Elliot Spitzer, The Emperor’s Club VIP, Ashley Dupre, Kristin Davis, Wicked Models…Clearly, those working in the oldest profession right here in Manhattan, and the men who seek their services, are still pushing the limits of the law. As a former prosecutor who served for seven years under Robert Morgenthau in…
New York Criminal Lawyer Blog
NY Criminal Defense: NY Health Care Fraud
As one of the original founding member of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Identity Theft Unit after the unit’s creation and as a criminal defense attorney, I have had the opportunity to prosecute, investigate and defend individuals accused of a laundry list of crimes in the fraud arena. These NY…
New York: Trial and Sentence in Absentia
You have a trial in Manhattan Supreme Court or Brooklyn Criminal Court and you fail to return on the scheduled date. In the alternative, you pleaded guilty in Bronx Criminal Court after bargaining with the prosecutor and the judge scheduled a date for sentencing, but you didn’t return. The question…
Resisting Arrest in NY: Conviction if Underlying Crime Dismissed?
As a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who was an original member of the Identity Theft Unit, I have seen people charged with Resisting Arrest, Penal Law 205.30, along with underlying crimes ranging from Assault, DWI and Grand Larceny to Robbery, Trespassing, and Marijuana Possession. As the cases proceeded…
Aggregating Multiple Larcenies into One Grand Larecny Felony in NY
A person steals $5000 from a victim in Manhattan, $2000 from a victim in Brooklyn and $45,000 from a victim in White Plains. Jurisdictional issues aside, can each of these crimes be aggregated so that prosecution can charge this person with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree…
Forged Instruments and Forgery in NY: Attacking a Prosecutor’s Case Part II
It does not matter if you are being prosecuted in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, White Plains, Mt. Vernon or Yonkers – the law is clear on Forgery and Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. Either it is or it is not. Sounds simple enough, but unfortunately, it may take an…
Attempt to Commit a Crime in New York: Murder
New York Penal Law Section 110.00 establishes that a defendant is guilty of an attempt to commit a crime when, “with intent to commit a crime, he engages in conduct which tends to effect the commission of such crime.” Well, if you are accused of attempting to commit a robbery…
New York Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument: Average Citizen Standard?
Recently, I posted a decision issued by a Manhattan Criminal Court Judge from April 2008 finding that mere possession of a fake ID (fake identification card) was sufficient to establish intent and knowledge to sustain the charge of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument under New York Penal Law Section…
Forged Instruments and Forgery in NY: Attacking a Prosecutor’s Case Part I
In New York, Forgery (Penal Law 170.05, 170.10 and 170.15) is a crime that seems obvious and straightforward, but is often far from it. As the most senior member of the first prosecutors assigned to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Identity Theft Unit and currently a criminal defense attorney, I…
New York DWI: Vehicle and Car Forfeiture
Even if you retain a criminal defense attorney who helps you avoid jail or a significant fine on a plea to Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) in New York City, there is always the potential that the vehicle you were driving at the time you were arrested may be forfeited. In…