New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

Published on: March 3, 2015

Florida to New York Firearm Trafficking Ring Disarmed

by Stephen Bilkis

Florida to New York Firearm Trafficking Ring Disarmed: Brooklyn DA Announces Arrest and 105 Count Indictment

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office has announced that along with the 105 count indictment against defendants for Criminal Possession of a Weapon and Criminal Sale of a Firearm, the NYPD has taken 56 guns off the streets of New York.

According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office: “The indictment includes charges for the sale or possession of 46 guns – including 28 semiautomatic pistols, six revolvers, three assault rifles, four sawed-off shotguns, and five rifles – to undercover detectives. On four occasions, detectives purchased a total of 40 guns. A fifth sale was arranged, but instead of carrying it out, officers raided the defendant’s Brooklyn safe house and 2 confiscated six additional guns. Through the investigation, ten additional guns were taken off the streets.”

Published on: March 1, 2015

Bank of New York Melon Computer Tech Indicted

by Stephen Bilkis

Bank of New York Melon Computer Tech Indicted for Identity Theft of 150 Employees and $1 Million Fraud

Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.

Unlike a robbery or burglary, identity theft often occurs without the victim’s knowledge. Most identity theft victims only find out after they see strange charges on their credit card statements or apply for a loan. While prevention is always the best policy, sometimes personal information is exposed through security breaches at banks or companies with which you do business. Thus, criminal identity theft can happen to even well-prepared consumers.

Published on: February 27, 2015

H and H Bagels Owner Arrested

by Stephen Bilkis

Bagel Man Hides the Dough: H and H Bagels Owner Arrested for General Tax and Unemployment Insurance Tax Fraud

Insurance fraud occurs most often when an insured individual or entity makes a false or exaggerated insurance claim, seeking compensation for injuries or losses that were not actually suffered. Insurance fraud can also be committed upon customers, through 1) the sale of unlicensed or bogus insurance coverage to unsuspecting clients, or 2) an insurance broker or agent’s diversion or theft of insurance premiums paid by clients.

Insurance fraud refers to any duplicitous act performed with the intent to obtain an improper payment from an insurer. Insurance fraud is committed by individuals from all walks of life. Law enforcement officials have prosecuted doctors, lawyers, chiropractors, car salesmen, insurance agents and people in positions of trust. Anyone who seeks to benefit from insurance through making inflated or false claims of loss or injury can be prosecuted. The pervasiveness of insurance fraud drives up costs for all consumers and costs the insurance industry billions of dollars each year. One authority estimates that the annual value of insurance fraud approaches $80 billion. Detecting insurance fraud is difficult because of the surreptitious nature by which the criminal perpetrates the fraud.

Published on: February 24, 2015

Your Right to Remain Silent

by Stephen Bilkis

Under the law, the Miranda warning, also referred to as Miranda rights or Miranda rule, is a right to silence warning given by police in the United States to criminal suspects in police custody or in a custodial interrogation before they are interrogated to preserve the admissibility of their statements against them in criminal proceedings. The Miranda warning is part of a preventive criminal procedure rule that law enforcement are required to administer to protect an individual who is in custody and subject to direct questioning or its functional equivalent from a violation of his or her Fifth Amendment right against compelled self-incrimination.

Miranda Rights were created in 1966 as a result of the United States Supreme Court case of Miranda v. Arizona. The Miranda warning is intended to protect the suspect’s Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer self-incriminating questions.

It is important to note that Miranda rights do not go into effect until after an arrest is made. The officer is free to ask questions before an arrest, but must inform the suspect that the questioning is voluntary and that he or she is free to leave at any time. The answers to these questions are admissible in court.

Published on: February 23, 2015

Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree – NY Penal Law 155.30(5)

by Stephen Bilkis

When a Simple Petit Larceny or Petty Theft Becomes a Felony Grand Larceny in New York:

The laws governing larceny will usually contain sentencing options, either a list of possible sentences or a range of years, as well as fines or other alternative sentences. Judges can determine the appropriate sentence by examining the facts of the case and choosing the best penalty that falls within the bounds of the statute.

In a larceny case, the type of larceny will also greatly influence the severity of the sentence. Grand larcenies carry much longer sentences than do petit (or “petty”) larcenies. Some states also impose different sentences based on the type of item that the defendant stole.

Published on: February 21, 2015

A New York Criminal Defense Overview

by Stephen Bilkis

Unlawful Imprisonment in the First (NY Penal Law 135.10) and Second (NY Penal Law 135.05) Degrees:

False imprisonment is the unlawful restraint of a person against her will by someone without legal authority or justification. For example, an armed bank robber yells at the customers to get down on the floor, threatening to shoot them if they try to leave. Since they know they might be killed if they try to leave, they are being held against their will. The captive bank customers may be able to claim damages, and the bank robber may be charged with the crime of false imprisonment. Even the police may be charged with false imprisonment if they exceed their authority such as detaining someone without justification.

