2004 half-time show, Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson, two internationally renowned pop stars, were involved in a so-called "wardrobe malfunction" that resulted in the exposure of one of Ms...

Police Seek Atlanta Man On Suspicion of Hit And Run

Posted on December 13, 2008
Reporter Mike Morris writes on November 7, 2008 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a pedestrian was struck and killed by two vehicles while attempting to cross Riverdale Rd. close to Garden Walk Blvd. WBSTV reports the age of the victim as 66 years of age...

Atlanta Robbery Charges for Four Man Crew

Posted on December 05, 2008
On November 8, 2008 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that an unnerving upward violent street crime trend in DeKalb is continuing this year. Two murders have occurred on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. in the last four months. Donaciano Cayon 40, and Alejandro Perez-Morales 37, were both approached by at least one assailant soon after midnight...

Cherokee County Prostitution Ring Ended

Posted on November 27, 2008
A report dated November 7, 2008 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Nancy Badertscher stated that in Chrokee County six people were arrested for sex crimes on suspicion of operating an illegal massage parlor. This case involves the internet, sex, and drugs...

Atlanta Marijuana Growing Operation Halted

Posted on November 20, 2008
Kathy Jefcoats of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on October 3, 2008 that Sheriff?s deputies from Cherokee County have discovered a marijuana growing operation. The operation was being carried out from within a home in the Golden Hills subdivision near Towne Lake Pkwy and Bells Ferry Rd...

JOHN PAUL STEVENS CAN FINALLY REST EASY

Posted on November 14, 2008
During the course of the presidential election we heard all about the economy, battling terrorism, cutting taxes, and saving the environment. But for myself, as a criminal defense attorney, there was one over riding issue: Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens...

3 Atlanta Teens Killed Over Weekend

Posted on November 11, 2008
Tim Eberly and Ralph Ellis reported in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on November 09, 2008 that the trend of violent crimes in Atlanta in recent weeks has continued with three shootings over the weekend that ended the lives of three teenagers. All these young lives were taken early the morning of November 9th...

Georgia Drug Attorney Argues against the Constitutionality of State's Law against Marijuana Possession

Posted on October 31, 2008
According to an October 7th, 2008 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, local attorney Christopher McClurg, has taken his constitutional argument against a 1971 Georgia marijuana law all the way to the Supreme Court. McClurg argued that the Constitution guarantees jury trials to defendants charged with crimes like marijuana possession, and that since jury trials are not typically offered, the law is essentially unconstitutional...

Illegal Immigrant Arrested as Mastermind of Identity Theft Crime

Posted on October 20, 2008
A Winterville, Georgia resident named Vikas Yadav was recently arrested for a month-long scam involving identity theft and credit card fraud. Police in the Athens-Clarke area contend that Yadav, who worked at a liquor store on Lexington Road, had been stealing financial information from customers using a keystroke logger...

Marietta Police Arrest Wrong-Way Driver On Suspicion of DUI

Posted on October 10, 2008
Marietta police officers arrested Leonel Rodriguez on suspicion of driving under the influence and several other traffic offenses after he was found speeding wrong way on the I-75, according to a news report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The incident, which occurred Sept...

The United States Supreme Court Grants Troy Davis Last-Minute Stay of Execution

Posted on October 04, 2008
The Georgia Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court got into a turf war regarding whether or not to allow convicted murder Troy Davis a stay of execution due to potential doubts regarding his guilt. Despite the Georgia Supreme Court's attempts to push up Davis? execution to prevent the U...

Georgia High School Drama Teacher Charged With Sexual Assaults

Posted on October 03, 2008
Matthew Gantz, a 41-year-old drama teacher at Cherokee High School in Canton, has been arrested after two students alleged that Gantz had a sexual relationship with them. According to a news report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Gantz was arrested after allegations from a former student that he sexually assaulted her beginning in 2007 when the victim was 17...

