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Randolph Rice, Jr. Lawyer in Baltimore, Criminal Defense Attorney MD : Super Lawyers


DISBARRED: The Series Part 8 Scott Rothstein

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The story of Scott Rothstein, disbarred Florida attorney and entrepreneur, reads like a movie script for actor Sean Penn. The plot begins simply: Jewish boy raised in poverty moves from New York to Florida, where despite his hardscrabble beginnings makes it through law school and is called to the bar in Florida in 1988. His [...]

Are DWI Courts Responsible for Avoiding Fiscal Cliff?

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According to a national drunk driving organization, the number of courts dedicated to hearing only those cases involving drunk drivers has now risen above 600. The group, the National Center for DWI Courts, claims that the large number of DWI-specific courts not only helps save lives, but saves much needed money for the country. A [...]

Are DWI Courts Responsible for Avoiding Fiscal Cliff?

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According to a national drunk driving organization, the number of courts dedicated to hearing only those cases involving drunk drivers has now risen above 600. The group, the National Center for DWI Courts, claims that the large number of DWI-specific courts not only helps save lives, but saves much needed money for the country. A [...]

Friday's criminal law/procedure cert grant

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Issue summary is from ScotusBlog, which also links to papers: United States v. Davila: Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that any degree of judicial participation in plea negotiations, in violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1),...

Consequences In San Bruno DUI Vehicular Manslaughter Case

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News reports recently indicated that Mitnesh Reddy, 23, of San Bruno, entered a no contest plea in a San Mateo County DUI Vehicular Manslaughter case. The pleas were entered in November 2012 and he was sentenced on January 4, 2013. His San Mateo County defense attorney argued for a probation sentence while the prosecutors wanted a considerable prison term. Ultimately the judge imposed a nine year prison sentence. Fatal DUI  Crash.jpg What possible consequences does a person who drives drunk and kills someone face in California? It really depends on the facts and circumstances of each case. While the best bet is to speak with an experienced Bay Area criminal defense attorney, here are some possible consequences. Felony DUI With Injury This is covered in vehicle code sections 23153(a) and 23153(b). These are the basic DUI with injury sections. Even a minor injury may qualify someone for punishment under this section. If the injury is more than a minor or moderate, the additional enhancement of "Great Bodily Injury" may be charged. This enhancement may also be charged in fatality cases. The "Great Bodily Injury" enhancement adds three additional years on top of the maximum punishment prescribed for Felony DUI. Vehicular Manslaughter - Penal Code Sections 192(c)(1)-(3) This charge can be brought when the death resulted from gross ordinary negligence. This charge is a wobbler, meaning it may be a misdemeanor or a felony. This charge is typically brought when there is little or no intoxication on the part of the accused but a death occurred due to negligence. Vehicular Manslaughter - Penal Code Section 191.5 This is the code section charged most often in DUI related fatality cases. California's Penal Code section 191.5 describes two types of Vehicular Manslaughter: 191.5(a) Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, and with gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, and with gross negligence. AND (b) Vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice aforethought, in the driving of a vehicle, where the driving was in violation of Section 23140, 23152, or 23153 of the Vehicle Code, and the killing was either the proximate result of the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, but without gross negligence, or the proximate result of the commission of a lawful act that might produce death, in an unlawful manner, but without gross negligence. The distinction between the (a) and (b) sections is "gross negligence." The punishment for Felony Vehicular Manslaughter Without Gross Negligence - PC191.5(b) - is 16 months, 2 years, or 4 years imprisonment. The punishment for Felony Vehicular Manslaughter With Gross Negligence - PC191.5(a) - is 4 years, 6 years, or 10 years imprisonment. The punishment for Felony Vehicular Manslaughter With Gross Negligence - PC191.5(a) - where the accused has a prior conviction for DUI or Vehicular Manslaughter, is 15 years to life. What is considered "gross negligence?" The California Criminal Jury Instructions (CalCrim Section 590) define gross negligence in this context as: Gross negligence involves more than ordinary carelessness, inattention, or mistake in judgment. A person acts with gross negligence when: 1. He or she acts in a reckless way that creates a high risk of death or great bodily injury; AND 2. A reasonable person would have known that acting in that way would create such a risk. In other words, a person acts with gross negligence when the way he or she acts is so different from the way an ordinarily careful person would act in the same situation that his or her act amounts to disregard for human life or indifference to the consequences of that act. Some of the factors that the jurors are asked to consider in deciding whether the accused acted with gross negligence are: - The level of intoxication of the accused - The way the accused drove - Any other relevant aspects of the accused' conduct It should be noted that the mere combination of driving a car while under the influence and violating a traffic law is not enough by itself to establish gross negligence. Second Degree Murder - "Watson" Murder This is a felony carrying an indeterminate life sentence and is brought when the accused is said to have acted with implied malice, i.e. conscious disregard for human life. People v. Watson (1981) 30 C3d 290, 179 CR 43. Second Degree Murder is typically reserved for cases where the accused has prior DUI convictions. These prior DUI convictions can be used by the prosecutor to show that the accused knew the dangers of driving under the influence.

