New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

Published on: September 6, 2011

Four Priests to Face Sex Abuse Charges

by Stephen Bilkis

This past Monday is the first time the four priests who were arrested last month appeared in court, sources told a New York Criminal Lawyer. The priests all face charges of sexually abusing or endangering minors. While this court appearance was essentially a pre-preliminary hearing, there was considerable courtroom drama, as prosecutors and defense attorneys exchanged arguments over the validity of the charges and the payment of attorney’s fees with the presiding judge.

The proceedings left presiding Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes both exasperated and angry, as she ordered the attorneys to prepare and submit their arguments in writing and submit them to the court before they return for another hearing on the matter on March 25. One of the requests from the defense attorneys was for a preliminary hearing, which could have forced prosecutors to disclose at least some of what evidence they have against their defendants. The judge is expected to address that issue at the next hearing.

It appears that the incident that most agitated Judge Hughes is an incident with one of the defendants, a Manhattan Criminal Lawyer was told. The judge learned that one of the defendants had hired his own attorney. While that is no crime, what angered the judge is the defendant had gone to her in tears during the grand-jury investigation and stated that he had no money for a lawyer, in which case she then appointed a lawyer to his case. After the judge ordered the defendant to stand and give her an explanation, she forcefully exclaimed to him that he had lied to her. His lawyer then offered the explanation that the money was a loan from the priest’s brother. His attorney also offered the excuse that the man was nervous and had misspoken. In The Bronx and Brooklyn, sex crimes are seen as serious felonies.

Published on: September 5, 2011

Florida Father Charged with Child Abuse after Pushing Infant Son

by Stephen Bilkis

A man from Pensacola, Florida, is accused of pushing his 4-month-old son. The violence caused the child to suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Bond for the man was set at $150,000.

The 20-year-old father, of the 200 block of Marigold Drive, was charged with three separate counts of aggravated child abuse when he was arrested last week and placed in the Escambia County Jail where he still remains.

The child was brought to a hospital by someone close to him, but the exact details of that are not available at the present time. According to an NYC Criminal Lawyer, the Sacred Heart Hospital contacted the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office when it was suspected that the child’s injuries were non-accidental.

Published on: September 4, 2011

Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspects

by Stephen Bilkis

A recent series of armed robberies in the Seattle area has ended in an arrest. Using photos from an ATM as well as eyewitness accounts, police made the arrest after spotting the suspect walking along a city street. Although the suspect initially denied the allegations, his father, mother, and stepmother, all identified him as being the subject in the ATM that was using a stolen credit card in order to withdraw cash.

The man has not been named, thus far, due to the fact that he has not been formally charged in the case. He is, however, being held on $100,000 bail, according to a New York Criminal Lawyer. Police were able to effect the arrest after his parents had identified him as being the person in the ATM when they saw him and another subject walking along a city street. He was wearing the exact same clothing as he was wearing in the ATM photo. The suspect’s friend was later released.

This is not the suspect’s first run-in with the law, reported a NY City Criminal Lawyer. Over the past year, he was a guest at the King County Jail three times, but as of the end of November, he did not have any convictions on record.

Published on: September 2, 2011

Former Teacher Arrested

by Stephen Bilkis

A New York Criminal Lawyer has learned that a former middle school teacher has been arrested by police for improper text messaging a former student and offering to furnish her with alcohol. The 41-year old former teacher now faces the fourth degree felony of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The police department has expressed its happiness in getting a child predator off the streets. The text messages and emails the former teacher had sent to the 15-year old girl were very carefully crafted and with the exception of offering the teen alcohol, never included any offers for sex. However, there were some personal compliments included, such as how pretty the girl is, how nice her legs are, and how much he wished he were younger so he could date her. It is unclear as to whether the teenager or her parents notified the police. However, it is at this point that the police did become involved.

The former teacher did not realize that police had begun monitoring the teenager girl’s Facebook account and in reality he was making these comments to them instead of the teen he was seeking her favors. His offers to provide her with alcohol were accepted. When he pulled into a local store parking lot to meet the teen, police were there waiting for him. A search of the vehicle concluded with the discovery of alcohol that he had allegedly brought for the 15-year old girl’s use. In Manhattan and Queens this could easily be considered a sex crime.

Published on: September 1, 2011

Can Starving Copyright Infringement Sites Work?

by Stephen Bilkis

That is what the acting Register of Copyrights, Maria Pallante, seems to think, a Manhattan Criminal Attorney has learned. Pallante recently addressed a Congressional hearing that seems to be preparing for another onslaught of the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which many people refer to as the censorship bill.

One of the major points that Pallante was attempting to get across has already been tried before and it has also failed before; sources told a NY City Criminal Lawyer after the hearing. Pallante and others before her have wanted to starve the revenue of foreign websites that link to copyright infringing content by cutting off their money supply. In her opinion, and also that of many entertainment industry executives, credit card companies should not be permitted to process payments for the infringing sites, and advertisers should not be allowed to run ads on those sites either. Oddly, an extensive report from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) had been released a few days before Pallante’s testimony that stated the exact opposite of her claims.

There are many people who follow this closely, that actually think that the issue of piracy is somewhat of a distraction, and the real nature of the problem is with the entertainment industry failing to keep up with technology and the current trends of what consumers are asking for, a New York Criminal Attorney was told. It would also seem that with each so-called copyright infringing site that is taken offline, it is replaced with at least one and possibly more. At some point, someone must ask the question as to whether all that is being done is to create more laws and regulations, which leads to more enforcement and more proposed censorship. Whatever happened to the market sets the prices and determines what, if any, products are worthy to remain on the market? In Long Island and Westchester County, these might be considered to be White Collar Crimes.

