Recent Blog Posts
Online Solicitation Charges Usually Are Not A Matter Of Entrapment
The law treats Internet sex crimes against minors seriously. You can get a felony conviction and be required to register as a sex offender for online solicitation of a minor, even if you never met the minor in person and have never been in the same room together. Charges of online solicitation apply if… Read More »
When Does The Law Require You To Tell Police Your Name?
You have the right to remain silent, except when you don’t. It is possible to face criminal penalties for refusing to tell a police officer your name or to show a government-issued identification card in situations where the law requires this. Police officers have the right to ask you your name if they are… Read More »
Introducing Medetomidine, The Most Recent Addition To The Illegal Drug Supply
For good reason, most people consider opioids the hardest of hard drugs. They are among the most addictive substances around; perhaps only nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco, is more addictive. Opioid overdose can cause life-threatening respiratory depression, and for the past several years, the synthetic opioid fentanyl has caused more fatal overdoses than… Read More »
What Does The Decline In Fentanyl Deaths Mean For Your Drug Case?
Fear has always been a key ingredient in the criminal process when it comes to drug cases. At trials, prosecutors play on jurors’ fears of how things might have gotten worse if police had not arrested the defendant and confiscated the drugs when they did? They say, “This bag of powder contained fentanyl. If… Read More »
Credit Card BIN Attacks
Most financial crimes are not as elaborate as identity theft. It is possible to cause financial losses simply by stealing someone’s credit card or credit card information, and there are plenty of ways to do this, from surreptitiously photographing a card number from a credit card or a document where the number is written… Read More »
Unlawful Carry Of Weapons
Last summer, Florida made news headlines for enacting a “permitless carry” law. Pursuant to the new law, you can carry a concealed firearm whether or not you have a permit, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements for getting a permit. Florida’s gun laws are notoriously lenient, but that does not mean that… Read More »
When Does Extreme Couponing Become A Crime?
Everything is so expensive in Florida that the only ways to afford anything are coupons and crime. The problems begin when reasonable minds disagree about when coupon shopping becomes a crime. Florida law recognizes the criminal offense of coupon frauds when a customer knowingly attempts to redeem fraudulent coupons or counterfeits coupons and distributes… Read More »
How Bad Is It If You Fail To Appear In Court?
This week, the Florida Man who is on everyone’s mind is Joseph Malinowski, nicknamed “Lieutenant Dan” after the tough as nails Vietnam War veteran from the movie Forrest Gump. Malinowski achieved fame by staying on his boat during Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, while everyone else scurried for higher ground. Shortly after his image… Read More »
Smartphone Searches And The Fourth Amendment
Things can quickly go from mildly annoying to disastrous at traffic stops. One minute you make an illegal turn, and the next thing you know, police K9s are pointing at your pills that you thought were Xanax, but now the crime lab is saying that they were fentanyl, and all because a cop insisted… Read More »
Prosecutorial Misconduct And Florida Criminal Cases
In most contexts, two wrongs don’t make a right. If your brother complains to your mother that you hit him, and you protest, “He hit me first,” your mother’s response will probably be that you are both wrong. In divorce cases where both spouses had extramarital affairs, the court does not automatically award the… Read More »