Georgia High School Drama Teacher Charged With Sexual Assaults

Posted on September 30, 2008
Matthew Gantz, a 41-year-old drama teacher at Cherokee High School in Canton, has been arrested after two students alleged that Gantz had a sexual relationship with them. According to a news report in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Gantz was arrested after allegations from a former student that he sexually assaulted her beginning in 2007 when the victim was 17...

Atlanta Police Arrest Suspect In Decatur Home Invasion

Posted on September 27, 2008
Atlanta Police have arrested Khari Troutman in connection with a violent home invasion robbery that shocked a Decatur neighborhood. According to a Fox News report, Troutman faces several charges including armed robbery and kidnapping. Police officials say Troutman and at least two other men attacked Suzanne Ledet and her children as she pulled into her driveway...

Lawyer Milloy of Atlanta Falcons Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

Posted on September 20, 2008
Atlanta Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, according to this news report. Gwinnet County Sheriff?s Department officials said Milloy was arrested hours after the Falcons? 24-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Milloy faces suspension from the National Football League for violating the league?s personal conduct policy...

Millionaire Murderer Asks for New Trial

Posted on September 11, 2008
According to a September 9th, 2008 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, convicted killer James Sullivan is seeking to revisit a 2006 decision that sentenced him to life in jail. The salacious 1987 story of how Sullivan supposedly hired a hit-man to murder his wife at the time, Lita Sullivan, at her Buckland, Georgia Townhouse, captured the nation's attention...

Suspect in Gwinett and Flowery Branch School Thefts Arrested

Posted on July 23, 2008
A 21-year-old man is facing Dacula theft charges in connection with burglaries in three portable classrooms in Gwinett, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports . Robert Franz Joseph II also faces similar theft charges in Hall County involving break-ins at more than a dozen school trailers in Flowery Branch...

Falcon Daren Stone Arrested On Suspicion of DUI

Posted on July 14, 2008
Atlanta Flacons safety Daren Stone was arrested in downtown Atlanta and charged with driving under the influence, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports . Stone, who was arrested just before sunrise, was released later the same day after posting a $1,591 bond...

Three Men Charged With Murder In Shooting Death

Posted on July 07, 2008
Three College Park men, who were arrested after leading Cobb County police on a chase into Atlanta, have been charged in connection with the murder of a Mableton man that happened earlier in the day. According to a news article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the men who were accused of shooting and killing 37-year-old Quinton Antonio Denley were -- Donald Hatton, 23; Lincoln Boykins, 18; and Preston Whiting, 21...

Woman Charged With Driving Under The Influence

Posted on July 01, 2008
A 56-year-old woman is facing Marietta DUI charges after she crashed her 2000 Toyota Avalon through the front window of a martial arts school when six children were in the middle of a class. According to a news report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, none of the students at the Choi Kwang Do East Cobb martial arts school was injured in the crash...

Dekalb County Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Hit-and-Run Death

Posted on June 27, 2008
In a tragic story that illustrates the very real stakes that we all play with when we get behind the wheel of our cars, Craig Sumter, of Dekalb County, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian on Buford Highway. Sumter plead guilty to charges of vehicular homicide in the October 14th, 2007 death of Rebecca Jakubcin, 34...

Brookwood High Student Indicted on Sexual Assault Charges

Posted on June 17, 2008
John Luke Walker, a 17 year old from Lilburn was indicted this week in the alleged sexual assault of a 14 year old girl he met at a high school party. A Gwinnett grand jury indicted Walker on one count of aggravated child molestation and one count of making false statements...

Good Decent Law-Abiding Citizens Not Immune to Facing Georgia Criminal Charges

Posted on June 12, 2008
Life can be messy. This is the fundamental truth that being an Atlanta criminal defense lawyer has taught me. We all know what living in modern American society is like. Stressed-out, overworked, we all strive to pay the bills, raise our families, find love and happiness, maintain employment, stay away from abusing alcohol or drugs, and somehow keep juggling all the balls of day-to-day life...

