Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney Blog

Yesterday afternoon there was a shootout in the parking lot of a WalMart store in Avon, Massachusetts. Police have not yet disclosed the nature of the incident or its details yet three Brockton residents have been arrested. Ashley Weiner, Keenen Hart and Keshawne Murphy have all been charged with Possession of a Firearm and Conspiracy to Violate the Massachusetts Controlled Substances (Drug) Laws. Keenen, who was shot during the incident, was charged with Disorderly Person in addition to the other two charges. Weiner is also facing a charge of Carrying a Firearm and Murphy must defend a count of Discharging a Firearm near a highway as well as Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon. The cases are being prosecuted in the Stoughton District Court.

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Massachusetts Firearm Possession Defense Attorney

Brockton Drug Crimes Defense Lawyer

Despite the absence of certain information in this article one thing appears clear. Murphy shot Hart. It is Murphy alone who is charged with Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon. So it makes that at least for now the police believe that he shot Hart. The basis for this charge is not clear. It would make more sense if Murphy had been charged with Carrying a Firearm rather than Possession of a Firearm. There is a distinct legal difference between these two crimes. Carrying a Firearm in Massachusetts is a felony under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269 Section 10(a). That statute holds that anyone carrying a firearm without being properly licensed to do so must serve at least eighteen months in the house of correction or a state prison. There is another subsection to G.L. c. 269 §10 that does not require a mandatory jail sentence, that being G.L. c. 269 §10(h). The district attorney alone decides how to charge these cases. Usually, someone who is caught physically holding a gun is charged under 10(a), the mandatory minimum portion of the statute. Someone who is near someone with a gun and whom the prosecution thinks knew that the person had a gun gets charged under 10(h). I would have imagined that in this case Murphy, not Weiner would have been charged under 10(a). This can be explained perhaps after the shooting Weiner picked up the gun and concealed it to protect the shooter.

As a Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer, the Massachusetts Drug Conspiracy Charge always intrigues me. Anytime someone is "around" drugs yet not actually in physical possession of the drugs he or she gets charged with Conspiracy. The suggestion is that people who involve themselves with drug users or drug dealers in Massachusetts must be enabling them or facilitating their efforts so they must be charged as well. I can tell you that very few Drug Conspiracy cases in Massachusetts result in convictions particularly where the accused is represented by an Experienced Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney.

Continue reading "Three From Brockton Charged With Firearms Violations, Drug Conspiracy in Stoughton Massachusetts Court" »

Aaron Glenn Teixeira of Lynn, Massachusetts was arrested Monday pursuant to an arrest warrant. During his apprehension officers found two small bags of crack cocaine and one small bag of marijuana. The arrest took place within one hundred feet of a park or playground. Teixeira has been charged with a School Zone Violation and Possession With the Intent to Distribute a Class B Substance. The police were looking for the defendant as a result of an early report of an assault on one of his customers, a female crack cocaine user. The woman claimed that Teixeira came looking for money that she supposedly owed him for crack cocaine. When she refused to pay he assaulted her. She claims that the defendant kicked her in the chest and intimidated her when she attempted to contact the police. Apparently the assault was witnessed by another woman who was also one of Teixeira's customers. Bail was set in the amount of one thousand dollars. The case is being prosecuted in the Lynn District Court.

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Massachusetts Drug Defense Lawyer, Cocaine Cases, School Zone Cases

The article goes on to say that the officers who arrested Teixeira saw two calls made to the defendant's cell phone that involved the purchase of drugs. Absent this information I could confidently say that the felony charges, Possession With Intent would fail and this case would be resolved as a Possession case only. The added material suggests that Teixeira was selling drugs or at a minimum that he intended to sell the drugs. I am inclined to doubt the validity of that information. Here is why. How could the police officers observe "two calls made to Teixeira's cell phone involving people trying to purchase drugs"? What did they see? Did they see Teixeira on the phone twice? If they did, what could they have heard the person on the other line saying? The answer is simple. Nothing. Any reasonable person would have difficulty believing testimony along these lines. It makes no sense. Rather, it appears that the officer who "heard" that discourse wants to make this case a felony when in fact it is only a misdemeanor at best. That being the case I would expect Teixeira's Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer to look towards resolving this case as a possession case only. This suggestion is supported by Massachusetts case law. In Commonwealth v. Tripp, a 1982 case, the Massachusetts Appeals Court held that possession of eight bags of heroin by itself was insufficient to support a finding that the defendant intended to distribute the drugs. Here, the quantity of substances, two small bags of crack cocaine, is far smaller than that amount of drugs found in Tripp. This quantity of crack cocaine is more consistent with personal use.

