Search Results for: forfeiture
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…
Lessons of The Gas Pipe Bust: Traffic Stop Leads to Major Synthetic Marijuana Bust and Big Federal Forfeiture Grab
It all began with a simple traffic stop back on December 4, 2013. That’s when a Denton County Deputy Sheriff pulled over a Ford pickup truck and asked the driver if he could search the vehicle. The driver said okay, and the Deputy Sheriff discovered stuff used to grow marijuana, as well as marijuana residue…
The Forfeiture Epidemic: When the Government Just Takes Your Property and Keeps It
Many people here in Dallas and around the State of Texas naively assume that their property is theirs, protected by state laws and the federal Constitution from being taken from them without legal due process. They are wrong. There are laws on the books, passed by the Texas Legislature and the U.S. Congress, that allow…
Report on Forfeiture Abuse by State and Federal Law Enforcement Added to Michael Lowe Digital Library Today
Today, a report detailing the abuses of civil forfeiture laws by law enforcement officials in Texas and around the country, including federal agencies, was added to Michael Lowe’s collection in his Digital Library: Policing for Profit, The Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture by Institute for Justice 2010
The Case of the Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Indictment in Eastern District of Texas: Supervised Release
Watch enough movies or live true crime trials on YouTube, and you may get the idea that sentencing in a criminal case is almost immediate: in a brightly-lit courtroom, the defendant stands up next to his defense attorney. Together, they face an imposing judge. From the bench, there comes a solemn proclamation of punishment in…
The Case of the Non-Citizen Facing Felony PPP Fraud Indictment: Innocent of All Charges
This is the first in my series of articles discussing specific aspects of some of my recent criminal defense representations here in Texas. These will be generalized discussions: particulars including the identification of clients, prosecutors, etc. will not be included for obvious privacy reasons. No one reading these articles should assume any form of legal…
Aggravated Identity Theft: Federal Crimes and Mandatory Punishments
The basic federal felony criminal statute defining “identity theft” has been on the books for over twenty-five years, but it didn’t take long for lawmakers to decide it wasn’t enough. A new and more serious criminal charge was argued as necessary within six years of its passage. The result was Congress enacting the 2004 Identity…
Federal Financial Instrument Fraud: Felony Credit Card Crimes
Banking is big business around the world but it is particularly important here in Texas, where Governor Abbott recently announced on X that the State of Texas enjoys the 10th largest economy in the world (yes, the WORLD). For most of us, Big Banking translates into our checking and savings accounts alongside our credit cards,…
Why You May Need a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer in Texas
Every lawyer in Texas has to graduate from law school and pass the bar prior to licensure allowing them to practice law in this state. In Texas, lawyers are licensed to practice law by the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) after being approved for admission by the Texas Board of Law Examiners. Any Texas attorney…
When Businesses are Charged with Crimes: Organizational Offenders
First things first, we all know they’re not people. In legal jargon, corporations are “legal entities” that exist through the operation of state law (usually) under things like the Texas Business Organizations Code, where “corporation” is defined as “…an entity governed as a corporation under Title 2 or 7. The term includes a for-profit corporation,…
