Quinton Mitchell, a Bahamian national, was arrested last week and now is facing federal charges in the alleged marijuana trafficking operation off Jupiter Island. There were 3 other men involved in pot smuggling operation and authorities are still searching for the other passengers who were on the boat. To help with investigation, other agencies were involved and they include: investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Jupiter Island police, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife. According to federal officials, the bales of marijuana weighed about 520 pounds in total and that the street value of the drugs was estimated to be about $1.6 million. Mitchell made his initial appearance Wednesday before a U.S. magistrate and faces charges of importation of controlled substances involving 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled […] Facing Federal Charges
Quinton Mitchell, a Bahamian national, was arrested last week and now is facing federal charges in the alleged marijuana trafficking operation off Jupiter Island. There were 3 other men involved in pot smuggling operation and authorities are still searching for the other passengers who were on the boat. To help with investigation, other agencies were involved and they include: investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Jupiter Island police, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife. According to federal officials, the bales of marijuana weighed about 520 pounds in total and that the street value of the drugs was estimated to be about $1.6 million. Mitchell made his initial appearance Wednesday before a U.S. magistrate and faces charges of importation of controlled substances involving 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. A pre-trial detention hearing is scheduled […] Criminal Attorney Experience With Appeals
If you lose your case and disagree with the decision, you always have a right to appeal it if you proceeded through a jury trial. That means that you would have to present your case to another court, one that is it at a “higher” level and has the authority to hear your case. If you lost your case in District Court, you may appeal to Circuit Court. If your case was in Circuit Court you may appeal to the Court of Appeals. An appeal is a review of the trial court’s application of the law. There is no jury in an appeal, nor do the lawyers present witnesses or, typically, other forms of evidence. The court will accept the facts as they were revealed in the trial court, unless a factual finding is clearly against the weight of the evidence. Grounds For Appeal Potential grounds for appeal in a […]
Posted in Criminal Defense, Hiring a Defense Lawyer
Tagged appeals, criminal process
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How To Defend Your DUI Charge
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol is dangerous and that is why drunk driving laws are passed in each state to make it illegal for a person to drive if he/she has consumed enough alcohol to be impaired. The level of intoxication at which it is illegal to drive may vary according to region and country. Penalties for this crime also vary among jurisdictions. Remember it is not illegally to drink alcohol and operate a motor vehicle. It is unlawful to drive a car while your normal faculties are impaired or you have an amount of alcohol or illegal drugs in your blood, breath or urine above the legal limits. What are your normal faculties: you ability to walk, talk, hear, judge distances, act in emergencies and carry on with normal movement. DUI charges may lead to serious consequences, especially if a driver has a previous DUI conviction. Drunk […] Florida Congressman Pleads Guilty To Cocaine Possession
U.S. Rep. Trey Radel pleaded guilty today to one count of misdemeanor cocaine possession. The Florida Republican was sentenced to one year of probation. According to court documents and law enforcement officials, Radel (R-Florida), was charged after allegedly buying a small amount of the drug in an October sting. The sting was part of a broader FBI/Drug Enforcement Administration investigation of a drug trafficking organization in the nation’s capital. The law enforcement official further reports that the targets of the investigation are dealers and high-level people in the organization, not buyers and users. But a dealer who was arrested last month told federal agents that one of his customers was a congressman. “In the sting, Radel bought a small amount of cocaine at Washington’s Dupont Circle after meeting with someone who was, unbeknownst to Radel, an undercover agent, a law enforcement official said”. Source, full story Drug trafficking is a […]
Posted in Drug Crime, Florida News
Tagged cocaine possession, drug crime, drugs, federal
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Florida Case Of Aggravated Assault with a Firearm
A West Palm Beach resident, Kenneth Burroughs, is being held at Palm Beach county jail on weapons charges, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The incident reports Mr. Burroughs’ alleged confrontation with a bail bondsman occurred this past Friday. After being called to investigate the bondsman shooting, Sheriff’s detectives found three weapons — a shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol and a .38 special revolver — during a court-approved search of the North Haverhill Road residence of Kenneth Burroughs. According to Deputy Eric Davis, Mr. Burroughs admitted to sheriff’s officers that he owned the weapons. Burroughs was arrested early Saturday and charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, shooting within a dwelling, and child neglect. Criminal history revealed that he has been convicted of seven past felonies. For full details, please see source. When is Gun Possession Illegal? If someone knowingly has in his or […]