Continue reading "Lynn Massachusetts Man Held After Arrest for Possession With Intent to Distribute Cocaine, School Zone Violation" »

According to a recent article in www.wickedlocal.com just a few days ago two women were arrested and charged with Prostitution or Sexual Conduct for a Fee. The arrest took place at a "spa" in Needham, Massachusetts located on Dedham Street. Members of a Norfolk County Anti-Crime Task Force effectuated the arrests after a relative lengthy investigation. Later that day the officers made a similar arrest at a facility in Quincy. The article reports that the officers were able to access the businesses in an undercover capacity. The facilities at which the women were arrested are not properly licensed massage parlors. The cases will be prosecuted in the Dedham District Court.

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Massachusetts Sexual Conduct for a Fee Lawyer

Needham Prostitution Defense Attorney

Our office is retained on cases like this one regularly. This type of criminal activity in Massachusetts is becoming much more common in large part due to the internet. Once a "word of mouth industry" the business of Prostitution in Massachusetts now "advertised". It is a booming business. Media outlets such as backpage.com and others permit people to offer their services. Customer responses are voluminous. Many of the women offering sex for a fee fly into Boston for a weekend, oftentimes during a convention or large event. They stay in top notch hotels where they perform the solicited acts. They often service several customers per day and leave Massachusetts with large profits. Massage parlors are notorious for providing the same services. The difference is that the illicit activity is masked by the appearance of a lawful business.

Just recently a large Prostitution sting in Boston resulted in scores of arrests. The operation involved undercover officers posing as prostitutes, soliciting and/or receiving solicitations and agreeing to a price and meeting place. When the customers arrived they were identified and arrested. All were charged with Sexual Conduct for a Fee. Our office represented several of these individuals. None of them were convicted and none of them have a criminal record. More importantly, there are no CORI entries that can be accessed by the public or perspective employers for these people. Hiring an experienced criminal lawyer is the best decision these defendants made.

Most of the time these cases are resolved prior to trial. Provided the accused has an Experienced Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer a typical disposition involves pretrial probation for six months to a year. This usually means no criminal record at least as to these charges. Recently these cases have gotten lots of attention and the "customers" have found themselves identified in local newspapers or on police logs. Law enforcement does this deliberately to deter others from engaging in this type of conduct. This is not only embarrassing it often has a negative effect on job searches, promotions or social activities. Sometimes media outlets agree to removing the name of the accused with the urging of the defendant's Criminal Lawyer.

Continue reading "Two Women Arrested For Prostitution, Sex For a Fee Charges in Needham Massachusetts " »

At about 1:15 in the morning a Massachusetts police officer conducted a stop in Norwell. The basis for the stop was that the car had a revoked registration. The passenger had a hollowed out pen under his feet that the officer observed when he approached the car. The pen was covered in tin foil and had a burnt tip. Based on this observation the officer conducted a search of the passenger. In his possession was found over one hundred Oxycodone pills over two thousand dollars cash. Underneath his seat was a pellet gun. The defendant, Christopher Andrade was arrested. He has been charged with some Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Crimes, Trafficking a Class B Substance, Possession of Class B and Possession With the Intent to Distribute Class B. Right now the case is being prosecuted in the Hingham District Court but it will probably be indicted and handled in the Plymouth County Superior Court in Brockton.

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Hingham Drug Trafficking Defense Lawyer

Plymouth County Oxycodone Trafficking Attorney

It is interesting that this article is silent as to the driver and whether or not any charges will be filed against that person. Usually when the police in Massachusetts make an arrest for a drug offense, particularly one that has occurred in a car, all occupants get charged with something. The person in possession of the drugs will be charged with the most serious crime that the prosecution believes it can prove against that person. In this case, Andrade has been charged with Trafficking Class B given the amount of Oxycodone in his possession. Typically the driver however would be charged with Conspiracy simply as a result of his presence at the crime scene and his association with the primary defendant. As mentioned in several previous blog posts, merely being present at the scene of a crime does not give rise to criminal culpability. However, that does not always stop the prosecution from going after that person. An experienced criminal lawyer might succeed in getting the case against him or her dismissed on what is called a "McCarthy Motion". These motions attack the indictment process by claiming that the grand jury was not presented with evidence legally sufficient to sustain the indictment. These motions are fact specific. Our office has won many drug cases through this process. It is something that every Diligent Massachusetts Defense Criminal Lawyer will look into when defending superior court cases.

Here is what appears somewhat troubling about the charges in this case. Andrade appears to be a user. The Drug Possession Paraphernalia was under his feet indicative of him having used drugs shortly before the car was stopped. The driver was likely either using drugs with him or selling him the drugs he was using. It is not uncommon for people to try to conceal drugs when the police are approaching. This is done by putting drugs in glove compartments, consoles, under seats, swallowing the drugs, tossing the drugs or placing them in pockets or other articles of clothing. These actions do not demonstrate an intent to distribute which is a critical element of the crime of Drug Trafficking in Massachusetts. It would not surprise me to learn that these drugs belonged to the driver and that Andrade put them in his clothing while trying to hide them prior to being approached by the police officer.