Navigating the Criminal Justice System Minefield

Posted on June 06, 2008
Millions of American citizens are arrested by the police every year: detained, questioned, handcuffed, stuffed into the back of a police cruiser, and thrown in jail. Many of them never expected it to happen to them. These individuals are often shocked to find themselves fighting for their liberties, their reputations, and their futures in the clutches of The Beast ? the impersonal, aggressive, bureaucratic, politically-charged, economically-motivated nightmare that is today?s criminal justice system...

Experienced Criminal Defense Attorneys Give You Best Chance To Win Your Case

Posted on June 01, 2008
A basic flaw in many people?s thinking is that they can go to court and ?talk to the judge about it? or ?work things out with the prosecutor.? They believe that because they are not ?one of those criminals? and their ?case is the exception,? they can convince the prosecutor or judge to drop the criminal charges against them...

Finding a Job With A Conviction On Your Record Is No Easy Task

Posted on May 25, 2008
Thanks to the information superhighway, having even a single conviction on your record can make it difficult or impossible for you to get a job, a bank loan, or a place to live. Your record is easy to access and will follow you across the country and around the world...

States Impose Tougher DUI Laws

Posted on May 20, 2008
Legislators in South Carolina have a signed a bill that will raise the maximum jail time for DUI offenders from five to seven years, impose tougher penalties for motorists who refuse to take a field sobriety test and increase the punishment for those who have a blood alcohol content higher then the legal limit...

Georgia Dentist Accused of Assaulting Sedated Patients

Posted on May 10, 2008
A Carrolton dentist is facing a 12-count indictment, including three felonies, alleging that he assaulted patients when they were sedated. According to an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 55-year-old Dr. Gordon Trent Austin faces nine counts of simple battery, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of first-degree child cruelty...

Couple Ordered By Court To Pay $1Million In Legal Fees

Posted on March 28, 2008
In a cautionary tale about the very serious nature of criminal suits for clients and attorneys alike, a Superior Court judge has ordered a couple and their attorney to pay more than $1 million in legal fees and court costs from a dismissed case. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the lawsuit alleged sexual misconduct against Bishop Earl Paulk, one of Atlanta?s preeminent preachers in the 1980?s and 1990?s...

Teens Arrested On Suspicion Of Injuring Mailman With Explosive Device

Posted on March 18, 2008
Two Peachtree City boys have been charged with manufacturing an explosive device after police say they injured a mail carrier with the device they put in a mailbox to get even with a local bully. According to an Associated Press news report, the teenagers ? ages 15 and 16 ? admitted that they planted the device in the mailbox...

Georgia Sex Offender Database Can Cripple Careers

Posted on March 07, 2008
A recent op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution touches on the devastating effects entry into Georgia?s ?draconian? sex offender database can have on lives and careers. The article, which follows a local man?s struggle to keep a valued employee ? and a registered sex offender ? on staff, exposes the many issues of HB 908, which seeks to reinstate the sex offender law that was tossed out in 2006 due to its unconstitutional limits on the lives and careers of sex offenders...

Georgia Implied Consent Law Narrows Further

Posted on March 03, 2008
A recent Supreme Court ruling has further narrowed Georgia?s law concerning implied consent and DUI. The Georgia Supreme Court recently ruled that a Richmond County man, Harley Snyder, should not have been required to give over a blood sample that led to his DUI conviction in a fatal accident without a search warrant...

Couple Ordered By Court To Pay $1Million In Legal Fees

Posted on February 27, 2008
In a cautionary tale about the very serious nature of criminal suits for clients and attorneys alike, a Superior Court judge has ordered a couple and their attorney to pay more than $1 million in legal fees and court costs from a dismissed case. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the lawsuit alleged sexual misconduct against Bishop Earl Paulk, one of Atlanta?s preeminent preachers in the 1980?s and 1990?s...