It often takes the trained criminal eye of a New York criminal defense attorney or lawyer to locate and assess the nuances between similar statutes. Deciphering the language between similar statutes could mean the difference between facing a misdemeanor or a violent felony. One example of this found in statutes relating to Kidnapping and Unlawful Imprisonment. Although each of these statutes have their own unique language, at a basic level the difference between Kidnapping (NY Penal Law 135.20 and 125.25) and Unlawful Imprisonment (NY Penal Law 135.05 and 135.10) hinges on two key words defined by statute and interpreted by case law. Those key words are “restrain” and “abduct.” Today’s entry will address the general definitions applicable to Kidnapping and Unlawful Imprisonment. Additionally, I will give an overview of the crimes of Unlawful Imprisonment in the First and Second Degrees. At a later date I will analyze the Kidnapping statute under New York State law.

Published on: February 20, 2015

Defense Firm Gets Client “Slap on the Wrist” After Alleged Forgery and Grand Larceny

by Stephen Bilkis

Under the law, white collar crime can describe a wide variety of crimes, but they all typically involve crime committed through deceit and motivated by financial gain. The most common white collar crimes are various types of fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion and money laundering. Many types of scams and frauds fall into the bucket of white collar crime, including Ponzi schemes and securities fraud such as insider trading. More common crimes, like insurance fraud and tax evasion, also constitute white collar crimes.

Fraud and financial crimes are a form of theft/larceny that occur when a person or entity takes money or property, or uses them in an illicit manner, with the intent to gain a benefit from it. These crimes typically involve some form of deceit, subterfuge or the abuse of a position of trust, which distinguishes them from common theft or robbery. In today’s complex economy, fraud and financial crimes can take many forms. The resources below will introduce you to the more common forms of financial crimes, such as forgery, credit card fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.

Many white collar crimes are frauds. Fraud is a general type of crime which generally involves deceiving someone for monetary gain. One common type of white collar fraud is securities fraud. Securities fraud is fraud around the trading of securities stocks, for example.

Published on: February 19, 2015

New York Appellate Court Discusses Insurance Fraud and Other White Collar Crimes

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Insurance Fraud, Grand Larceny and Your Criminal Defense: Does the Acquittal of One Charge Require the Acquittal of the Other?

“White-collar crime” is an umbrella term used to define non-violent crimes that are financial in motivation. White-collar crimes tend to exist when people use deception or fraud to steal property, rather than force. White-collar crime can include identity theft, embezzlement, insider trading, etc.

Insurance fraud occurs most often when an insured individual or entity makes a false or exaggerated insurance claim, seeking compensation for injuries or losses that were not actually suffered. Insurance fraud can also be committed upon customers, through 1) the sale of unlicensed or bogus insurance coverage to unsuspecting clients, or 2) an insurance broker or agent’s diversion or theft of insurance premiums paid by clients. –

Published on: February 19, 2015

New York Appellate Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Under Penal Code 165.03(a)

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Penal Law 165.05 & 165.06: Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle & Your NY Criminal Defense

New York Penal Law Section 165.05 on Unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree, states that: A person is guilty of unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree when: 1. Knowing that he does not have the consent of the owner, he takes, operates, exercises control over, rides in or otherwise uses a vehicle. A person who engages in any such conduct without the consent of the owner is presumed to know that he does not have such consent; or 2. Having custody of a vehicle pursuant to an agreement between himself or another and the owner thereof whereby he or another is to perform for compensation a specific service for the owner involving the maintenance, repair or use of such vehicle, he intentionally uses or operates the same, without the consent of the owner, for his own purposes in a manner constituting a gross deviation from the agreed purpose; or 3. Having custody of a vehicle pursuant to an agreement with the owner thereof whereby such vehicle is to be returned to the owner at a specified time, he intentionally retains or withholds possession thereof, without the consent of the owner, for so lengthy a period beyond the specified time as to render such retention or possession a gross deviation from the agreement. of a gross deviation from the agreement” shall consist of, but not be limited to, circumstances wherein a person who having had custody of a vehicle for a period of fifteen days or less pursuant to a written agreement retains possession of such vehicle for at least seven days beyond the period specified in the agreement and continues such possession for a period of more than two days after service or refusal of attempted service of a notice in person or by certified mail at an address indicated in the agreement stating (i) the date and time at which the vehicle was to have been returned under the agreement; (ii) that the owner does not consent to the continued withholding or retaining of such vehicle and demands its return; and that continued withholding or retaining of the vehicle may constitute a class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars or by a sentence to a term of imprisonment for a period of up to one year or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree is a class A misdemeanor.

Published on: February 19, 2015

New York Lawyer Discusses Forgery Violation (New York Penal Law 170.65)

by Stephen Bilkis

New York Penal Law 170.65: Forgery of a Vehicle Identification Number and Your Criminal Defense

New York criminal law recognizes several degrees of the crime of forgery. A person is guilty of basic forgery, or forgery in the third degree, when he or she “falsely makes, completes or alters a written instrument” with intent to defraud, deceive or injure another. Several terms in the above definition must be explored to fully understand the scope of the offense.

New York Criminal defense attorneys from Manhattan and Brooklyn to Queens and Westchester County regularly represent individuals arrested or investigated for the crime of New York Forgery in its various shapes and sizes. When the Forgery in New York involves a “written instrument,” the applicable crime, depending on a few factors, is either New York Penal Law 170.05, New York Penal Law 170.10 or New York Penal Law 170.15. The latter two offenses are felonies while the first offense is a misdemeanor. One particular offense relating to Forgery that is applicable to crimes involving cars and other vehicles is New York Penal Law 170.65, Forgery of a Vehicle Identification Number.