Next week's criminal law/procedure arguments

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Issue summaries are from ScotusBlog, which links to papers: Monday, Jan. 7 Descamps v. U.S.: Whether, in a case under the Armed Career Criminal Act, when a state crime does not require an element of the federal crime of burglary,...

"Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy on the Failure of the War on Drugs"

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Ilya Somin at The Volokh Conspiracy excerpts this column from The Wall Street Journal.

Lock in your loan modification?

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If you have obtained a loan modification, you may have heard that banks routinely do not honor them despite finalizing them with you.  This is very common.  You can lock-in the payment on your loan modification through a chapter 13 bankruptcy.  Once the court approves the payment to the lender through the bankruptcy plan, the [...]

"Rape by False Pretenses"

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Kent Scheidegger has this post at Crime and Consequences summarizing and commenting on this past week's decision from the California Court of Appeal reversing a defendant's conviction for having sex by pretending to be the partner's boyfriend. In part: "Given...

Slobogin and Brinkley-Rubinstein on Empirical Desert

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Christopher Slobogin (pictured) and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein (Vanderbilt University - Law School and Vanderbilt University, Peabody College) have posted Putting Desert in Its Place (Stanford Law Review, Vol. 65, p. 1, January 2013) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: Based on...

D.Kan.: When officer saw a gun in car, he was justified in reaching in and removing keys

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Defendant was stopped for a traffic offense, and a gun was in plain view in the back seat. The officer was justified in reaching in and securing the keys to the car. United States v. Huff, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1331 (D. Kan. January 4, 2013).* Defendant argued a “snapshot” of facts, but “[t]he probable cause calculation is made based on the totality of the circumstances, rather than just a limited set of facts as argued by defendant. When all the facts associated with this investigation are considered they ‘... are sufficient to warrant a prudent person, or one of reasonable caution, in believing, in the circumstances shown, that the suspect has committed ... an offense.’ Michigan v. DeFillippo, 443 U.S. at 37.” United States v. Martin, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183511 (E.D. Mich. November 9, 2012)* (R&R). There was reasonable suspicion for the stop of this vehicle for either a drug deal or an expired license. United States v. Newman, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 183516 (W.D. Mo. June 5, 2012)* (R&R).

