Criminal Law Blog
The Police and Your Phone: Invasion of Privacy by Police
Sure, people who are being investigated by law enforcement for committing crimes, as they are defined by state or federal law, need to know about their privacy rights — constitutionally protected privacy rights — and where the line is drawn between them and the police during that investigation. When is a search warrant required before…
District Attorneys Keep Doing Bad Things: More Texas Prosecutorial Misconduct Stories
The problem of prosecutors doing bad things like hiding evidence and introducing unreliable (or false) testimony isn’t getting better. Recently, the Daily Beast published an expose on prosecutorial misconduct in the United States, labeling the problem a national epidemic. You can read their take on things in the article written by Jay Michaelson and published…
Bite Mark Evidence Isn’t Reliable But It’s Still Used Against Defendants in Texas
Lots of criminal defense attorneys have their fingers crossed here in Texas, hoping that sooner rather than later everyone is going to acknowledge and understand that bite mark evidence isn’t worthy of respect much less use in a criminal case where someone’s freedom is in jeopardy. For many years, defense lawyers have recognized that evidence…
Is Flakka Legal in Texas? What Dallas Needs to Know About Flakka
Flakka (aka “flocka” or “gravel”) has arrived in North Texas. This is not good news for anyone. In case you haven’t heard of it, “flakka” is the nickname for a new synthetic drug, or designer drug, already popular in Florida that is slowly making its way to other parts of the country. Like North…
4 Shocking Texas Traffic Stops: Current Texas Law For Arrest After Pulled Over by Police
Here in Dallas, and probably most of Texas, the death of Sandra Bland in a jail cell over in Waller County is a tragedy and a mystery — one that is still being investigated. It’s being reported that the 28-year-old woman from Chicago died by her own hand three days after she was arrested and…
Heroin Moves Through Dallas: Drug Cartel Distribution Routes
This week, there was a lot of news coverage over a big FBI sting where 46 federal indictments were issued across the country, charging people with smuggling drugs like heroin and cocaine on planes. Some got charged with other things, too, like money laundering — but the big deal here in Dallas was that most…
Texas Shale Oil Fraud Felony Cases: Illegal Investment Ponzi Schemes?
Recently, a Dallas investment scheme orchestrated by Brian Polito and his company EOG Resources got snagged by the federal authorities, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (”SEC”) filing suit here in a Texas federal district court alleging Polito had conned millions of dollars from his investors through the sale of interests in Texas oil and…
Drug Cartels in North Texas: Big Business and Felony Crimes
In Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as the surrounding area here in North Texas, illegal drugs are a big (very big) business. Criminal defense lawyers here as well as police and prosecutors in both the state and federal systems understand in ways that the general public does not about the commercial success of selling…
Donley County 2nd Degree Money Laundering Reduced to Misdemeanor and Money Returned
Mr. Lowe’s client was stopped by DPS Trooper Danny Nunez and later prosecuted by District Attorney Luke Inman of the 100th Judicial District of Texas (Carson County, Donley County, Hall County, Collingsworth County and Childress County). Trooper Nunez is one of the most prolific Drug Interdiction Police Officers in the State of Texas. Trooper Nunez…
Police That Lie: More on the Secret Texas District Attorney Lists of Police Officers Not Trustworthy to Take the Witness Stand
Prosecutors have lists of the names of police officers and deputy sheriffs that they don’t trust to take the witness stand — did you know these lists existed? Do you think that every police officer is honest and trustworthy to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on the stand? Brady…
