Articles Posted in Current Events in Criminal Law New York

On November 17, thousands of protesters massed in or about the Wall Street area as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The NYPD was prepared and sent hundreds of officers to the area in anticipation of several scheduled protests. Many of the protesters were arrested and are currently being processed for various misdemeanors and…

Recently, the news media has published numerous reports of corrupt and out-of-control New York police officers. The federal authorities arrested eight current and former police officers for running an illegal gun-running operation, approximately 17 police officers were indicted for a ticket-fixing scandal in the Bronx; another officer was arrested for attempting to steal from a…

Traditionally, the crime of “Unlawfully Dealing with a Child” has been employed in cases involving the sale of alcohol to a minor, as subsection two of Penal Law Statute 260.20 makes it a class “A” misdemeanor to give or sell an alcoholic beverage to a person under the age of 21. Prosecutors and police are…

As former prosecutors who now practice criminal defense, we have collectively dealt with hundreds upon hundreds of drug cases over the years. Throughout these years each of us has seen people from all backgrounds and professions walk through the courtroom doors to face drug charges. Whether the person is arrested and “put through the system,”…

The horrendous killing and dismemberment of Leiby Kletzky and subsequent arrest of Levi Aron has shocked New York. In light of recent reports which suggest that Aron has been hallucinating and hearing voices, the question arises, “Will Aron actually be tried or be subject to normal criminal procedures for this murder?” The arraignment judge apparently…

On June 30, the New York Times reported a shocking development in the prosecution of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Apparently, investigators from the District Attorney’s Office have learned shocking new details about the complaining witness (a hotel maid from the Sofitel) that have caused the prosecutors to have serious doubts about her credibility. These…

Recently, many protesters in New York City have been arrested and given Desk Appearance Tickets charging them with a violation of Penal Law 195.05, also called Obstructing Governmental Administration. “Obstructing Governmental Administration,” (colloquially referred to as “O.G.A.”) is a very commonly charged crime in New York. While the penal law title is self-explanatory, the application…

Now that the warm weather is here, most native New Yorkers and tourists can enjoy the sunny weather by going to any one of our gorgeous parks to take in all of the historic sights and sounds the city has to offer. Well, maybe not the sounds so much these days…You may have noticed green…

Last week, New York City banned smoking in all city parks. Legally speaking, they accomplished this by amending the New York City administrative code section 17-503, entitled Prohibition of smoking. This section, by the way, is the same one that bans smoking in bars, the subway, retail stores, and several other indoor and outdoor locations.…

This week, Manhattan federal prosecutors scored a huge victory with a conviction in the insider trading trial of billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, the former manager of the successful Galleon hedge fund. Rajaratnam is expected to be sentenced to anywhere between 15.5-19 years in prison as a result of his conviction, though he plans to appeal to…