Posted in Firearms, Palm Beach County News
Tagged firearms, gun control, gun violence, Palm Beach County
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Undocumented Immigrants and the Cost Of Deportation
Speaker of the House John Boehner announced this week that there will be no formal talks held this year addressing the immigration reform passed by the Senate over the summer. Under the proposed immigration reform, the Senate bill would tighten border security and provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally. With immigration reform legislation on hold, US criminal policy may have already disqualified thousands of nonviolent deportees. The US government now brings federal criminal charges against undocumented immigrants at an exponentially higher rate than it did 10 years ago, according to a Human Reports Watch Human Rights Watch released in May of 2013. In addition, the report provides the following statistics: ¨ Between 2002 and 2012, the number of people charged with felony illegal reentry increased fivefold ¨ The number charged with misdemeanor illegal entry annually jumped fifteenfold ¨ Those being charged […] Your Criminal Charges Can Be Reduced With Experienced Attorney Present
When facing criminal charges your rights, freedom, reputation, and future are all threatened. Suddenly, the things you used to take for granted, such as financial stability, the eligibility for future employment opportunities, and basic civil rights like the right to vote, become endangered privileges you are actively aware of. The legal system, which before seemed very black and white, is now full of grey areas that you don’t understand. The good news is that you do have one right as an American citizen to help you through all this – the right to an attorney. A criminal conviction of any type will have life altering implication and for many offenders, the complications are experienced immediately when facing a sentence on a criminal charge. Hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney at the very onset of your criminal case can greatly increase your chances of having a felony or misdemeanor reduced to […]
Posted in Criminal Defense, Hiring a Defense Lawyer
Tagged criminal defense, criminal defense lawyer
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Animal Cruelty Charges in Florida
Animal cruelty crimes can either be a misdemeanor or a felony. The State Attorney of each distinct county, throughout Florida, is responsible for what charges are lodged against an individual. The Law Enforcement Official, who investigates many, if not all animal cruelty cases in Florida, is Animal Care and Control. Throughout the State of Florida, Animal Care and Control offices are set up and funded primarily by tax dollars and other fees assessed to the people of Florida. The director of each Animal Care and Control district is approved, after open application process and review by the County Commissioners in the distinct County. The difference between being charged with a misdemeanor or felony in an animal cruelty case depends a lot on what the sediments of the community are regarding the standards of care, treatment and use of the animal. The community standards are not the entire story if you […] Abusive Behavior and Violence is a Deliberate Choice
A dispute or a continued pattern of harmful behavior within a relationship can lead to domestic violence. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. Aid to Victims Of Domestic Abuse, Inc (AVDA) reports the following staggering figures on domestic violence abuse: ¨ One in three women nationally will report domestic violence in her lifetime. ¨ On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day. ¨ One in five teens reports having been hit, slapped, or pushed by a partner. While there may be a distinction between the terms domestic violence and domestic abuse, legal penalties carry the same charges. Domestic abuse, also known as spousal abuse, occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person. Domestic abuse that includes physical violence […] Criminal Records Information Guide
A criminal record (rap sheet) is a document listing person’s history with law enforcement and legal system. Criminal record information can vary depending on a person’s age. Juvenile criminal records are usually sealed, meaning that they can only be accessed in special situations. It is also possible for adults to seal all or part of their records by request. In other cases, however, a criminal record is public information and anyone can access it by filing a records request and usually paying a small fee to compensate clerks for pulling the record and providing a copy. Depending on a state, an applicant may not have to reveal any or some type of potentially damaging information ash as arrests not resulting in conviction or convictions of minor matters. Your criminal defense attorney can help you determine if you are eligible to get a conviction sealed or expunged. Criminal records are public […]
Posted in Criminal Defense, Hiring a Defense Lawyer
Tagged criminal record, expungement
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