Author Archives: Site Administrator
The legality of wiretapping
Someone recently asked me a question about “wiretapping” in regards to a potential criminal defense case against them. Wiretapping techniques may be a good way for the police to make their case; but in some cases, the wiretaps are either inappropriately used or improperly granted. Such circumstances can lead to an accused individual being let… Read More »
Have you been arrested for violent crimes?
Violent crimes, like arson and aggravated assault, often end in lengthy jail sentences, years of probation, and hundreds of thousands in restitution; this is not even to mention the impact a guilty charge it can have on people as they move forward with their lives. Trouble finding gainful employment and a place to live… Read More »
Do you believe your arrest came by way of entrapment?
"Entrapment" is a solid defense to a criminal charge. Basically, entrapment means that a police officer or government official, usually undercover, has convinced a person to commit a crime that they most likely would not have committed in any other scenario. In my more than twenty-five years as a Pittsburgh criminal defense attorney, I… Read More »
Pittsburgh college student attorney
With winter break finishing soon and college kids back in class, I will start receiving a lot of emails and calls about underage drinking, public nuisance charges, and juvenile crimes. One question that seems to be coming in much more frequently now than in the past is that of indecent exposure as it relates… Read More »
Defense attorney discusses drug convictions in Allegheny County
For more than twenty-five years, I have been an aggressive advocate on behalf of my clients in and around the Pittsburgh region who have been arrested and charged with drug crimes and other related criminal offenses. In my many years of helping people who have found themselves on the wrong end of the law,… Read More »
Pittsburgh decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana
The Pittsburgh City Council voted Monday morning to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana within city limits. The council voted 7-2 in favor of a bill that allows police to levy a maximum fine of $100 against anyone possessing up to thirty grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish. In the… Read More »
PA drug charges attorney discusses new Pittsburgh marijuana laws
Each year in Pittsburgh, there are nearly one thousand people who face criminal charges for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Studies show that approximately 70% of those marijuana-related charges last year were aimed African-Americans. This information comes regardless of the fact that African Americans make up only 26% of the population and whites and… Read More »
City council to likely decriminalize marijuana
Four Pittsburgh City Council members lined up in support a bill that would reduce the penalty for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. The new charged would be the equivalent of a $25 traffic ticket. Five of nine council votes are needed to pass the bill. The council president and four others agree… Read More »
Pittsburgh may vote to decriminalize marijuana
Even though marijuana is still illegal under federal law and illegal under most state laws, an astonishing majority of Americans now believe it is inevitable that marijuana use will eventually be decriminalized in every state by 2020. Until pro-legalization people get their wish, drug charges stemming from marijuana-related arrests can be very serious. In fact, a… Read More »
South Allegheny teacher pleads guilty to sex crimes
An ex-teacher from the South Allegheny Middle School is claiming that his constitutional rights were violated the day he resigned as a social studies teacher and went to Allegheny County police headquarters to talk to detectives in an effort to tell his side of the story. The man’s attorney says that he felt as… Read More »
