New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

Published on: January 10, 2012

The Indiana Senate Passes Immigration Bill

by Stephen Bilkis

The state of Indiana passed an immigration bill (the vote was 31-18) that may encourage racial profiling. Racial profiling occurs when law enforcement officials assume a person may be guilty of committing a crime based on their ethnic background, explains a senator. State officials who support the bill maintain that racial profiling will not occur if this bill becomes state law.

While many in the State Senate support the bill, there are many small and large businesses such as Eli Lilly and Co. and Cummins, Inc. that do not support the bill. Many businesses in Indiana fear a decline in business conferences, trade shows and other commerce events due to the fear that participants in these events may be subject to racial profiling. Some out-of-state businesses have already canceled plans to hold company events in Indiana because of the potential for racial profiling and harassment. This has nothing to do with drug possession.

The piece of legislation, called the “Immigration Matters” bill, would require, among other things, all legal documents and hearings be presented in English only. The bill also states that local law enforcement would have added responsibility to enforce the federal immigration laws, which could lead to additional work by departments and personnel.

Published on: January 9, 2012

Former Libyan Justice Minister Says Colonel Gaddafi Personally Ordered Lockerbie, Scotland Bombing

by Stephen Bilkis

Mustafa Mohamed Abdel-Jalil, a former Libyan justice minister, claims that Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi ordered the bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 22, 1988. Many of the passengers on the plane were American citizens. Eleven Scottish citizens on the ground were also killed. In an interview with Kassem Hamade of The Expressan newspaper, Abdel-Jalil says that Colonel Gaddafi tried very hard to get convicted bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi out of Scotland. Al-Megrahi was granted “compassionate release” from a Scottish prison in 2009 because he has prostate cancer. Scottish officials released him because they were told he would die within months. Al-Megrahi is still alive and living in Libya.

Even though Gaddafi has compensated the families of victims over the years financially and admits that Libya was responsible for the bombing, he has never taken responsibility for personally ordering the attack.

Though Abdel-Jalil claims to have evidence that Colonel Gaddafi ordered the bombing, he has not presented any evidence to newspapers or government officials. Abdel-Jalil recently stepped down as justice minister to protest Colonel Gaddafi’s handling of uprisings throughout Libya. It has been estimated that over 1,000 people have died since government protests began.

Published on: January 9, 2012

Trucking Accident Leads to Suspected DWI Case

by Stephen Bilkis

After a 911 call was placed, a man was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence. A trucker was the one who placed the call, reports a New York Criminal Lawyer. The trucker said that the SUV was driving erratically and the truck driver felt that the driver of the SUV was obviously under the influence.

The driver’s SUV was smoking as the driver sporadically changed lanes, directions and speeds. The trucker driver attempted to avoid a collision with the other vehicle. The driver of the SUV also crossed the center line and drove into oncoming traffic. At one point the trucker was forced to drive on the shoulder to avoid the SUV as the SUV attempted to pass the trucker. The trucker driver felt that the SUV was endangering the lives of the other drivers on the road.

Within a few minutes, police responded to the trucker’s call and attempted to arrest the driver of the SUV. At the time the police responded, the driver of the smoking SUV had pulled over to the side of the road of his own accord. According to the police, the driver initially resisted arrest. The police report also states that the driver had exhibited signs of a possible DWI at the time of arrest.

Published on: January 9, 2012

Barry Bonds Has Murky Legacy in San Francisco

by Stephen Bilkis

Barry Bonds is famed for being the greatest hitter of home runs in baseball history – now he’ll be known for his criminal conviction for obstructing justice, as well.

The jury on the Bonds case was unable to come to a decision regarding whether or not Bonds lied about the use of steroids. Only the obstruction of justice charge stuck, though it is a felony charge, a New York Criminal Lawyer points out. The prosecution wanted all the charges to stick, but Bonds didn’t get what he wanted either – as a convicted felon, he cannot own a firearm, vote, or serve on a jury.

In 2003, Bonds said under oath before a grand jury that he never took performance-enhancing drugs, to his knowledge. What matters most to baseball fans is that he did take them, which makes his otherwise impressive baseball record dubious, at the very least.

Published on: January 8, 2012

Defect in Breathalyzers May Throw Out Hundreds of Convictions in Ventura County, CA

by Stephen Bilkis

Ventura County, California is looking at the possibility of throwing out hundreds of DWI convictions, thanks to a defect found in some handheld Breathalyzer machines purchased earlier in the year. Sources state these devices have been giving inaccurate readings of blood-alcohol.

Memos have been sent to local attorneys from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, stating there are eight breathalyzers that have shown “erratic results” in blood-alcohol tests taken between January 20 and March 31, an attorney with the felony unit told a New York Criminal Attorney.

There were 128 of the devices in all, each of them costing about $4,800.