Continue reading "Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Stop Leads to Arrest, Charges of Trafficking Class B Substance for Scituate Man, 22" »

Back in early February Hingham, Massachusetts Police responded to a call for a dispute between a landlord and her tenant. Officers were advised that the woman had several aliases and was using multiple identities. An ensuing investigation showed that the woman, Wanpen Florentine had multiple birth dates, a couple of Massachusetts drivers' licenses and perhaps more than seven names. Florentine was registered to vote under two difference names. Last week Florentine was arrested and charged with various Fraud and Identity Theft crimes, five of which are felonies. This past Monday a Search Warrant was obtained and Florentin's home in Hingham was searched. The defendant is sixty two years old. She is being held on one hundred twenty five thousand dollars bail.

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Massachusetts Identity Fraud Crimes Defense Lawyer

The Massachusetts Identity Theft statute is G.L. c. 266 §37E which states that anyone who poses as someone else without that person's permission and uses that identifying information to obtain goods, money or other items of value, or uses that identifying information to harass someone else is guilty of a misdemeanor. The punishment for a conviction for this offense is no more than two and one half years in the house and the possibility of a fine of up to five thousand dollars. Interestingly enough, it does not appear that the defendant in this case has been charged with this offense. Instead, she has been charged with Fraud related Motor Vehicle Crimes that are felonies, meaning that there is a possibility that the defendant will be indicted and could face a state prison sentence. Obviously the district attorney believes that her actions were serious enough to warrant prosecuting pursuant to other statutes.

Identity Theft is becoming rampant in this country. It is estimated that over nine million people are the victims of some sort of identity theft crime every year. The danger to fraud victims is real and may not be realized for years. Victims of this type of criminal activity may be denied job opportunities, loans and are sometimes arrested for allegations that they committed crimes that they in fact never committed. We have represented many people who have been charged with Crimes in Massachusetts who never actually committed these crimes. The people who stole their identity were the actual perpetrators of the crime. You can imagine the surprise and shock to the accused in these cases when they are arrested for drug offense, theft crimes or crimes of violence that they never even heard about.

Continue reading "Hingham Massachusetts Woman Arrested, Charged With Identity Theft, Fraud" »

Roberto Saldana of Boston and Rose Marquez-Cartegena of Lawrence, Massachusetts were arrested late last week by members of the Essex County Drug Task Force. The Lawrence Eagle Tribune reports that Saldana was caught Distributing Heroin on six occasions to an undercover officer starting in January of 2012 and ending with his arrest on February 28, 2012. Each time Saldana was within one thousand feet of Central Catholic High School. During Saldana's arrest the police found a set of keys to a local apartment in Saldana's possession. Officers then took Saldana back to the home and has him open the apartment door. There officers found Marquez-Cartegena who was also arrested. A Search Warrant was obtained following her arrest. In the apartment authorities located and seized over seventeen thousand dollars cash, Drug Paraphernalia including cutting agents, packaging materials and a scale. Marquez-Cartegena has been charged with Possession With the Intent to Distribute Class A Heroin in a School Zone. The cases are pending in the Lawrence District Court. It is probable that the district attorney will not indict these cases.

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Lawrence Massachusetts Heroin Distribution Lawyer

Massachusetts Drug Violation in a School Zone Defense Attorney

The Massachusetts School Zone Drug Law was established in 1989 under G.L. c. 94C §32J. The law makes it a felony for anyone to Distribute, Possess With the Intent to Distribute or Traffic a controlled substance within one thousand feet of a school zone or within one hundred feet of a public playground or park. There is a minimum mandatory two year sentence for a conviction of this crime. Schools for the purpose of this law includes both public and private schools, pre-schools, secondary schools and vocational schools. It makes no difference if the school is in session or not, day night or vacation. In 2010 the Massachusetts legislature amended the law so that in many instances someone convicted can be paroled after serving one year.

As most Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyers will tell you School Zone Cases are often "broken down" by the district attorney's office. This means that for many accused, particularly first time drug offenders with no criminal record, the district attorney's office will agree to dismiss the School Zone Charge in exchange for a plea to a either a Possession With Intent charge or a simple Possession charge. Oftentimes an experienced Massachusetts Criminal Lawyer will be able to negotiate a continuance without a finding to the remaining charges thereby keeping the accused's criminal record clean.

Here, while Saldana might have some problems it seems like Marquez-Cartegena's case might have some good defenses. The police had no right to force Saldana to open the apartment door prior to obtaining a search warrant. If anything learned as a result of that unlawful entry gave a basis for the issuance of the search warrant the warrant might be declared invalid and the search struck down as unconstitutional. Also, Marquez-Cartegena's mere presence at the apartment does not by itself provide sufficient evidence by which a jury might find her with the intent to distribute drugs. Massachusetts case law has been clear on this point. Presence at the scene of a crime with nothing more is insufficient to sustain a conviction for a crime.

Continue reading "Two From Massachusetts Face School Zone Violation Charges After Arrest By Essex County Drug Task Force For Distributing Heroin" »