Category: Federal Criminal Defense
Getting through the airport and catching your flight on time is already stressful enough. Imagine being charged with a federal offense while inside an airport or flying on a commercial airline. Do different laws apply when you’re traveling? What happens if you’re charged with a federal offense in an airport or on a plane? Because…
Under federal law, it is a crime for anyone with a domestic violence conviction to buy or own a gun. The system broke down with tragic consequences on Nov. 5 when Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 worshipers and injured 20 more at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs in Texas. Kelley, 26, was convicted…
Your decision to forego experienced legal help could hurt your chances of remaining in the United States. Federal immigration crimes have dominated news headlines lately. Here in Texas, proximity to Mexico naturally means that federal immigration-related offenses occur more frequently than in other parts of the country. If you’ve been charged with a federal immigration…
Criminal justice experts have stated that treating teenagers as adults in the criminal justice system is detrimental for both the young people involved and the states. In Texas, along with a handful of other states, 17-year-olds accused of criminal offenses are automatically tried as adults. Texas lawmakers have introduced two bills that propose raising the…
The theft of jewels and art is a serious federal crime punishable by high fines and lengthy prison sentences. Jewel thefts may sound like crimes that belong in big budget Hollywood movies, but they happen in real life. They happen so often, in fact, that the FBI has a special team devoted to investigating crimes…
Extradition involves two countries cooperating to transfer an individual from one country to another to stand trial for a crime. Hollywood director Roman Polanski recently made headlines again when the Supreme Court of Poland rejected the Polish government’s request to extradite Polanski to the United States. The extradition battle has been ongoing since 1978, when…
There is no question that flag-burning is controversial but should there be consequences when individuals choose to do so? Whatever your political leanings, you have probably heard numerous news reports about the aftermath of the presidential election, as well as the status of President-elect Trump’s transition into the White House. For Trump, who is a…
Cyber security experts say everyone should be cautious about providing information to online sites. As the 2016 holiday shopping season gets underway, cybersecurity firms warn that hackers could cost retailers big and small millions of dollars. According to a Fortune report, hackers have the power to not only steal consumer data, but to take down…
Certain types of speech can be classified as “hate speech,” and they often fall into a gray area between protected speech and unlawful speech. Hate speech is often a poorly understood area of law. In many cases, hate crimes are prosecuted under federal law. If you have been charged with this type of crime, you…
FBI Errors Cause Courts to Take a Second Look at Convictions You don’t have to look far to get concrete evidence that the FBI is far from perfect. In fact, the agency flat-out admits it. In a 2015 press release, the nation’s top criminal investigation agency stated that “at least 90 percent of the trial…