As criminal defense lawyers in the Jacksonville, Florida and North Florida area, we have seen a significant increase in the number of criminal cases involving pain clinics and pain management practices throughout Florida and South Georgia. State and federal law enforcement officials have been very active in raiding any medical…
A postal supervisor with the United States Postal Service was arrested for stealing merchandise that was ordered from online stores and shipped through the mail. The defendant was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing over $150,000 in merchandise. One of the ways the defendant was tracked was…
Over the last several years with the ever-increasing deficit becoming more and more of a issue in the media, the federal and state governments have focused more on crimes that involve fraud, including fraud that involves government benefits. There may be no bigger crime involving fraud and government benefits at…
In criminal cases, the state may try and speak with the defendant’s spouse to obtain critical evidence against the defendant. However, in Florida there is a spousal privilege which limits the state’s ability to obtain testimony from one spouse against another spouse who is charged with a crime. However, this…
As criminal defense lawyers in the Jacksonville and North Florida area, two of the most common crimes we see are possession of illegal drugs and delivery of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. Hundreds of people in the Jacksonville and North Florida areas are put in jail…
Most people are familiar with the word hearsay as they have heard the term on TV shows and other places. The evidentiary rules regarding hearsay are often misunderstood, not just by the general public, but also by lawyers. Basically, hearsay is a statement by a person not in court that…
Police officers are allowed to search a person for drugs, guns or other evidence of criminal activity in limited circumstances. One of the most common bases for searching a person is consent. The police can almost always approach a person and ask for consent to search him/her. Additionally, everyone who…
Every person has a strong Constitutional right to be free from unlawful searches and seizures. This privacy right is strongest in one’s residence. The police can only search a person’s residence in limited situations, the most common of which are with a valid search warrant and when the person who…
In a criminal case just south of Jacksonville, Florida the suspect was driving in his vehicle and playing his music in a loud manner when he was pulled over by the police for a noise violation. The police officer checked the driver’s license and learned that it was suspended. When…
The Florida Contraband Act allows the state to seize and forfeit any property that is used in any way to commit certain crimes or that represents proceeds from certain crimes. The forfeiture law certainly covers motor vehicles used to facilitate any crime referenced in the forfeiture statute. In a recent…