Crime Does Pay

  • An Introduction and Hello to O.T.

    No one says they want to be a drug dealer when they grow up. Well, maybe a few, but not the majority of them. Instead, it often starts with drug use. After 25+ years of being a criminal defense attorney, spotting when someone’s life went off the rails has become a well-honed skill. Sorry to…

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  • Drug Arrests and PAW (not just another name for your dad)

    So often people will contact me confused about being arrested for possessing drugs. No, the confusion is not that the possession caused them to be arrested, instead it’s the fact that they were arrested twice for the same situation. Is that legal? How can you be released and arrested again? No, it’s not a conspiracy…

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  • No Dumb Questions (Only Dumb answers)

    Now that my blog is “published” or has something linking to it so people can actually find it, I went back through and realized my writing is still more complicated than I intended. That is, I really wanted the blog to answer questions without detailed legal terms so people could learn and understand our justice…

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  • Just Say No to FOMO: Legal Research and How it Impacts a Case

    Lately I’ve noticed an uptick in clients who educate themselves on the legal process and who send me court opinions that favor their particular argument. Honestly, many clients understand legal research better than I did after my first year of law school (a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). I’ve never been…

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  • Amendment 821 to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and You: A Retroactive Experience

    Beginning this month (November 2023), the Sentencing Commission’s recommendation to modify the Sentencing Guidelines goes into effect. Known as Amendment 821, it is part of a larger movement to lower the prison time for people who do not have a significant criminal history before being convicted of the current situation. The amendment applies three different…

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  • Federal Sentencing Guidelines – Bussin’, Fire or Cheugy AF?

    Ah yes, the federal sentencing guidelines or just ‘Guidelines’ (IYKYK) – the heart of every federal criminal case. What are they? How do they work? Why do they exist? WTF? I could write in legalese, “The federal sentencing guidelines were promulgated from the Sentencing Commission which was created as part of the Sentencing Reform Act…

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  • How Much Does a Criminal Defense Lawyer Cost?

    As I’ve said in prior posts, my goal with this blog is to offer honest, clear information from a lawyer who actually practices criminal defense law. In so doing, I may upset other attorneys, particularly those in my local area, but I will deal with that in an effort to make sure I’m as transparent…

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  • Busted by the Feds

    Is the book Busted by the Feds helpful or painful if you are charged with a crime?

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