Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyers
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Late last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new policy under which it would not be taking any action to block the implementation of new laws legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington. Prior to the announcement, of course, there had been some ambivalence about how the federal government would respond to the new laws, since the drug will…
Mandatory minimum sentences may not be something all of our readers have heard of, but for those who’ve been through the criminal justice system on federal drug charges, it probably is. Mandatory minimum sentences are something the federal government implemented back in the 1980s during the so-called “war on drugs.” The intent was to curb judges’ discretion as to prison…
Our readers may have heard about the Chicago woman, formerly from a South Side housing development, who is suing three police officers for allegedly kicking her apartment door in and placing bags of crack cocaine outside her window back in 2009. The woman was acquitted of drug charged at trial after the incident, but she took the matter further by…
Governor Pat Quinn is expected to sign into law today a measure that would legalize medical marijuana in Illinois. The bill, which would take effect in January, calls to the creation of a pilot program in which qualifying patients would be able to use up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana on a biweekly basis. To qualify for the program, patients…
Earlier this month, an alleged Chicago gang member who was arrested in La Crosse back in April on suspicion of selling illegal drugs pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges. The 50-year-old Indiana man, accused of being a member of the Black Disciples, allegedly sold cocaine and heroin according to agents from the FBI. He was arrested along with 16…
In our previous post, we began speaking about investigation procedures currently used by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. As we noted, it is not uncommon for the agency to use stings to draw suspects into agreeing to rob drug stash houses that do not exist. The practice has been called into question, even among those responsible…
According to a recent analysis by USA Today, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT), the agency charged with enforcing national gun laws, has incarcerated over 1,000 individuals by setting them up drawing them into a fake plot to rob drug stash houses that did not actually exist. While the strategy has come to be an important part…
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that could impact the way states conduct criminal investigations. The decision, which arose from an appeal of a rape conviction made possible by the DNA profiling of a Maryland man arrested for assault in 2009, involved the issue of whether police may take DNA samples from criminal suspects. The court…
In our previous post, we noted that former Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd, after having been indicted on six federal drug charges, was charged through a new indictment with only one charge of drug conspiracy. The new charge was intended to broaden and streamline the case against Hurd. Now, Hurd is reportedly preparing to plead guilty to the federal drug…
Former Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd, after being indicted on six federal drug charges, now only faces one charge after the government filed a revised indictment last month. The indictment sought to broaden and streamline the case. Hurd, who is currently in prison, has been charged with drug conspiracy. The government claims he conspired to posses with the intent to…