Criminal

Working in certain roles for the federal government requires you to apply for security clearance, as many positions may involve access to classified information. The process of vetting employees who apply for clearance is designed to ensure that those who work in these positions are trustworthy and reliable. Even after you receive security clearance, you…

After police wrongly raided his home last summer, rap artist Afroman decided to make light of his losses and release an album and videos using home footage of the situation. Now, he’s facing charges from seven of the officers involved in the raid, citing invasion of privacy and public humiliation. What kind of recourse do…

It has become very common for people to record important things happening in their lives. In fact, you cannot go anywhere without seeing someone pulling out their camera or cell phone to record something. Therefore, when a crime is occurring either to you or to another person, one of your first impulses may be to…

Spend any time on social media and you’re bound to run into them: the so-called Constitutional scholars who earned their stripes listening to news shows or following attorneys on Twitter. We used to think that these folks were harmless, and perhaps they are – but we’re seeing some disturbing trends when it comes to understanding…

It can be very intimidating going to your first court hearing and you may be worried about what to do and what to say. When you appear in court in Maryland, it is important to present yourself in a way that gives the judge or jury a good impression—and it does play a factor in…

We see it in TV shows and movies all the time: if someone starts a fight with someone else, that person hits the first one and then says it was all in self-defense. When the police arrive, the person who started the fight is the one that gets in trouble. Despite many people trying to…

You may have been seeing in the news that there was recently a special counsel appointed to a case regarding President Joe Biden. We thought this was a good opportunity to talk about what a special counsel is, what they do, and why they are important to a case. A special counsel is an attorney…

Most drunk drivers are pulled off the road by a police officer before the drivers cause any accidents. There are many times, though, when the police arrest someone for drunk driving after the driver caused an accident. The police are usually likely to arrest an intoxicated driver who causes a fatality – another driver, a…

The saying, “Anything you say can be used against in a court of law,” given when anyone is arrested (as part of the Miranda warnings) is also good advice for any texts you send. Any texts that you write, even if you try to delete them, before or after an arrest may also be used…

With the exoneration of Adnan Syed making headlines, we are forced to contemplate how our judicial system could allow for an innocent man to be convicted of murder. We would like to think that everyone who is sentenced to years in prison is there because they deserve to be there for their wrongful and illegal…

Many of us are familiar with pardons because of Thanksgiving. It has been tradition for over half a century for the president to “pardon” a turkey from becoming someone’s Thanksgiving dinner. We all understand that to mean that the turkey is being granted reprieve from its fate. Many folks are less familiar with record expungements.…

The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) is a federal law, passed in 1984, that increases the sentences for felons who commit crimes with firearms if they have three or more violent felony convictions or serious drug offenses. The Act provides that a defendant who meets the definitions under the Act receives a 15-year minimum prison…

In what’s being called a precedent-setting decision, Maryland’s highest court recently ruled that search warrants for cellphones and smartphones must be specific to the crime-related information being sought. What this means for individuals accused of crimes is that police and detectives can no longer search through the contents of an entire device, which often contains…

The Supreme Court of the United States’ 6-3 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen officially made at least one of Maryland’s gun laws unconstitutional. The ruling, which extended the rights granted under District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), allows law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun outside of the home for…

Back in 2003, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, along with the advertising company R&R Partners, cooked up an ad campaign to rebrand Sin City. The campaign, called “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” is one of the most successful campaigns in advertising history. The commercials are funny, slick, and sexy, and rooted in one…

Sex crimes, like sexual assault and rape, are complex charges with severe penalties upon conviction. Even accusations can cause damage to all aspects of a person’s life and reputation, whether the person is convicted of the charges or not. The most important thing to do when facing sex crime charges is to remain calm, understand…

The term “deadly weapon” typically makes individuals think of a gun or knife, or an inanimate object that can be used to cause harm. However, recently two men allegedly used a dog as a way to attack and rob a man. According to CBS News, two men and a dog approached an unarmed man and…

Here in Maryland, conviction of certain crimes bars an individual from gun and weapon possession. Typically these state laws are in line with federal gun control laws targeting ex-felons. However, a recent case out of the Maryland Court of Appeals demonstrates that our state’s gun control laws are even stronger than the federal government’s, a…

If you were to ask the average person what punishments they think of when they hear the words “criminal conviction,” you would likely hear answers like “jail time” or “fines.” Others might mention restitution, or the loss of the right to vote. All of these penalties are, of course, possible – but there are collateral…

A road rage incident occurring in Ocean City, Maryland last month almost turned deadly after one of the parties allegedly pulled a knife out during the altercation. According to police reports, the incident began when a driver (we’ll call him “John Doe,” as his name was not released) made a lane change in front of…

A former Caroline County deputy is awaiting sentencing towards the end of this month for violating his presentence release terms in November. Steven Biddle pleaded guilty to felony theft in August after allegedly reaching out to several community members and loved ones for exorbitant amounts of money under the false guise of damages for a…

Before last year came to a close, one Baltimore Public Works employee wanted to end the year on a high note. The employee was accused of stealing a truck owned by the city with the intention of stealing a bank ATM machine. On December 29, Baltimore County Police received a call around 3:30 a.m. about…

Ideally, police pull someone over when they are driving dangerously or otherwise breaking the law. In the case of reckless driving, this is to help protect everyone else from a possible accident and deter the driver from doing it in the future. We know this. It is no secret that it happens, and statistically, it…

The most important thing you need to remember if you are arrested – whether you committed a crime or not – is that if you resist through force, you can be charged with another crime. However, it is paramount you understand your rights, as resisting arrest charges are complex and, depending on the circumstances, may…