Category Archives: Arrest and Indictment
Witness Corroboration under the Texas Penal Code: Who Believes a Snitch?
People lie. That’s a sin, but it’s usually not a crime. However, when someone lies who is providing evidence in a criminal proceeding, they have become a “witness” under the law and lying becomes a big problem. It’s perjury. And witnesses who lie can destroy lives. Evidence in a Criminal Case: Documents and Testimony In…
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Money Mules: Fraud Victims Become Criminals Facing Arrest in Texas
Who gets arrested in Texas for being a money mule? It is often shocking to the accused as well as their loved ones that people being victimized by sophisticated enterprises, often based overseas, find themselves under arrest and facing serious felony charges. In my own Texas criminal practice, I am aware of more and more…
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Drug-Induced Homicide Prosecutions in Texas: Overdose Murders
Fentanyl arrests in Texas may soon come with specific felony murder charges. Fentanyl is changing things in Texas and across the country, as more and more law enforcement efforts are targeting the manufacturing and distribution of this particular illegal drug and controlled substance. For more, read our earlier discussions in Texas Governor’s Designation of Mexican Cartels…
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Policy Changes in Charges, Pleas, and Sentencing for Federal Drug Crime Prosecutions: New AG Garland DOJ Directive
An internal memorandum from the Attorney General of the United States (“AG”) addressed to “all federal prosecutors” may not seem that powerful to some. After all, it isn’t a new federal statute passed by Congress and it isn’t an Executive Order signed by the President. Still, a single memo from the AG can cause major…
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Bail after Federal Arrest in Texas and The Bail Reform Act of 1984
Bail after an arrest by federal law enforcement is very different than when someone enters the state criminal justice system. Texas bail is allowed much more often than it is in federal court. It’s not that bail is not routinely considered a part of federal matters. News coverage is filled with federal bail stories. This…
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Jalisco New Generation Cartel Arrests in Texas: 2023
The amount of law enforcement effort at every level (state, federal, international) to try and combat the growing global business empire of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is undeniably extreme and well-funded. From a criminal defense perspective, few governmental efforts in recent memory have had this zeal and scope. In 2023, we should expect a…
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New University of Chicago Study’s Shocking Revelations of Federal Bail Injustice: Systemic Errors and the “Culture of Detention”
Arrests are always serious. After all, individual freedom is taken away. A permanent and public criminal record is created (or grows). Careers can be lost, and relationships can end — just because of an arrest. Experienced criminal defense lawyers have seen all too often how “innocent until proven guilty” may not matter to supervisors, deans,…
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The Importance of a Probable Cause Affidavit in Texas Criminal Defense
For the general public, learning about probable cause affidavits in criminal matters often comes from news stories of court orders sealing the affidavit from public view in high-profile cases. Two recent examples: first, the ongoing media coverage of a probable cause affidavit alleging criminal acts that led to a federal search warrant being issued of…
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Texas Domestic Violence Charges: the New 2022 Federal Gun Ban
The tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, claimed the lives of nineteen children and two adults. For details, read the coverage series provided online by the Texas Tribune. Understandably this had a tremendous and shattering impact not only for the local community who suffered personal losses, but for…
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How Criminal Charges Get Dropped in State and Federal Cases
Here in Texas, once someone is formally accused of a crime (under state or federal law) they enter our criminal justice system. There are only so many ways they will be able to exit. Dropped charges? It is true that criminal charges can be made against an individual and later dropped. It happens a lot…
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10 Questions to Ask
Before you Hire a Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyer
Top 5 Mistakes in
Defending a Texas Criminal Case