Off-Duty Cop Helps Catch Suspected Drunk Driver

Posted on February 27, 2008
A police officer who was off-duty reportedly, warned Cobb County officials about a suspected drunk driver who they say has had several drunk driving violations in the past. Officials ended up arresting this driver, but not before he tried to take off and then hit a vehicle injuring two children, according to a news article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...

Teen Charged In Connection With School Shootings

Posted on February 20, 2008
In an example of the worst kind of Atlanta Juvenile Criminal case, a 16 year old has been arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated assault in connection with two recent shootings at a MARTA bus stop in front of Atlanta?s McNair High School...

Governor Aide Accused of Sexual Assault On Boy

Posted on February 14, 2008
In a disturbing example of child molestation, a high ranking aide to Governor Deval Patrick?s administration was accused of sexually assaulting a boy in the steam room of a Florida resort, according to an Atlanta Journal Constitution report. Carl Stanley McGee, 38, the assistant secretary for policy and planning was arrested December 28th after the suspected assault and has since been placed on unpaid leave...

Businessman Sentenced To 10 Years For Bank Fraud, Must Pay $5.69 Million

Posted on February 07, 2008
In an example of the serious nature of Georgia White Collar Crime, a McDonough man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bank fraud on Monday, February 11th, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report. U.S. District Judge Timothy Baiten also ordered the businessman to pay $5...

Teens Arrested On Suspicion Of Injuring Mailman With Explosive Device

Posted on February 01, 2008
Two Peachtree City boys have been charged with manufacturing an explosive device after police say they injured a mail carrier with the device they put in a mailbox to get even with a local bully. According to an Associated Press news report, the teenagers ? ages 15 and 16 ? admitted that they planted the device in the mailbox...

Norcross Police Internet Sex Offender Sting Nets One Arrest

Posted on January 25, 2008
Police in Norcross say they are conducting an Internet child predator sting by using undercover officers posing as teenagers. So far, one person, 47-year-old Kenneth Edward Noland of Atlanta, has been arrested for sending a nude photo of himself to an officer posing as a teen and even setting up a meeting, according to an article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution...

Undercover DEA Agent Faces Drunken Driving Charge

Posted on January 18, 2008
An agent who works for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been charged with driving under the influence in connection with an arrest last month, the local CBS news channel reports. According to officials, 29-year-old Lori Johnson hit another driver, 19-year-old Darrell Baxter on Dec...

Augusta Man Could Face Charges For Shooting A Suspected Burglar

Posted on January 11, 2008
An Augusta man, who shot and injured a suspected burglar, found out this week that the district attorney could file charges against him. According to a news report posted on WRDW-TV?s Web siteThurman is shocked that he could possibly face criminal charges for acting in self-defense when he protected himself against an intruder...

Alpharetta Councilwoman?s DUI Arrest Sparks Off a ?Web War?

Posted on November 15, 2007
A DUI arrest can be quite embarrassing, especially if you are a celebrity or a city official in the public eye. The news channels are quick to thrust a camera in your face, but here?s a story that shows it?s even harrowing when the news and details of your DUI arrest are splattered all over the Internet...

South Carolina Senate To Discuss Tiered Penalty For DUI Violators

Posted on November 13, 2007
Senators in South Carolina seem determined to move ahead with a DUI bill that would create a ?tiered penalty system? for drunk drivers. This means, the more drunk you are, the stiffer the penalty. According to an article in the Augusta Chronicle , a legislative panel resumed work last week on the said DUI bill, which is being called a hot topic in the senate...

Nissan?s New Car Boasts Features That Claim To Prevent DUI-related Accidents

Posted on November 11, 2007
Nissan has unveiled a concept car that among other things, checks a driver?s soberness and alertness with a mounted camera that monitors blinking. According to a news report from Associated Press, the car?s alcohol detection system also features sensors in the gear shift knob that will test the level of the driver?s perspiration and may even issue a cautionary message in an electronic voice in an effort to prevent Georgia DUIs...

