Two prison guards in New York are facing federal charges related to the death of Jeffrey Epstein while in custody. Allegedly, they ignored two mandatory checks per hour in the eight hours leading up to his death. Prosecutors say they browsed online and took naps...
Protecting Your Rights And Your Future
Federal Crimes
Former DEA agent accused of helping drug traffickers
A former Drug Enforcement Administration agent has been indicted for providing information and assistance to drug traffickers in New York. The indictment, which was unsealed on Nov. 5, alleges that the former agent accepted bribes totaling more than $250,000 from...
U.S. House passes bill making animal torture a federal crime
It could soon be a federal crime for people in New York and around the country to commit acts of animal cruelty. Currently, it is only against federal law to film and distribute videos of animal abuse. On Oct. 22, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed...
New York state judge charged in MCU fraud case
Federal prosecutors have charged a New York state judge with conspiracy and obstruction of justice in connection with an investigation into fraud at the state's oldest credit union. The woman is accused of attempting to destroy evidence by deleting text messages and...
What are immigration offenses?
Countless people from all over the world seek to gain entry into the United States every year. Millions of immigration applications are received for a limited number of visas, which means that many people will be left without means of lawful entry. This has led to a...
Self-incrimination and the Fifth Amendment
If you are like most people in New York, you are aware that the criminal justice system recognizes alleged crimes based on varying degrees of severity. It also identifies crimes in part based on jurisdiction. Some crimes are prosecuted at the local or municipal level...
Embezzlement allegations result in probation sentence
People in New York who are accused of white collar crimes like money laundering or embezzlement may well know that they might be forced to spend time in prison if they are convicted of these types of offenses. However, a prison sentence is not always an automatic...
How are hate crimes defined?
While criminal wrongdoing is always taken seriously by law enforcement, hate crimes combine criminal wrongdoing with a motivation spurred by a bias towards another group. As a result, they cause a ripple effect that can potentially impact all members of a certain...
Examples of tax avoidance
You have likely heard how serious the federal government treats cases where people have not paid their taxes. At the same time, you have probably also seen advertisements detailing programs that teach you how to avoid having to pay tax. You might hear these and...
Understanding campaign contribution limits
With activities related to the next presidential election already underway, it is not uncommon for many people in New York to be giving consideration to which candidate they would like to support. In addition to voting for a particular candidate, many people opt to...