In Florida, a person commits the crime of money laundering when he/she conceals the nature, source or location of proceeds of specified unlawful activity. Money laundering in Florida only applies to money or other property that comes from “specified unlawful activity”, but that term is defined very broadly and certainly…
As many people are aware due to some recent high profile cases, Florida has the Stand Your Ground law which provides that the state cannot prosecute a person who used justifiable force under the circumstances. When a defendant properly defended himself with reasonable force under the circumstances, the Stand Your…
In Florida, a lot of criminal cases are initiated based on fairly routine traffic stops. What might start out as a speeding or red light violation can easily turn into a DUI, felony drug or driving with a suspended license arrest. Additionally, a lot of arrest warrants are served based…
In Florida, most alcohol related criminal cases are DUI cases, however it is not uncommon for us to see boating under the influence, or BUI, cases as well. There are some similarities between DUI and BUI cases as well as certain differences. As to the similarities, it is illegal to…
As we have mentioned many times before on this website, we have seen many cases where a Florida law enforcement agency has taken money or other property from a person without any indication that the person or the property was involved in criminal activity. The Florida forfeiture laws allow the…
In Florida, a police officer can stop a vehicle if the vehicle’s window tinting is too dark. The Florida statute provides that the side windows on a vehicle must have a light transmittance of at least 28% in the visible light range. This can be measured by certain devices after…
Most people are aware that the United States Constitution affords people the right to remain silent. This means that a person does not have to give any statement to police that might be incriminating, and a defendant cannot be compelled to testify at his/her own trial. If a person chooses…
When a defendant in Florida is arrested and charged with a crime and then decides to enter a guilty or no contest plea, or has a trial and is found guilty, he/she will be sentenced by the judge. The judge will likely have a few options when sentencing the defendant.…
While there seems to be some growing recognition that the war on drugs is criminally wasteful and counterproductive, with more states legalizing marijuana either for recreational purposes and/or medicinal purposes, clearly we still have a long way to go before we approach a reasonable and fiscally responsible state of affairs.…
Over the years, handling asset forfeiture cases in Florida and Georgia, we have seen some eye-opening practices of police and other law enforcement agencies designed to take property from people for their own benefit. It is not uncommon for law enforcement agencies to take large amounts of money or other…