Off-Duty Cop Helps Catch Suspected Drunk Driver

Posted on November 09, 2007
A police officer who was off-duty reportedly, warned Cobb County officials about a suspected drunk driver who they say has had several drunk driving violations in the past. Officials ended up arresting this driver, but not before he tried to take off and then hit a vehicle injuring two children, according to a news article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ...

Former Police Officer Indicted On Taking Bribe In DUI Case

Posted on November 07, 2007
The Augusta Chronicle reports that a former Tybee Island police officer is in legal hot water after being indicted by the Chatham County grand jury on bribery charges involving a 2006 DUI arrest. Prosecutors allege that Jose A. Prichardo, a rookie officer with the Tybee Police Department, took $500 as a bribe from a driver on Sept...

Indy Shame

Posted on August 14, 2007
An Indianapolis-area radio station has found a new twist on the trend toward public shaming of people convicted of a DUI: Its morning DJs plan to read the names of the past week?s DUI arrestees every Monday. With ?Bad Boys? -- the song you may remember as the theme from the TV show ?Cops? -- in the background, the station also plans to interview guest commentators from organizations like the Indiana State Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving...

Honesty, Mercy Get Lenience in DUI Manslaughter

Posted on August 03, 2007
Thanks to his honesty and the kindness of the victim?s family, University of Georgia student Carl Phelps was able to finish college before turning himself in to serve time on a manslaughter driving under the influence charge, according to the Panama City, Fla...

?DUI Task Force? Forming in Denver Area

Posted on August 02, 2007
A ?DUI Task Force? made of seven local law enforcement agencies in the Denver metropolitan area began vigorous patrols July 26, according to the Rocky Mountain News. The task force will concentrate several groups of officers in a small part of the area, where they will look for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs...

20 Year Sentence For Robbing Foot Locker

Posted on July 15, 2007
A Muscogee County Superior Court Judge sentenced a 20-year-old Columbus man involved in a shoe store robbery to 20 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Devin Harper?s sentencing came days after his co-defendant was acquitted of all charges in the case...

Man Gets Reduced Sentence in DUI Death

Posted on July 11, 2007
There are no winners in a DUI-related death. A recent Georgia case illustrates that point all too well. Earlier this month, a teenager escaped with a five-year sentence after reportedly causing an accident that killed a 20-year-old woman on the Interstate 475...

Man Serving 10-Year Prison Sentence Not Eligible for Bond Under Changed Law, Court Rules

Posted on July 06, 2007
Was it a ?deadly sin?, a crime or just one night of stupidity? That?s the issue courts in Georgia are grappling with in the case of Genarlow Wilson, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence in this state for having consensual oral sex with a girl when they were both teens and minors...

Man Arrested on Molestation Charge

Posted on June 18, 2007
Authorities in New Orleans last week arrested an Augusta man on suspicion of impregnating his girlfriend?s teenage daughter, according to an article in the Augusta Chronicle. Police arrested 38-year-old James Wiley and extradited him to Georgia after charging him with one count of child molestation...

Man Cited for DWI at Arkansas Drive-Through

Posted on June 16, 2007
Camden police arrested a man and charged him with drunk driving after they observed he was slow to pick up his fast food at a drive-through lane at a McDonald?s restaurant, according to a news article in The Atlanta Journal Constitution. According to the police report, the arresting officer said he found 32-year-old Terrance Forte asleep inside the car with the engine running and his right foot on the brake...

Curb Crash Leads to Actress? DUI Arrest

Posted on June 14, 2007
Lindsay Lohan recently added to the seemingly never-ending list of celebrities arrested for driving under the influence. She was arrested early Saturday morning on DUI charges after crashing her Mercedes convertible on a Sunset Boulevard curb, according to an article posted on MSNBC?s website...

Georgia Congressman Charged with DUI After Crash

Posted on June 13, 2007
Rep. Ben Harbin was arrested and charged with a DUI on May 20 after he swerved off of an Atlanta street and ran into a pole, according to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. According to police reports, Harbin smelled of alcohol, had slurred speech and had trouble keeping his balance soon after the incident...