Criminal Law Blog
National Drug Use Study: Marijuana and Heroin Use Skyrocketing and Local Prosecutors Are Revving Up for Severe Sentences
The federal government monitors drug use — specifically illegal drug use (including alcohol) — in several ways, including research studies like the one just released this week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This study, done each year by the SAMHSA, is the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and…
Medicaid Fraud Is Big (BIG) Target of Both Federal Authorities and Texas Law Enforcement in 2013
Health care fraud — fake billing to Medicare or Medicaid — can be very profitable for doctors, dentists, hospitals, care facilities, home health care providers, equipment suppliers: really, it’s a big temptation for anyone who is in a position to file a payment request to either federal government health care program. Which means that both…
Texas Stop and Frisk: The New York City Stop and Frisk Law Just Held Unconstitutional – Texas Law Is Not Involved Here
There’s a lot of chatter this month about “stop and frisk laws” and the recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin who presides over a federal trial court up in the heart of New York City. In a lengthy (195 pages) decision (read it here), the Manhattan federal judge ruled that it violates the…
Mortgage Fraud Investigations Finally In the Limelight: Expect to See More Federal Mortgage Fraud Charges in the Future
Mortgage fraud charges are serious felony charges under either federal or state law, and more and more law enforcement efforts are being channeled into investigating financial fraud cases that involve home loans and lenders loaning mortgage money based upon documentation that is later alleged to be fraudulent. Mortgage fraud targeting isn’t new: the Federal Bureau…
Prosecutorial Misconduct Allegations Against Four Top Texas District Attorneys: Update
Back in May, we posted about four different news stories coming out of various parts of the Great State of Texas that all dealt with allegations of bad acts on the part of the head District Attorney for their particular Texas county. These were not hired prosecutors within a District Attorney’s office: these were four…
Structuring Arrest in Dallas Results in Plea Deal: What is Structuring and Why is 10,000 The Magic Number?
Many people in today’s economy don’t need to worry about whether or not their bank deposit is $10,000 or more because they’re never depositing that much cash into their bank account at any one time. On the other hand, many Texas businesses routinely have these big five-digit deposits, and they have bookkeepers or accountants that…
Salinas v Texas: Your Silence During Police Interrogation Does Not Get 5th Amendment Protection, Can Be Used Against You as Evidence of Guilt to the Jury
Well, prosecutors and police officers are happy today, because the United States Supreme Court just came down their way in the case of Salinas v. Texas (more about that pending case here). It’s not too far off to imagine that interrogation training is already being revised in Dallas and across the State of Texas…
Federal Child Pornography Charges Often Involve Federal Surveillance of Online Communications, Personal Email Records, Stored Computer Files
Child pornography (possession or promotion) is a serious felony under both federal statute (18 USC Section 2256(B)(8)) and Texas law (Texas Penal Code Section 43.26) and law enforcement in the Dallas area continues to target their investigations into this type of crime. In these cases, government access to computer information without the person’s knowledge and…
Attorney General for Northern District of Texas Prosecutes Lots of Federal Money Crimes: Fraud, Tax Evasion, Money Laundering, and More
The Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas has four branch offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, and Amarillo. Since September 2011, U.S. Attorney Sandra Saldana has held the job of top federal prosecutor for this region and she is one of 93 U.S. Attorneys appointed by the President to…
Family Violence Registry in Texas: Will Texas Have a Domestic Violence Registry Just Like the Sex Offenders Registry? Maybe.
Family violence cases involve lots of different scenarios. There can be disputes between husbands and wives; couples who are dating; even two roommates fighting in their dorm room can form the basis of a domestic violence charge. Many of these cases involve people who care about or love each other whose passions got the better…
