Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyers
With A Reputation For Results In Tough Cases
Many of our Chicago readers have heard of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” which tells the fictional story of a woman who is incarcerated in a federal prison for taking a suitcase filled with drug money to her former girlfriend, an international drug smuggler. The show has attracted a lot of support in its first season and…
Eight individuals who had been incarcerated for over 15 years on crack-cocaine charges have reportedly had their sentences commuted by President Obama. Thirteen other individuals have also been pardoned in connection with various federal crimes. The pardons are traditionally done at the end of the year. Unlike a pardon, commutation of a sentence involves a reduction of legal penalties, particularly…
The Chicago area is no stranger to drug crimes. In Chicago, much criminal activity is fueled by drug activity and the drug dealing is commonplace. For some people, it is a normal part of life shared by the whole family. Because Chicago is such a hub for drugs, dealers often travel here to obtain their merchandise. In the case of…
It may sound like many of the stories we read about in the news. Two men were recently arrested in Chicago and charged with drug-related offenses. Police had been suspicious that they were involved in criminal activity and waited for an opportunity to approach the men. That opportunity came when the officers apparently witnessed one man delivering a package to…
Ronald Bailey wrote an article recently published in the journal Reason suggesting that requiring police officers to wear video cameras on their bodies would likely result not only in reduced complaints against police, but fewer violations of constitutional rights and better police work. Requiring police to wear body cameras would not only protect against police misconduct, but would protect officers…
We recently wrote an article detailing an offensive and potentially illegal set of searches conducted upon a man in New Mexico after officers witnessed him failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign outside a Wal-Mart store. As we noted, officers developed a suspicion that the man was carrying drugs in his colon, and conducted not only…
On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases involving criminal defendants convicted of drug crimes. One defendant was convicted of distributing heroin that killed a drug user in Iowa, while the other was convicted of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm in the course of drug trafficking in Utah. In the former case,…
Search and seizure is an important issue in the area of drug offenses. Those suspected of criminal activity have certain rights, and when police officers hastily trample over those rights, there are consequences, not only for the suspect, but for the integrity of any criminal case that may be pursued. Without these protections, it would be too easy for officers…
Keith Cozart, a small-time Chicago rapper who goes by the name “Chief Keef” was recently ordered to spend 20 days in Cook County Jail after testing positive for marijuana in violation of probation conditions stemming from a traffic violation. The 18-year-old was required to submit to random drug testing after his arrest back in May on charges that he had…
Our readers may remember last October that singer CeeLo Green, whose real name is Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, was accused of raping a woman with whom he had dined at a Los Angeles restaurant. Callaway, who denied those allegations, was subsequently clear when the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office declined to file a rape charge, citing insufficient evidence. Prosecutors had claimed…