N.D.Ohio: Affidavit as a whole showed fair probability drugs would be found; information that defendant was trying to obtain drugs wasn't a distinction

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The affidavit for search warrant showed probable cause for a search and was not stale. The information included involved drug trafficking over a period of months from the house. That also shows nexus. Defendant’s argument that he was attempting to obtain drugs but did not have drugs fails. In any event, it all showed a fair probability drugs would be found in the house. United States v. Figueroa, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1426 (N.D. Ohio January 4, 2013): The Affidavit does illustrate cocaine discussions and/or narcotics transactions between Figueroa and CS-3 on July 12, 2012, July 31, 2012, August 9, 2012, and August 28, 2012. According to the Affidavit, Figueroa admits to possessing marijuana, and further admits his efforts to obtain cocaine for CS-3 from his suppliers at the significant price of $35,000.00 per kilogram. In light of these continuing conversations, up to the day before the execution of the Search Warrant, there is "a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime [would] be found in [that] particular place," i.e., 144 Hall Street, Akron, Ohio. United States v. Berry, 565 F.3d 332, 338 (6th Cir. 2009) (quoting Gates, 462 U.S. at 236).

OH7: SW for computer surveillance video did not violate the Fourth Amendment where targets argued a privacy interest

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Dancers working at the GoGo Girls Cabaret in Austintown, OH were arrested for prostitution with patrons in a back room. There was no written motion to suppress, but there was an oral motion from some of the dancers. That was sufficient when they were adopted by the others. On the merits, the police got a search warrant for the computers storing video from security cameras to prove the state’s case. There was no valid Fourth Amendment objection to seizure of the videos. The making the videos was a private search, and the police could attempt to take advantage of those videos if they prove anything. The cases were improperly dismissed. State v. Wallace, 2012 Ohio 6270, 2012 Ohio App. LEXIS 5443 (7th Dist. December 31, 2012): [*P31] Appellees also claim that the warrants were facially invalid because they allowed for the confiscation of security videos that were allegedly made in violation of privacy interests protected by the Fourth Amendment. Appellees' argument here also fails, because the security videos were recorded by a private entity, i.e., the Cabaret, and not by a state entity or agent of the state. A search or seizure conducted by a private citizen is not a "search or seizure" within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. State v. Morris, 42 Ohio St.2d 307, 316, 329 N.E.2d 85 (1975), citing Burdeau v. McDowell, 256 U.S. 465, 41 S.Ct. 574, 65 L.Ed. 1048 (1921); ... For a search by a private person to trigger Fourth Amendment protection, the government must have known about the search in advance, and the private party must be acting in furtherance of law enforcement purposes. Morris at 316-317; see also, United States v. Pierce, 893 F.2d 669 (5th Cir.1990). There is certainly nothing in the search warrant or accompanying affidavit suggesting that the Cabaret was an agent of the police in producing the security videos. Because the Cabaret is a private entity, Appellees had no basis on which to raise a facial challenge of the search warrant centered on the actions of the Cabaret in creating security videos. [*P32] Appellees further argue that the search warrant did not allow for the police to actually search through the files on the computer. Appellees submit that the search warrant only allowed the police to seize the computer itself, rather than the files on the computer. Appellees conclude that if the police sought to search the files in the computer, the search warrant failed to satisfy the Fourth Amendment requirement that a warrant "particularly" describe the things to be searched and seized. Pursuant to the Fourth Amendment, only warrants "particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or things to be seized" may issue. "The manifest purpose of this particularity requirement was to prevent general searches. * * * [T]he requirement ensures that the search will be carefully tailored to its justifications, and will not take on the character of the wide-ranging exploratory searches the Framers intended to prohibit." Maryland v. Garrison, 480 U.S. 79, 84, 107 S. Ct. 1013, 94 L. Ed. 2d 72 (1987). [*P33] Appellees' argument regarding the search of computer files is baseless. The warrant affidavits refer to the security cameras and the images included on the security camera videos. The warrants describe in detail the computers and the hard drives on the computers, and note that there would be security camera recordings on the computers. The evidence sought in the warrants is stated with sufficient particularity to satisfy the Fourth Amendment. [*P34] In summary, even assuming Appellees had standing to make a Fourth Amendment challenge, they failed to demonstrate any facial errors in the warrant and they failed to submit any other evidence challenging the warrants or search. Therefore, there was no basis to grant the motion to suppress pursuant to the Fourth Amendment.

