Criminal Defense Law Blog

With the advent of “smart homes and devices,” we are now in a world once only imagined in science fiction. Our phones now track our every move, contain our internet search histories and record vast portions of our lives through photos, texts, and encrypted messages. Home security devices and cameras record not only strangers coming…

When an individual is charged with a federal crime, whether by Complaint or Indictment, they are entitled to a Bail Hearing under Title 18 U.S.C. Section 3141 et seq. Under the relevant statute, a person may be released on a personal recognizance bond or unsecured appearance bond; on a condition or combination of conditions; or…

Criminal defense attorneys representing non-citizen defendants are obligated to provide advice regarding the immigration consequences of a plea or guilty verdict. The Supreme Court’s decision in Padilla made it clear that failure to do so constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel. This is because a conviction may render a defendant removable (subject to deportation), inadmissible or…

Back in April 2017, I wrote about airport and border searches of average travelers coming back to the United States from their business or personal trips abroad. Since you are coming back across our border, law enforcement does not need probable cause to suspect that a crime has been committed, that you were involved, and…

Criminal Defense Attorney Robert G. Stahl, founder of the New Jersey / New York Robert G. Stahl Esq. Criminal Defense Lawyers, has been recognized consistently by legal peers for professionalism over many consecutive years. Now, for potential clients his firm has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey (“BBB”). The A+…

Just the other day, “Bridgegate” cooperator and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official David Wildstein, was sentenced in federal court to probation. The two defendants that he cooperated against were sentenced to 24 months and 19 months in federal prison. Despite the fact that Wildstein pled guilty to two counts of…

In the past several years, the federal government has focused investigative and enforcement resources on pharmacies that compound drugs, and the marketers, doctors and pharmacists involved. Criminal and civil actions have been brought for violations based on statutes prohibiting kickbacks, fraud and false claims. A compounded drug is one that is supposed to be tailored…

Every day we are bombarded with news about the ever-expanding investigation into the President and the alleged Russian connection to his staff. The news media has been filled with headlines and postings about people who are labeled a “person of interest,” a “subject,” a “target” or a “witness”. Do these terms have specific meanings to…

A plea agreement is the negotiated resolution of a criminal case between the government and the defense when the client decides to plead guilty rather than fighting the charges at trial. The benefit of a plea agreement is that the plea is usually to a lower offense or a limited number of charges rather than…

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently issued a directive to all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to charge defendants with the most serious provable offenses/ that carry the most substantial sentences, including mandatory-minimum sentences. This directive is a shift back to prior years where the “war on drugs” and other initiatives were designed to reduce crime and…