Kevin Cohen, Esq., was an attorney on Long Island. He was recently found guilty of stealing in excess of $300,000 from families he represented. He had promised these families to help them adopt children. Unfortunately, the children did not exist. Mr. Cohen was found guilty of 37 counts, including 16 counts of second-degree grand larceny, 11 … [Read more...]
Gang Colors Not Enough To Search Car
A district court judge in Nassau County threw out a search of a car due to the fact that the reason the police officers gave for searching the car could not be substantiated. The occupants in the car were charged with weapons possession (which includes charges for violent crimes, both felonies and misdemeanors) At the time, the officers … [Read more...]
Not Your Average Domestic Violence Case
An unnamed woman had previously claimed in New York that her boyfriend called her more than 300 times from jail. She testified to this before a grand jury. The purpose of the phone calls were to intimidate her into refusing to testify against him at the time of trial. The case is entitled People v. Smith. It is pending in Brooklyn before … [Read more...]
Dog Bite Kills Man
The state of Florida recently passed a new law that allows municipalities to use red light cameras at traffic intersections. If the camera catches a motorist going through a red light, a ticket is issued and mailed to the owner of the vehicle. A lawsuit has been brought in West Palm Beach for the purpose of invalidating Florida's red light camera … [Read more...]
Recession Leads To More Abuse Cases
Do financial difficulties lead to more incidents of domestic violence in our society? Sandra Oliva, Director of the Nassau County Coalition of Domestic Violence, stated that "issues facing families these days have increased the potential for more violence". Sandra Oliva looks for ways to prevent abuse an to assist victims. In a recent Newsday … [Read more...]
Judge Unable To Reduce Charges On Traffic Tickets
An upstate judge in the town of Milan was dealing with a huge backlog of traffic cases. He decided the best way to deal with the backlog was to "plea bargain" tickets down to lesser offenses. Unfortunately, the New York state police, assuming a role similar to that of a prosecutor, objected to the judge's actions. The State Police took legal … [Read more...]
Trimming Down Miranda Rights
The United States Supreme Court has recently taken action to restrict the now famous "miranda criminal warnings". The Supreme Court rulings will have a significant impact on police procedures since police will be given more lee-way in the questioning of suspects. Police Questioning: The Miranda warnings are as follows: "You have the right to … [Read more...]
