The case of a woman named Amy may help to set the stage for the kinds of restitution that individuals convicted of possessing child pornography could be required to pay victims. This month, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in the Amy case. Amy was sexually assaulted by her uncle when she was a child. The images that her...
Continue ReadingWhen emotions run high, it is all too easy for an ordinary argument to turn into a domestic violence situation. In some cases, violence may be directed against another person, such as domestic assault or battery. In other cases, the violence is the result of one individual’s anger or frustration over circumstances that have arguably gone too far. In...
Continue ReadingA new method of smoking marijuana concentrates is starting to become much more popular across the country. It’s called a dab of butane honey oil or BHO dabs (also known as “wax” or shatter”). The widespread growth is probably attributed to the increased legalization of marijuana in several states. Even though the butane extraction of marijuana has been around...
Continue ReadingFour individuals have recently been arrested under suspicion of making illegal drugs. Florida police suspect that the accused persons manufactured methamphetamine out of a camper trailer in the Pine Lakes area near Eustis. Each person was arrested after a search of the trailer, and each faces charges of conspiracy to manufacture meth. According to the report, police received an...
Continue ReadingIf an individual is charged with prostitution or soliciting prostitution in Florida, he or she faces the possibility of criminal consequences if there is a conviction, in addition to the likelihood of personal and professional repercussions. After a recent online prostitution sting by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 80 people now face this possibility. Local deputies conducted the operation...
Continue ReadingThe Christmas and New Year’s holidays specifically traditionally bear witness to a high rate of drunk driving accidents. However, many Americans are at risk for unintentionally being involved in a drunk driving accident throughout the second half of December. This is the time of year that employers, family and friends host holiday parties. It is important to plan before...
Continue ReadingEarlier this week, we began a discussion about the ways in which law enforcement agencies are engaging in large-scale cellphone data captures of individuals who may or may not be involved in criminal investigations. It is almost impossible to fathom that this conduct is in any way condoned by existing criminal law statutes. According to USA Today and Gannett,...
Continue ReadingDomestic violence charges are taken very seriously by law enforcement officials in Florida. Domestic violence charges can result in going to prison, paying fines and even having restricted or no access to your family. Law enforcement officials in Florida recently finished a domestic violence crackdown across the state. The Florida Sheriff’s Task Force arrested more than 2,500 people on...
Continue ReadingAmong clichés about the crime of fraud, the one about selling swamp land in Florida is one of the most enduring examples. It refers, on its face, to a type of real-estate scam in which someone is offered a supposedly can’t-miss investment opportunity. Real-life mortgage fraud is often quite different than this caricatured scenario would suggest. As we discussed...
Continue ReadingOver the past several months, a great deal of public outrage has been voiced over the fact that the federal government regularly spies on the electronic communications of both Americans and foreign citizens. The privacy implications of this story are so vast that they can be difficult to fully contemplate. They are so widespread as to appear almost abstract....
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