Author Archives: Gary Gerson
Yes, You Can Get A Prison Sentence For Failing To Register Paperwork
A man goes to prison because he did not file a form that he was supposed to file. It sounds like a nightmare out of Kafka’s imagination, but it can happen right here in Pennsylvania. For example, you can get criminal penalties for failing to file an income tax return, but most of the… Read More »
Man Who Sold Counterfeit Percocet Pills To Overdose Victim Sentenced To Prison For Involuntary Manslaughter
In the 1990s and 2000s, when pharmaceutical companies led doctors and patients to believe that it was safe for most patients to take prescription opioids long term, and that these drugs were freely available, there were plenty of dangers. Many thousands of people in Pennsylvania and other states became addicted to opioids, and some… Read More »
Chester Springs Man Pleads Guilty To Hacking College Computer Networks
Data breaches are a nightmare for businesses. When someone hacks into the computer network of a company and steals the personal identity information, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers stored on computers belonging to the network, the financial losses can be enormous. The customers and employees whose data got stolen can sue the… Read More »
Voting Rights In Pennsylvania After A Criminal Conviction
Loss of voting rights is one of the consequences of a felony conviction, but each state has its own laws about the procedure for restoration of voting rights for people convicted of felonies after they have completed their sentences. Pennsylvania puts up fewer obstacles than some other states with regard to restoring citizens’ right… Read More »
“Return To Sender” Conspirator Pleads Guilty After Chartering Private Plane To Transport Drugs From Houston To Pittsburgh
Transporting drugs in private planes is practically a cliché. How many movies show the protagonists going from rags to riches in the drug trade and then traveling by private plane? How many times have you seen a private plane in a music video and inferred that it was meant to be the site of… Read More »
Allegheny County Man Gets Prison Sentence For Traveling While On Supervised Release
Supervised release, in which defendants get to live in their own homes while still technically serving their prison sentences, is better than mass incarceration, but it still means that law enforcement is constantly in your business, and any minor mistake can land you back behind bars. Supervised release and probation are not the same… Read More »
Federal Court In Pittsburgh Sentences Woman To Prison For Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
When you buy illegal drugs on the Internet, you cannot be sure of the ingredients, but at least they have a return address. By contrast, if you buy drugs in a street corner drug deal or shady motel room meetup, you have no idea of the drugs’ itinerary before they reach you here in… Read More »
Pittsburgh Area Lawyer Convicted Of Selling Methamphetamine
Most criminal cases do not go to trial. In federal criminal cases, fewer than one in ten defendants pleads not guilty and maintains their innocence all the way to trial. This is usually because the stakes are so high when the charges involve drug trafficking. If prosecutors accuse you of selling drugs based on… Read More »
Allegheny County Cocaine Dealer Gets 11 Years In Federal Prison
It is possible to get a life sentence in prison for drug crimes, but not just any drug crimes. While draconian “three strikes” laws have made it so that defendants have been sentenced to life for drug possession, those kinds of sentencing guidelines have received sharp criticism, and prosecutors in Pittsburgh rarely seek to… Read More »
Beaver County Tax Collector Sentenced To Prison For Embezzling Tax Payments
Almost everyone grumbles about paying taxes. Childfree people complain about parents getting all the tax credits, and almost everyone would like to see public funds spent differently from how they are being spent, although no two people’s visions of what they would do if they were in control of the public treasury are exactly… Read More »