Körperverletzung: Säure-Angriff auf junge Frau

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Eine 20-jährige Frau aus Hilden kam mit schweren Gesichtsverletzungen in ein Krankenhaus. Die Frau soll ahnungslos die Haustür geöffnet haben, als ihr ein junger Mann Schwefelsäure ins Gesicht sprühte. Als mutmaßlichen Täter hat die Polizei einen 18-jährigen Bekannten ihres Ex-Freundes ermittelt. Der 18-jährige stellte sich im Beisein seines Strafverteidigers. Er soll die Tat als . . . → Read More: Körperverletzung: Säure-Angriff auf junge FrauÄhnliche Beiträge:Einsatzkommando nimmt mutmaßlichen Sexualtäter fest Nach der Vergewaltigung einer 18-jährigen Frau konnte der mutmaßliche Täter wenige Stunden später durch ein Sondereinsatzkommando festgenommen werden. Nach den Ermittlungen soll der 22-jährige Mann die Frau in seine Wohnung gelockt haben. Dort soll er die bedroht haben, um sie zu ...Anklage gegen mutmaßlichen Todesfahrer Die Staatsanwaltschaft Kiel hat Anklage wegen Mordes gegen einen 40-jährigen Mann erhoben. Laut Staatsanwaltschaft soll der Mann im Dezember des letzten Jahres auf der Landstraße den Wagen seiner Lebensgefährtin gerammt haben. Im Auto saßen die 41-jährige Frau, ihr 19-jähriger Sohn und ...Anklage wegen Mordes am Geliebten Mord / Messer / Brandverletzungen / Messerstiche / Festnahme / Haftbefehl / Totschlag / Affekt / Motiv / Freiheitsstrafe Vor dem Landgericht Bochum ist eine 31-jährige Frau wegen Mordes angeklagt. Ihr wird vorgeworfen, ihren 36-jährigen Geliebten getötet zu haben. Dabei soll ...Körperverletzung: 3 Jahre Haft für Angriff mit… Einem 39-jährigen Mann wurde vor dem Landgericht Dortmund eine schwere Körperverletzung zur Last gelegt. Er soll seiner damaligen Freundin mit einem Golfschläger das Gesicht zertrümmert haben, während diese sich bereits im Bett befand. Der Angeklagte gestand den Angriff auf die 45-jährige ...Schwere Verletzungen mit Baseballschläger –… Jugendschöffengericht / schwere Körperverletzung / Baseballschläger / Freispruch Vor dem Jugendschöffengericht Lünen mussten sich eine 23-jährige Frau und ein 21-jähriger Mann verantworten. Ihnen wurde vorgeworfen, einen 31-jährigen Mann mit einem Baseballschläger geschlagen und erheblich verletzt zu haben. Laut Anklage erfüllten die ...