Published on: January 8, 2012

DWI Probable Cause of Back-to-Back Wrecks in California

by Stephen Bilkis

A 27-year-old man rammed his vehicle into the back of another on an interstate in Riverside, California, then went on to drive the wrong way down the freeway, eventually getting into a head-on collision with another vehicle, California Highway Patrol officials said. The driver is suspected of a possible DWI.

The driver suffered a number of major injuries. He was trapped in the wreckage of his vehicle until emergency crews could finally extract him and take him to a hospital. An officer told a New York Criminal Lawyer that investigators would seek drunken driving charges from the driver.

It all began at 1:59 a.m. on the morning of April 2011, when the suspect was driving his vehicle at around 100 mph going south, authorities revealed. His first crash was into the back of a vehicle being driven by a 63-year-old man.

Published on: January 8, 2012

Alleged Drunk Driver Knocks Over Power Pole in Texas

by Stephen Bilkis

A Texas man drove his vehicle into a parked car and knocked over a power pole, police reported. Officers responded to a call before 2 a.m. The police explained that the the driver ran his vehicle into another car, then spun around and hit the power pole, which fell onto a tree. Only one customer seems to have lost power, according to Texas officials, and a crew was quickly at work to repair the pole.

Officers said that the driver was taken straight to the hospital. His injuries were non life-threatening. While at the hospital, his blood was drawn for a possible DWI charge. As of this writing, the driver was still hospitalized.

Handling these kind of events are just what a New York Criminal Lawyer is for. Everyone who is accused of a crime requires a legal advocate. It is more than just the law – it is the right of everyone in the United States to have legal representation. Still, such representation comes in many forms. Not all legal counsel are equal. Make sure, if you ever have a date in court, you have only the best speaking for your side of the story. Only a qualified criminal lawyer has the tenacity, integrity, and discretion you need when it comes to a criminal trial.

Published on: January 8, 2012

Jaime Pressly booked for DUI

by Stephen Bilkis

Jaime Pressly was booked for a DUI offense after she was pulled over for a traffic violation. Pressly, the “My Name is Earl” star who plays Joy Turner, was given a breathalyzer test. She registered at .22 on the blood alcohol level test, a reporter was told.

The .22 blood alcohol level was almost three times the California’s legal alcohol limit, tells a policeman. California’s legal alcohol level is .08 for legal drinkers. It is against the law to drive under the influence no matter how much alcohol consumed. It is also against the law to drink if you are a minor.

She was not involved in a traffic accident. Drugs are not believed to have been found in her car. The police found no indication of any drugs in the blood test taken. No children were in the car when the cops pulled Pressly over for a traffic violation. It is unclear what the traffic violation was.

Published on: January 7, 2012

Man Arrested in Child Abduction Case

by Stephen Bilkis

A man who was wanted in connection for abducting his son was arrested in February by agents of the U.S. Marshalls Service, sources told a reporter. The man is waiting to stand trial on charges of interference with child custody and contempt of court. The contempt of court charge is reported to be a violation of probation that was part of a previous charge of domestic violence.

The incident began innocently enough in October 2010 when the 46-year old man picked up his son at his ex-wife’s residence. The former couple shared custody of their son, and this was a part of the scheduled weekend visitation that was included in their divorce settlement, sources informed a friend.

Based on the police reports, it appears that things went wrong just before the man was to return his son to his mother. He had just discovered that a civil warrant had been issued for his arrest for failing to follow the terms of the divorce. It is unknown at this moment what stipulations of the divorce that he violated. Sources further add that when he was en route to returning his son that he observed a deputy in the area near to her home. It is thought that he then panicked and fled with his son. Sources have been unable to confirm or refute whether the deputy was in the area looking for him, or if the deputy was simply on routine patrol.

Published on: January 7, 2012

Pain Study Car Crashes Lead to Higher Risk of Chronic Pain

by Stephen Bilkis

A recent study produced by a leading medical facility in Scotland finds that chronic pain risk is higher among car accident victims than other members of the population. Researches shared their findings with an New York Criminal Lawyer. Chronic pain is defined in the study as pain on both the lower and upper halves of the body, or on the right or left sides of the body, lasting 90 days or longer.

The new study drew from results of a previous study conducted over a four year period involving subjects who fit the criteria for widespread pain lasting 90 days or longer. The subjects had muscular and skeletal pain symptoms along with psychological distress from constant pain due to car accidents, job injuries, giving birth to children, broken bones, surgeries, and time in a hospital.

12 percent of those studied reported that they had new onsets of widespread pain over a 90 day period. Researchers relayed another findings that were particularly relevant to car crash studies. Eighty-four percent of this specific group representing 12 per cent of the over 2000 subjects in the study had been in vehicle accidents prior to the onset of new pain patterns.