Miami Criminal Defense Insights
Aggressive representation for DUI, Domestic Violence, Gun Crimes & more
If you tell most people that someone was arrested for soliciting a prostitute, they might imagine some guy driving late at night in a run-down neighborhood offering money to random prostitutes on the street. Any experienced criminal defense lawyer in Miami knows that there’s potentially a lot more to it – or, quite possibly, a […]
Mystery shoppers are employed in some large stores to pretend to be customers. The idea is that the “customer” assesses the level of service they get from the store employees and hopefully gives some useful feedback to store management so they can provide a better service in future. Mystery shoppers are not expected to wander […]
Florida is only one of three states in the U.S. in which judges have little influence over whether juveniles are sentenced in the adult courts or the juvenile courts. The decision is an important one because the way offenders are treated in an adult court is quite different from the way they are treated in […]
A pick-up truck and a toy gun resulted in three men from Collier County ending up in jail over the weekend, charged with robbery. Deputies apprehended and arrested 18 year old David Lee Moya, Devon Charles and Alfredo Garcia, after they allegedly demanded money from people attending a small gathering last Saturday in Golden Gate, […]
Jack Utsick was extradited from Brazil to Miami in late 2014 charged with fleecing millions of dollars from investors. After a long period of working as a pilot for TWA, Utsick decided to undertake what he had always wanted to do and that was to be a concert promoter. This he did, high in a […]
The Florida Times-Union reported recently that a Jacksonville man could face a 120 year prison sentence for firing two shots without causing any injuries. 58 year old Randal Ratledge, who is classified as an Army Veteran, is on trial. Criminal defense attorneys for the defendant have requested that the judge hearing the case, Judge Jack […]
It has been recently reported that an immigrant from South America pretended he had been born in Puerto Rico and used a Florida driver license to get a U.S. passport. This incident is one of many that has occurred in Miami in the last 12 months and has been brought to the attention of the […]
Police are seeking help identifying a woman who it has been reported drugged and robbed two men on different occasions following meetings in two different Miami area high-end restaurants. The first incident took place at Morton’s Restaurant while the second occurred at Hillstone Restaurant, but both on the same night. Police have released surveillance photos […]
Not long ago, the British royal, Kate Windsor ex Middleton, was on a good will visit to Australia with her husband, Prince William. On one memorable occasion her billowing skirt blew up with a sudden gust of wind from an Australian Air Force helicopter that had landed to pick them up. All eyes were immediately […]
A 22 year old man called Sean Francis Tucker of Parkland, Florida has been accused of peering through the window of a bathroom watching someone else’s wife taking a shower. Furthermore, this is the 2nd time this young man has been caught in the act. Tucker was arrested after the woman’s husband caught Tucker in […]
Few people manage to get arrested twice in a single day, but that’s what Port Richey man Donald Garter managed to achieve last Sunday when he first got himself arrested for criminal mischief then later the same night was arrested again for auto burglary. Facing a charge of criminal mischief is probably enough for most […]
A man was quickly arrested for a bank robbery in West Boca Raton after his fingerprints were left behind on the ransom note he handed over to the bank teller. The Sheriff’s Office at Palm Beach County apprehended and arrested 25 year old Stephen Palmieri after he allegedly entered a branch of the Wells Fargo […]
Two Florida men wreaked havoc at a party celebrating a prison release recently. Obviously not really realizing how good being out of prison can feel one ex jail inmate and his buddy hosted the prison release party at a house they had broken into. The owner of the house was away for a few days […]
If you saw a couple of shifty looking people idling around a parking lot as dusk was about to fall you might think that a car theft was about to take place or some car windows were going to be smashed in order to relieve the vehicle’s owner of valuable possessions left conspicuously on the […]
A would be robber who already had a conviction for a previous felony got more than he bargained for when he attempted to rob a convenience store in Jacksonville Beach recently. The 32 year old man, Jacob Mercer, wore a Darth Vader mask and dark clothing when he entered the convenience store and allegedly pointed […]
Recently, state representative for Howey-in-the-Hills, Anthony Sabatini, filed a bill in Florida named “constitutional carry” or HB 273, that would permit gun owners to be in possession of their weapons openly in public without the need for a license. This is possible at the moment in sixteen other states. It would permit a lawful gun […]
To get a search warrant in Florida, a law enforcer must submit a request for one from a magistrate or judge. The request needs to be accompanied by an affidavit which has been sworn by the officer involved in the request. This includes information that provides the foundation for probable cause for wanting the search […]
When we normally think of drug crimes they are typically linked to illegal products like cocaine, meth and heroin. These are minor when it comes to the illegal distribution of prescription drugs. Often people are apprehended and charged with illegally possessing a prescription drug under the terms ‘doctor shopping’ and ‘pill mill’ pain clinics. However, […]
An arrest takes place when police officers believe they should take a suspect into custody. It has officially taken place when the suspect is not able to walk away from the event freely. The Fourth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution authorizes an arrest only if the police officer has “probable cause” that a crime has […]
Security guards working in stores in Florida may detain a person if they suspect him/her of shoplifting, but only until the arrival of the police. In Florida, the law states that any merchant who can confirm probable cause that a retail theft has been committed by a person may detain the offender for a reasonable […]
The answer is a qualified “yes.” Florida has brought in a new law this year allowing school districts the option of arming teachers to try and prevent mass shootings in schools, or at least dealing with a shooter if such a situation arises. As schools open up for a new school year, though, it seems […]
Sexting is the name for what some people think is quite an innocuous practice. When consenting adults send each other saucy text messages, there is nothing legally wrong with it. Of course, it might become a nuisance, even intimidating, if you happen to be on the receiving end of a stream of unsolicited text messages, […]
We all know we shouldn’t lie. We are taught that by our parents, at school, in Church and by those who enforce the law. Few of us never, ever lie, but a lot of the time we tend to excuse our lying, thinking that there is a justification for it, or that it is only […]