Articles

Alleyne Complicates Sentencing in Pottstown K2 Case

Filed under: Criminal Law, Drug Crimes by Contributor @ September 8, 2013

K2, Spice, and other types of synthetic marijuana have been illegal for some time now, due in large part to the overdoses and deaths attributed to them. In May 2012, two passengers were killed in a car accident in Montgomery County when the driver, high on K2, crashed his car. After an investigation, Rafie Ali, […]

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Pennsylvania Superior Court Clarifies Witness Intimidation

Filed under: Criminal Law by Contributor @ August 21, 2013

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania issued its decision on Commonwealth v. Lynch, where it analyzed what exactly constitutes witness intimidation. The Court ruled that if an appellant offers the victim promises of a “better life” for her and her children in exchange for the victim not testifying and dropping charges, then he has committed the […]

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Courts May Consider Entire Weight of Weak Drug Mixture for Sentencing

Filed under: Drug Crimes by Contributor @ August 14, 2013

A recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision sent an implicit message to drug dealers across the country: If you’re going to sell drugs, make sure it’s the good stuff. In U.S. v. Villarreal, defendant David Villarreal was caught with 8.4 kilograms of cocaine. 2.5 kilograms were of .41% purity and the remaining 5.9 kilograms […]

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Pennsylvania Bill Would Allow Expungement of Some Misdemeanors

Filed under: Criminal Law by Contributor @ August 11, 2013

In Pennsylvania, it is easy to have a summary offense conviction expunged from one’s record. In order for a summary conviction to be expunged, the person must simply have not been arrested or prosecuted for five years after the conviction. Often, a summary offense can be expunged even if there was another arrest after the […]

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Montgomery County Installs Kiosks to Pay Court Fees

Filed under: Criminal Law, News by Contributor @ August 8, 2013

For some residents of Montgomery County, it just got a little bit easier to pay court fines, fees, and restitution. The county installed kiosks where users can pay their fees by way of cash or credit/debit card. Unfortunately for users, and like every other aspect of the criminal justice system, there will be a service […]

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