Federal Crimes

It's worth pointing out that not all crimes begin with nefarious intentions. In many cases, defendants accused of causing harm are shocked to find themselves facing criminal charges. It's the job of a criminal defense attorney to accurately and convincingly present a...

Federal prosecutors have indicted a Fort Lauderdale psychic advisor on 15 counts of conspiracy, fraud, money laundering and tax offenses, even after two prior attempts to charge her were rejected by federal magistrates and criticized as "shameful" and "slipshod."...

The U.S. Department of Justice has just announced that it will be reviewing the validity of more than 2,000 convictions for federal crimes handed down between 1984 and 2000. Based on evidence provided by the Innocence Project and other criminal defense groups, a...

Over the past few years, criminal defense attorneys, civil rights activists and even federal judges have begun openly criticizing the structure of, and the often-harsh sentences resulting from, the federal sentencing guidelines. In the latest of a recent series, the...

Many residents in Tampa, Florida have probably seen a crime procedural on TV where an informant helps the police with a case. The informant may be a bit disheveled; but he or she is knowledgeable about "the streets" or "the game" and they can get the information the...

The test provided by the plurality decision is that "there must be a direct causal link between the restriction imposed and the injury to be prevented."Justice Kennedy (joined by Roberts, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor) found that the respondent who lied about receiving a...

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS OF THE FLORIDA BARProposed Advisory Opinion 12-1(June 22, 2012)A member of The Florida Bar has requested an opinion regarding the ethical propriety of offering or advising a criminal defendant to accept a plea offer in which the criminal defendant...

In United States v. Morgan Chase Woods, No. 11-11665 (June 18, 2012), an appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia that was heard before Circuit Judges Tjoflat, Hull and Kravitch, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a...

In Calvin Smith, et al . v. United States, No. 11-8976, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear the following issue:Whether withdrawing from a conspiracy prior to the statute of limitations period negates an element of a conspiracy charge such that, once a...

Kleinfeld, Senior Circuit Judge: AffirmedIn this appeal the Eleventh Circuit finds that the defendant's consent to the search of his apartment was not tainted by the initial unlawful entry into his apartment by the police. The Court also holds that the Florida crime...