Recent Blog Posts
Trespassing And Pennsylvania’s Purple Paint Law
Of all the criminal offenses that sound like, by themselves, they cause little or no harm, trespassing ranks highly. What is so bad about walking on someone else’s property? When you were in middle school, you technically trespassed every day when you walked across your neighbor’s lawn because doing so was a shortcut between… Read More »
Nonconsensual Dissemination Of Intimate Content
Everyone with enough presence of mind not to publicly share photos of their breakfast and videos of their morning routine online has a reasonable fear of the malicious gossip of the Internet. The trolls online are exponentially more vicious than any troll that ever lurked under a bridge in your childhood nightmares. Of course,… Read More »
New Report Shows Socioeconomic Class As A Factor Determining Severity Of Sentencing
It is not hard to find examples of rich people acting like they are above the law. Eventually, the Florida Man Internet phenomenon died down because so much of the bizarre behavior documented on arrest reports in Florida was nothing less and nothing more than people acting out of desperation. That Florida Man who… Read More »
Can You Go To Jail For Contempt Of Court?
Failure to comply with the court’s orders or with the judicial process can make your legal problems worse. We have seen documentaries where antiheroes outwit the law by wiggling out of their GPS ankle monitors, and who can forget that scene in Goodfellas where Henry and Karen flush their cocaine stash down the toilet… Read More »
Jury Returns Guilty Verdict For Williamsport Woman Accused Of Selling Cocaine To Informants
It is difficult to look on the bright side when you are being charged with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy, but you can at least be reassured that it is not entirely your fault. There are at least some parts of the operation in which you had no role. Your defense strategy might… Read More »
Money Laundering Conspiracy Or Just Doing Your Job?
A day in the life of a local business owner is a series of small frustrations and small victories. Sure, your elementary school-aged children are impressed by the stack of banknotes in your wallet and by the amount you write on the deposit slip when they ride with you to the bank in the… Read More »
Is Streaking A Crime?
You know that you have successfully attended an epic party when someone disrobes and runs across the lawn in his birthday suit. Dropping your trousers and mooning the motorists who pass by your house is a juvenile prank, but full body nudity in full view of everyone present for as long as it takes… Read More »
Pittsburgh Sex Trafficking Case Results In Prison Sentence For Man Who Coerced Women Into Engaging In Commercial Sex Acts
Former drug users who are willing to speak about their journey to sobriety may tell people about their worst moments brought about by drug addiction. To scare drug-naïve people out of using drugs, or to show fellow addicts that they are not alone in their traumatic experiences, they may enter dangerous and physically and… Read More »
Contributing To The Delinquency Of Minors
When determining the consequences of illegal actions by minors, the law considers whether the negligence, or even the intentional actions, of adults may have enabled or even caused the minors to break the law. Consider that, no matter your age, duress is a valid defense if someone coerced you into an illegal activity such… Read More »
How Much Information Can The Police Require You To Give Them When They Stop You?
It is obvious to anyone who has ever seen a movie or taken a civics class that you have the right to remain silent if police arrest you. What about if, as far as you know, you are not doing anything wrong, but an officer comes up to you and asks you for your… Read More »
