Author Archives: Gary Gerson
Former Director of Emergency Management at University of Pittsburgh Faces Charges for Stealing Personal Protective Equipment from the University and Selling It Online
Sometimes you can find ordinarily expensive items for sale online at much lower prices, and when you do, it feels like a victory, but sometimes there is a dark side. If you ever find Mary Kay cosmetics, Beachbody shakes, or any other products typically sold through a multilevel marketing business model, listed online at… Read More »
Police Revive Man Who Suffered Accidental Overdose at Pittsburgh Mills Walmart
Naloxone, which is also known by the brand name Narcan, can reverse the effects of opioid overdose very quickly. Since it has become available, many people have survived overdoses that would have otherwise been fatal. One of the reasons behind Pennsylvania’s Good Samaritan law, which protects people who call for medical assistance for overdose… Read More »
Doylestown Mom Charged With Harassment for Online Bullying of Daughter’s Cheerleading Teammates
Complaining about the Internet habits of the youth has been a favorite hobby of parents since the mid-90s, when those America Online CDs used to arrive in the mail, and during the pandemic, with kids and parents stuck in the house all day, connected to the outside world only by a Wi-Fi connection, it… Read More »
Greensburg Woman Offered Plea Deal to Drop Felony Charges Related to Wife’s Overdose Death
The pain of losing a loved one to a drug overdose is a devastating experience that many people in Western Pennsylvania know all too well. What is even worse is when other people blame you for not being able to save the person that you desperately didn’t want to lose. Worst of all is… Read More »
Pittsburgh Man Accused of Corrupting a Minor During Snapchat Date Gone Wrong
When you were a child, and a parent or other authority figure caught you doing something you were not supposed to do, you probably made up a wildly implausible excuse. Maybe you told the teacher that the dog ate your homework or that the empty box of Twinkies is in the recycle bin because… Read More »
Allegheny County Man Drops Stamp Bags Marked “Say Hello to My Little Friend” While Fleeing from Police on Foot
Any aspiring entrepreneur will tell you that brand identity is important to business success. You don’t have to be from Pennsylvania to recognize the fluffy shape of Bethlehem’s own marshmallow Peeps or the Utz potato chip logo. Memorable branding might also be an asset in the illegal drug trade, but if your brand of… Read More »
Husband and Wife Plead Guilty to Healthcare Fraud and Tax Fraud
Anyone who has ever received a medical bill has noticed that the math that goes into calculating how much patients and insurance companies are responsible for paying is perplexing. It is unsurprising then, that some healthcare fraud scams go on for years before anyone gets caught. In some healthcare fraud cases, doctors bill insurance… Read More »
Jury Finds New Kensington Man Not Guilty of Drug Delivery Resulting in Death
You can probably think of a few movies where the climactic scene involves a jury finding someone not guilty at trial, but only a small percentage of criminal cases result in acquittals. Most cases result either in guilty pleas, sometimes involving a reduction of charges, or else in the charges getting dropped. This means… Read More »
Participants in Pittsburgh Home Health Fraud Conspiracy Sentenced to Probation and Home Detention
Almost everyone has received medical care at some point in their lives, but how many people truly understand how billing for medical services works? On the one hand, you might think you have paid your bill for an emergency room visit, only to get surprise bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars because… Read More »
What Biden’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Means for Criminal Justice Reform
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects people convicted of crimes against cruel and unusual punishment, but it does not define cruel and unusual punishment in any detail. While long prison sentences, even for non-violent crimes, are hardly unusual in Pennsylvania and other states, some of the justifications for imposing these sentences… Read More »
