Author Archives: Gary Gerson
Pittsburgh Police Officer Faces Criminal Charges After Alleged Drunken Hit-and-Run Accident with a Bicyclist
Leaving the scene of a car accident without talking to police or, at least, without talking to the person you hit and making sure they are not injured, is one of the worst things you can do. It can escalate a minor inconvenience into a civil lawsuit, a traffic ticket into criminal charges, and… Read More »
Pennsylvania’s Laws on HIV Exposure Leave Plenty of Room for Ambiguity
Despite that advances in treatment have made HIV infection a manageable and, in many cases, preventable condition, AIDS is still the scariest disease that many people in the United States consider a real threat. For people who were alive in the 80s, the images of the extraordinary suffering of people with AIDS were unlike… Read More »
Two Carlisle Teens Charged as Adults for Armed Robbery
When you think back to your teenage years, you can probably remember many things that you regret doing and saying. Whether your teen self experimented with drugs and frequently got into fistfights or simply did foolish and unkind things like skipping school and spreading malicious rumors, mostly for the purpose of impressing your peers,… Read More »
DUI Traffic Stop in Frazer Township Ends in Major Drug Bust
If you feel nervous and worried when the police pull you over while driving, it does not necessarily mean that you are a criminal; it just means that you are human. When the minutes tick by after you hand over your driver’s license and registration, you think, “What’s the worst that can happen? I… Read More »
Former Carnegie Mellon Student Convicted of Date Rape
College students are not the only people who are vulnerable to sexual assault, but sex crimes, from rape to simple sexual harassment are widespread on college campuses and among student populations. It is not hard to find opinion pieces on news sites attributing the origins of the problem to causes ranging from peer pressure… Read More »
FBI Agents Arrest Three Pennsylvania Men Attempting to Solicit Sex from Minors
It is said that the Internet brings out everyone’s worst self; it is also said that there are no secrets online. Thus, adults attempting to contact minors online for purposes of exploiting them sexually can easily be found out by law enforcement. In the online environment, where anonymity emboldens the worst sides of people’s… Read More »
In Pennsylvania, Attempted Acts of Sexual Exploitation Are Illegal, Even When There Is No Physical Contact
Although the laws of the United States do not operate on the principle of “an eye for an eye,” crimes that cause more significant physical, emotional, or financial harm to victims have more severe penalties than those that cause less damage. Murder is a more serious crime than aggravated assault, and aggravated assault is… Read More »
Are Non-Fatal Shootings Aggravated Assault or Attempted Murder?
Few things are scarier than when someone fires a gun in a room full of unsuspecting people. Even when the shooting does not lead to any deaths, the survivors spend the rest of their lives feeling lucky, and perhaps a bit incredulous, that they are still alive. If someone has pointed a gun in… Read More »
International Student Defendants Have the Same Rights as Any Defendants in Criminal Cases
The United States is the world’s most popular destination for international students; more people come to the U.S. to pursue bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees than any other country. In 2018, more than a million international students were enrolled in U.S. universities; China, India, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia were the home countries of… Read More »
When the Marijuana Is Legal but the Currency Used to Pay for It Is Illegal
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is the government office responsible for investigating financial crimes. It was established as part of the Department of the Treasury in 1990, and while its original purpose was to investigate transactions related to money laundering and funding of terrorist activities, it plays a role in investigating many kinds… Read More »
