Category Archives: Pennsylvania Law
Promoting Prostitution Is a Crime in Pennsylvania, but Just What Does It Entail?
When most people outside the legal profession hear the phrase “sex crimes,” they tend to think first of the most outrageous offenses such as rape or child molestation. Many arrests for sex-related offenses, however, involve charges that are substantially less violent such as promoting prostitution. Why is promoting prostitution classified as a crime? Because… Read More »
Yes, It Is Still Possible to Get Arrested for Marijuana Possession in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has recently enacted statutes regarding medical marijuana (“cannabis”) usage and possession. However, unlike states such as Colorado, California or Washington, Pennsylvania’s new marijuana laws do not legalize or otherwise permit recreational users to smoke marijuana in “leaf” form regardless of an individual’s age. Case in point: in recent months, officers from a roving… Read More »
Pennsylvania Senate Attempts to Increase Penalties for Hazing
While not exclusively limited to young people and college students, hazing has recently come under scrutiny in both the media and the criminal justice system, especially when alcohol is involved. Unfortunately, this high risk behavior can result in catastrophic results, including serious bodily injuries and death. Consequently, many jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, have passed laws… Read More »
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Ups the Ante Against Toll Scofflaws
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is both an iconic and unique highway within the Commonwealth. Traversing the width of Pennsylvania, from New Jersey to Ohio, the turnpike rolls through the heart of the state, providing motorists a picturesque travel route. Tolls are imposed to pay for maintenance and upkeep of the turnpike, in order to avoid… Read More »
Refusing a Breathalyzer Test in Pennsylvania in 2018
When a driver is pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, one of the ways in which law enforcement confirms their suspicion is to have the driver take a breathalyzer test. Although constitutional protections against self-incrimination allow drivers to refuse to submit to chemical testing of breath, all applicants for… Read More »
Pennsylvania May Increase Penalties for Repeat DUI Offenders
Operating a motor vehicle requires constant attention. In addition to maintaining control of the vehicle, the driver must also be able to respond to outside conditions, whether from the environment or other drivers on the road. Therefore, the Vehicle Code requires every driver to be alert and focused at all times. Unfortunately, some drivers… Read More »
Appeals court rules defendant cannot be cross-examined after allocution
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that people who are convicted of federal crimes have a right to make a final statement before the judge sentences them without being cross-examined by prosecutors. This opinion by the 3rd United States Circuit Court of Appeals is based on a rule that governs criminal procedures in… Read More »
New bill for mentally ill should help prison overpopulation
In a recent report, the Government Accountability Office found 112 federal programs meant to support people with serious mental illness in 2013. Overcrowding and staff shortage at mental health facilities in the 60s contributed to views that hospitals were ineffective. It also drove communal thinking that care should be community-based. Abuse and neglect at… Read More »
The legality of wiretapping
Someone recently asked me a question about “wiretapping” in regards to a potential criminal defense case against them. Wiretapping techniques may be a good way for the police to make their case; but in some cases, the wiretaps are either inappropriately used or improperly granted. Such circumstances can lead to an accused individual being let… Read More »
Defense attorney discusses drug convictions in Allegheny County
For more than twenty-five years, I have been an aggressive advocate on behalf of my clients in and around the Pittsburgh region who have been arrested and charged with drug crimes and other related criminal offenses. In my many years of helping people who have found themselves on the wrong end of the law,… Read More »