Published on: August 31, 2011

Three Local Men are Detained In Steroids Case in Philadelphia

by Stephen Bilkis

Three local men are suspected of distributing illegal steroids in the Delaware Valley region of Philadelphia.

Fourteen people were arrested related to the case, with two middle aged men being local to the region. All were detained Wednesday afternoon awaiting the results of the trial.

The steroids ring was managed by a police detective from Philadelphia. This was an extremely sophisticated and organized criminal venture. Large quantities of Anabolic Steroids and Human Growth Hormone were purchased from China and Europe. The New York Criminal Lawyer said that the most common drugs sold through the ring were Nandrodex 300 and Testodex Enanthate 250. Both of these are steroids which can be used to build muscles very quickly, however they have some very dangerous long term side effects. In Manhattan and Staten Island this is considered to be drug possession.

Published on: August 30, 2011

In Washington D.C.,U.S. Citizen, 4, Deported to Guatemala

by Stephen Bilkis

A NYC Criminal Lawyer learned that a four-year old U.S. citizen was deported to Guatemala by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. The little girl was returning to Long Island with her grandfather from visiting relatives in Guatemala when their flight was diverted to Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport for an unknown reason. While her grandfather did have, a valid work visa that allowed him to travel, customs officials noticed that the man had a prior illegal entry attempt that occurred in the 1990s. They immediately took him into custody.

It was at this point that it is believed that her grandfather went into a panic attack, and was taken to the hospital. All the while, the four-year old girl was detained for nearly a day at the airport without her parents having any knowledge as to either her or her grandfather’s whereabouts. They were still waiting for their flight to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), sources reported. By the time that her father realized what was going on, he contacted a border patrol agent and was advised of his limited choices. He was told that either he could allow the four-year old child to be detained in a juvenile facility in Virginia, or she and her grandfather could return to Guatemala. He opted for the later, as he feared that authorities would put her up for adoption.

Sources revealed to New York Criminal Lawyers that Customs and Border Protection officials had little comment on this matter, only to say that the parents are afforded the options of whether to pick up the child, allow the child to be turned over to a juvenile facility, or to return to the country they had just arrived. They further added that since the four-year old girl’s parents are undocumented that if they are caught that there are consequences to their actions and they will be detained. This is not considered to be Fraud and would not be deemed as fraud in The Bronx or Queens.

Published on: August 29, 2011

Ex-Prosecutor Attempts to Have Case Thrown Out

by Stephen Bilkis

An attorney, formerly a prosecutor in the Bronx, has been charged with DWI, but now he sees a way to have his case possibly thrown out, according to NY City Criminal Lawyers. The officer who caught him may well be charged herself for ticket fixing. Instead of the attorney being punished, she might end up in trouble herself.

The officer was caught by authorities on wiretap in an attempt to fix tickets for a relative and a friend. Still prosecutors say the officer, a seven-year veteran of NYPD, will not face any criminal charges of her own. That does not mean she won’t suffer punishment from her department, however.

She admitted to fixing the ticket and she’s not the only one under suspicion for the same. This means every ticket they handed out is suspect, which puts an aspect of extreme uncertainty into hundreds of criminal cases throughout New York City, including that of the attorney who was once an assistant DA.

Published on: August 28, 2011

Three men are arrested on various drug possession charges in Long Island, NY. It seems they will need a Nassau County Criminal Lawyer.

by Stephen Bilkis

A pharmacist was waiting in the parking lot of a gas station in Plainview when detectives overheard him having a conversation on his cell phone. The conversation was about a drug sale he was about to make. The detectives watched as 53 year old Syosset resident Robert Ciskanik sold narcotics out of his car. They then arrested Ciskanik and Hosam Karin, a 57 year old Freeport resident. Ciskanik was found to have over 400 oxycodone pills on his person. Karin had 15 Cialis pills on his person. While police were arresting the two men, another car pulled into the Old Country Road gas station. The passenger of the car walked over to Ciskanik’s car looking for him. The man, Michael Lulo of Nesconset, was found to have more than $17,000.00 cash on him as well as oxycodone and methadone. He was also put under arrest. Reports state that Ciskanik was licensed in New York State as a pharmacist but do not release where he was employed. According to a NY Criminal Lawyer, Ciskanik was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a narcotic and criminal sale of a controlled substance. He was held on $100,000.00 bail. Lulo was charged with criminal possession of a narcotic and conspiracy. He was released on $6,000.00 bail. Karin was given a desk appearance ticket (DAT). All three men will be arraigned at Nassau County First District Court; located at 99 Main Street, Hempstead NY 11550. Drug Possession is treated very seriously in New York City and Westchester County.

If your or a family member is facing a criminal charge of possession or sale of a controlled substance, you will need a knowledgeable Nassau County Possession of a Narcotic Lawyer to help you defend these serious charges. New York Criminal Lawyers understand the trauma an arrest like this will have on your family and your life. The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.

Published on: August 26, 2011

Cops Accused of Rape Made Cover-Up 911 Call

by Stephen Bilkis

The evidence has been mounting against two police officers accused of rape. Prosecutors have told New York City Criminal Lawyers a 911 call they received from a Canadian tourist regarding the crime was actually one of the officers trying to pin the charges on a “smelly” homeless man. The call was made from a pay phone in the East Village.

The alleged rapist and his accomplice, who may have served as a lookout, are said to have faked the call, so they would have more time to make the second of four visits they paid to the apartment of a drunk woman early one December morning in 2008.

According to the victim, she had passed out on her bed. She awakened to the sound of the alleged rapist removing his bulletproof vest before raping her.