Recent Blog Posts
Yes, You Can Still Get Criminal Charges If You Act As A Confidential Informant
The media narrative on confidential informants tends to be that they are snitches who avoid criminal prosecution, but because they have betrayed their friends, they can trust no one. In fact, it is often possible to dissociate yourself from illegal activities without telling all of your friends’ secrets to people who would use this… Read More »
You Can Get Child Endangerment Charges If You Fail To Seek Medical Treatment For Children
Keeping children away from safety hazards is a big job. Once babies learn to crawl, keeping them away from all the hot, sharp, and poisonous things in the room, even if these hazards are ordinary household items that are harmless to anyone old enough to have the common sense that babies lack, requires almost… Read More »
Pennsylvania Senator Introduces Bill To Restrict Sale Of Kratom
So many substances that one might ingest are either a death trap or a miracle cure, depending on who you ask. Some drugs that have been implicated in numerous fatal overdoses were once widely used in medicine, or at least were investigated for their therapeutic potential before researchers determined that the drugs’ risks outweighed… Read More »
Yes, You Can Get Criminal Penalties For Writing Off Personal Purchases As Tax Deductible Business Expenses
Certain parts of the country are famous for their extravagance and for their propensity for stretching the truth. The people of New York and Miami are known for their fancy residences, although these tend to be penthouse apartments in condominium buildings in New York and sprawling mansions in South Florida. No one in Los… Read More »
Do You Automatically Get A Prison Sentence If You Violate Your Probation?
Some prosecutors, judges, defendants, and family members of defendants see probation as an alternative to mass incarceration. While a probation sentence is a major improvement over spending an equivalent length of time behind bars, it is not a perfect solution. Even though probation enables defendants to avoid interruptions to their employment, it is still… Read More »
Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Be Careful What You Wish For
Affirmative defenses are one way of casting doubt on the prosecution’s allegations against you. When you use an affirmative defense, you are saying that your actions do not fit the definition of the criminal offense being charged, but that this is because of extenuating circumstances, not because you did not commit the act that… Read More »
What Happens If You Are From Out Of State, But You Get Caught With Illegal Drugs In Pennsylvania?
Some events are worth traveling lost distances to attend, and many of these events are several orders of magnitude less fun when you are sober. Without the booze, Mardi Gras in New Orleans would just mean watching high school marching bands perform while socialites wave from glitzy parade floats. Imagine Woodstock without the drugs. … Read More »
Can You Get Criminal Charges For Intentionally Causing A Freak Accident?
Florida is the state that people tend to associate the most with freak accidents and freakish occurrences; introduced species from virtually all hot, humid corners of the earth flourish in Florida’s waterways and stroll across its roads. In Florida, you have a greater chance of getting struck by lightning or bitten by an alligator… Read More »
Enter Wonk, A New Trend Involving A Not Especially New Drug
Ketamine is a schedule III controlled substance, which means that it has legally accepted uses in medicine but also carries considerable potential for abuse; other pharmaceutical drugs in this category include anabolic steroids, suboxone (a combination of an opioid and naloxone, used to treat opioid use disorder), and some stimulants used as treatments for… Read More »
Pittsburgh Woman Faces Criminal Charges For COVID Relief Fraud
Convincing banks that they can trust you enough to repay the money that you are asking them to lend you is not easy. After all, if you had that much money lying around, you would not need to borrow. There is an entire industry dedicated to lending people money now and asking questions later. … Read More »
