Category Archives: Federal Government Watch
Update on Law of Asset Forfeitures: Federal and Texas – Are You Any Safer?
As the general public becomes more and more aware, and more and more shocked, over police forfeiture actions – where private property is taken by law enforcement regardless of whether or not the owner has been involved in a crime, much less convicted, there’s been talk about changing forfeiture laws at both the federal and…
Stingray Use by Feds and Local Police is Growing: Are You Being Monitored?
Police officers and law enforcement agencies are limited by the federal constitution as well as federal and state laws in what they can do. They are not supposed to snoop on citizens or eavesdrop on people unless they’ve got specific legal authorization to do so. . . The problem is — as any experienced criminal…
Holder’s New Limits on Asset Forfeiture: Big Deal.
Last Friday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder revealed new federal limits on asset forfeiture, possibly due to the growing public awareness and criminal defense outcry concerning the shocking ways in which local police departments and various state agencies have been profiting through the seizure of private property without bothering to arrest the property owner. Literally…
Want a Visa? Just Fake a Crime and No Deportation for You!
Practicing criminal defense law here in Dallas, where I represent clients across the State of Texas, it’s not unusual for our offices to see folk who aren’t American citizens. However, there’s a growing problem brewing here in the United States that people need to know is happening. And this is real; it’s going on right…
Will Media Coverage Finally Stop Government From Grabbing Your Property in Forfeiture?
Finally, the public is waking up to the wrong that is civil forfeiture laws – something that we’ve been monitoring here since April 2010. There’s still lots to be done, but there is reason to be optimistic that the government’s ability to grab your property without any criminal wrongdoing even being alleged on your part…
Federal Conspiracy to Distribute Case: Reduced 73.5%
Federal Conspiracy to Distribute
Get Your Federal Drug Sentence Reduced: New Retroactive Reduction of Federal Sentences
Last week, people serving time behind bars for federal drug crimes got some great news. The agency in charge of federal sentencing changed its policy. Now, thousands of prisoners will be able to get an early release from federal prisons around the country. People who are already serving time on federal drug convictions may be…
TOP 10 DEFENSE MISTAKES IN FEDERAL CONSPIRACY CASES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Tips on Defending Against Federal Conspiracy Charges by an Experienced Criminal Defense Lawyer As a Texas Board Certified Criminal Lawyer, I have practiced criminal law exclusively for over twenty years in the State of Texas, where federal prosecutions are almost as commonplace as state and local charges. For example, 2 of the top 5 federal…
Seal Broken by Judge Today and Now We Know How The Police Are Eavesdropping on Public With Stingray Devices
For a long while, criminal defense lawyers along with civil rights activists as well as citizens who have been arrested by law enforcement in Police Departments all over the country have known that police have been using new technology to eavesdrop on phone calls and text messages. That’s not news. It’s been a real big…
Navarette v. California: Supreme Court Okays Anonymous Tip for Traffic Stop — We’ve All Lost Something Today
Back in January, we warned about what happened today: the United States Supreme Court has okayed police pulling people over to search their vehicles based upon an anonymous tip in the case of Navarette v. California. In February, we were still reeling from the SCOTUS decision in Fernandez, where they found it legally permissible and…