Postbote vom Vorwurf Wurfsendung entsorgt zu haben freigesprochen

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Einem Postboten wurde vorgeworfen, dass er unbequeme Postwurfsendungen statt zuzustellen einfach in den Papiermüll werfen würde. Eine neue Kollegin hatte den 53-Jährigen bei der Konzernleitung gemeldet. Vor dem Amtsgericht Bad Aibling wurde gegen ihn deswegen wegen Verstoßes gegen das Post- und Fernmeldegesetzes verhandelt. Die Zeugin konnte jedoch vor Gericht nicht konkret bezeugen, dass der . . . → Read More: Postbote vom Vorwurf Wurfsendung entsorgt zu haben freigesprochenÄhnliche Beiträge:Freispruch: Schuldunfähiger Stalker muss nicht in die… Eine Elzacherin wird seit fünf Jahren von einem 25-jährigen Mann per SMS und Anrufen „gestalkt“. Im Prozess vor dem Landgericht Freiburg kam das Gericht zu der Überzeugung, dass der Mann tatsächlich glaube, die Frau würde ihn lieben. Deswegen war auch ...Hubschrauberabsturz: Freispruch für Piloten Vor vier Jahren stürzte ein Hubschrauber in Westendorf ab. Nun wurde das Verfahren gegen den 52-jährigen Piloten und seinem heute 27-jährigen Flughelfer eröffnet. Die Staatsanwaltschaft warf den Beiden vor, dass nicht der Pilot die Maschine geflogen hätte, sondern sein Co-Pilot. ...Freispruch: Versicherungsmissbrauch oder 11 Wildunfälle? Die Staatsanwaltschaft warf einem 40-Jährigen Versicherungsbetrug/Versicherungsmissbrauch in elf Fällen vor. Der Mann meldete insgesamt elf Wildunfälle. Dabei soll er jedes Mal dem Wild ausgewichen und gegen die Leitplanke gefahren sein. Nach dem fünften Schadensfall weigerte sich die Versicherung den Schaden ...Einbruch im Malergroßhandel: Angeklagter nach sechs… Einem 34-Jährigen wurde von der Staatsanwaltschaft Einbruchdiebstahl vorgeworfen. Gemeinsam mit einem Komplizen soll der Angeklagte in einen Malergroßhandel eingestiegen sein und dort Maschinen und anderen Malerbedarf entwendet haben. Das Amtsgericht Heiligenstadt verurteilte den bereits fünffach Vorbestraften zu einer Bewährungsstrafe von ...Freudenstadt: Freispruch nach Messerattacke auf Hund Das Amtsgericht Freudenstadt hatte sich mit einer Messerattacke auf einen Mops zu beschäftigen. Der Angeklagte soll am Tatabend mit mehreren Messerstichen den Hund eines Freundes so stark verletzt haben, dass dieser kurze Zeit darauf verstarb. Dies wäre einerseits ein Fall ...

Bench Brief Burdens

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<font style="FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="Arial">At <a href="http://abovethelaw.com/2013/01/inside-straight-reforming-the-bench-memo-process/" target="">Above The Law</a>, fellow curmudgeon turned Anglophile, Mark Herrmann, raises the inside baseball problem of who feeds appellate judges the bench memos upon which they rely in familiarizing themselves with a case before them.</font> <blockquote><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="Arial">Back when God was young, I clerked for a federal appellate judge. I saw how things operated in my circuit, and my friends clerking elsewhere told me how things worked in other circuits. One operating procedure differed between circuits; the ...</font></blockquote>

New Scholarship - Conflict Minerals Legislation

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One of the hot topics for corporate counsel is the conflict minerals legislation. Karen E.Woody of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP has a new article that was recently published in 81 Fordham Law Review (2012) titled "Conflict Minerals Legislation: The...

Tricks of the Trade, Part 1

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<p><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="arial">The latest gimmick to make law school relevant is to recreate the third year curriculum so that students graduate with some basic skills in the practice of law. While prawfs and deans swirl adjectives around their innovations, Eric Mayer at&nbsp;<a href="http://unwashedadvocate.com/2013/01/05/client-intake-101/">Unwashed Advocate</a> provides some hard core practical advice in Client Intake 101.<br> <br> Here is the syllabus for the first four classes:</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font style="FONT-SIZE: 12px" face="arial">1. Introduction. Title: “No Kids, ...</font></p></blockquote>

NYT Editorial: "Is the Driver Drunk?" McNeeley argument Wednesday

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NYT Editorial: Is the Driver Drunk? by Lincoln Caplan: The Fourth Amendment prohibits the police from searching individuals without a warrant, but the Supreme Court allows exceptions to that rule for “exigent circumstances” — when the police believe that the delay involved in getting a warrant would lead to destruction of evidence. In Missouri v. McNeely, scheduled for argument at the court on Wednesday, the police forced a driver to take a blood test at a hospital without a warrant, after he refused to take a breath test with a portable machine when he was stopped for erratic driving. The blood test showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.154 percent, or almost twice the state’s legal limit.
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