From the category archives:

Other Criminal Offenses

Contempt of Court: Juror Skips Out on D.C. Murder Trial

March 6, 2010 Other Criminal Offenses

Back before I went to law school, back before I was a trial lawyer who would die to serve on a jury in a criminal case so that I could experience first-hand the internal deliberations of a jury, I used to dread receiving a jury summons in the mail.  And I sometimes wondered what would [...]

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On Secret Shopper and Other Internet Scams

February 9, 2010 Other Criminal Offenses

Last summer my daughter was looking for a summer job in Boston when she came across an offer on the Internet that seemed too good to be true.  Fortunately, my daughter knew enough to call me before she cashed a check for $2,000 they sent her.  And, fortunately, having represented a client facing felony charges [...]

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Felony-Murder and the Case of Annie Le

January 27, 2010 Other Criminal Offenses

A loyal reader (okay, it’s my brother-in-law George) has asked me to explain the difference between murder and felony-murder.  George learned of the distinction while reading about yesterday’s not guilty plea in the Yale graduate student murder case.  For those of you who are not familiar with the case, Raymond Clark III was charged last [...]

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Stalking in Washington, D.C.

November 29, 2009 Other Criminal Offenses

“Stalking” is defined generally as the following of another person by stealth.  Alternatively, it can be the following or loitering near the other person, often surreptitiously, with the purpose of annoying or harassing him or her.

This past July, former Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry was arrested for allegedly stalking an acquaintance.  A woman flagged down [...]

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“Escaping” from Washington, D.C.

November 19, 2009 Other Criminal Offenses

When you hear of someone escaping from prison, you might think of Steve McQueen breaking out of the Nazi prisoner-of-war camp during World War II or Clint Eastwood escaping from Alcatraz.  Or, if you’re younger, you might think of Tim Robbins working his way through the sewer pipe in The Shawshank Redemption.
All three of these [...]

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Pardon Me, Mr. President?

November 15, 2009 Other Criminal Offenses

President Clinton made a lot of people unhappy back in 2001 when, during the very last days of his presidency, he granted a presidential pardon to fugitive financier Marc Rich.  Rich had been indicted for evading $48 million in taxes and had been living for the previous 17 years in Switzerland.  His former wife Denise [...]

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