FEDERAL COURT POSSESSION OF FIREARM BY FELON
Our client was living with his mother while on parole. A parole visit resulted in the discovery of drugs and a weapon. We were able to avoid drug charges. On the weapons charges, the United States looked for 10 years, we put on a great mitigation case and won a 5-year sentence, saving the client several years!
PEORIA COUNTY NOT GUILTY
Our client was a resident of Texas, visiting Peoria for a family funeral. While he was visiting Peoria, a package was delivered to the home he was visiting. Police obtained a warrant and kicked the door down. The state charged our client with intent to distribute. We took the case before a jury and he was found NOT-GUILTY on those charges.
MCDONOUGH COUNTY UNDERAGE DRINKING
Our client was a student at Western Illinois University and was charged with underage drinking and having a fake ID. We were able to avoid a driving license suspension by the Secretary of State and agreed to a court supervision sentence. This avoided a conviction and had the charges DISMISSED at the end of the term. His parents were very happy with the outcome, as was our client.
MCLEAN COUNTY GUN CASE
Our client was a former standout basketball player, who played professionally overseas. The State sought over 10 years in prison for gun charges. We prepared a case in mitigation. We called to testify on his behalf many people who were apart of his childhood, including his high school and college basketball coaches. He received a substantially lighter sentence.
FEDERAL METH CONSPIRACY
Our client charged with being a part of a far-reaching federal meth conspiracy. When the matter was charged, the client was facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison. We developed facts that showed our client qualified under the safety valve provision of the federal sentencing guidelines. This allowed our client to avoid being sentenced to the mandatory minimum of 10 years. Our client was sentenced substantially below that mark. He will be back with his family soon.
WOODFORD COUNTY FALSE 911 CALL
Our client was charged with a Class 4 felony of making a false 911 call. Our client was a disabled military vet. We investigated and met with the State’s Attorney. We were able to get the charges DISMISSED. We pled to a class C misdemeanor (very low-level charge) and received non-reporting probation. Very satisfied client.
WOODFORD COUNTY REDUCED CHARGES
Our client is a resident of Texas and was stopped while driving through Woodford County. He was charged as a felon in possession of a firearm. We were able to get those charges DISMISSED and the client pled to a reduced charge and placed on probation. Client avoided jail time, had his probation transferred to Texas and went home to his family. Needless to say, we had a very happy client.
MCLEAN COUNTY DRUG TRAFFICING
Our client was a resident of California and was investigated for mailing large amounts of drugs to Illinois. A contact in Bloomington allegedly received several packages. The United States Postmaster General’s office intercepted the packages. The Bloomington contact provided information to law enforcement and our client was arrested. The weight of the cannabis mailed to Bloomington elevated the charges to Class X, which is punishable by a term in prison from 6-30 years and is non-probation eligible. We were able to get the charges reduced to a Class 1, which is a 4-15 year range. Our client did the MINIMUM TERM as charged.
MCLEAN COUNTY FIRST OFFENDER PROBATION
Our client had a medical cannabis card in another state. He was stopped for speeding and the officer noticed the cannabis. Charged with possessing illegal drugs. We took advantage of 720 ILCS 550/10 for first-time offenders. Under this law, we were able to get the client 24 months of probation. His case was stayed during the term of the probation and the matter is dismissed at the end.
MCLEAN COUNTY MINIMUM SENTENCE
Client charged with several Class X drug offenses. The state was seeking 14 years before we were hired. Class X is punishable by prison only (no probation) for 6-30 years. We prepared a solid mitigation case and were able to get an agreement to a 6-year sentence, which was the MINIMUM SENTENCE under the circumstances.
PEORIA COUNTY MENTAL PATIENT CHARGED
Our client was a patient at a mental health facility. She responded as a mental patient might be expected to respond to events that upset her. The hospital called security guards to subdue her. They were very aggressive with her and wrestled her violently to the ground. In the process, she bit one of the guards. We fought this case for over a year. We wrote the elected State’s Attorney personally and made our case. After a year of fighting, all charges were DISMISSED!
PEORIA COUNTY SUMMER CAMP MUSIC FESTIVAL
Our client was charged with three counts of possessing illegal drugs and distribution. The State sought a sentence in the 4-15 year sentencing range. We were able to get an agreed recommendation to impact incarceration, otherwise known as “boot camp”. This is a military style 4-MONTH program that helps steer first-time offenders in the right direction. Instead of 4 years, our client did 4 MONTHS and was back home with his family, with a new outlook on life. Very good outcome!
TAZEWELL COUNTY THEFT OF MOTOR FUEL
Our client was an over-the-road truck driver. A misunderstanding led to a charge of theft of motor fuel. We received court supervision on a reduced charge.
MCLEAN COUNTY MOTION TO SUPPRESS GRANTED
Our client was a passenger in a vehicle traveling from Chicago to St. Louis. Police observed a minor traffic violation and pulled the vehicle over. The officer observed no illegal activity and had no reasonable suspicion of illegal activity when he approached the vehicle. However, the officer asked for identification from all three adults in the car. Police checked for warrants and found no outstanding warrants. Police did locate criminal history for drugs for the two passengers, including our client. Going on a hunch, the officer asked the driver to sit in his car for a while to talk. She complied. The officer then asked her a series of questions about their travel plans. When he determined her answers did not make sense to him, he called for backup. Officer then went and talked to the two passengers, including our client. Officer decided there were inconsistencies in their versions of where they were coming from and where they were going. The officer told the backup officers that our client was to be considered dangerous. However, he had no reason to believe that. He pulled our client out of the car and searched him. This was a violation of our client’s Fourth Amendment rights. An officer may pat down for officer’s safety but the officer had not observed anything that would have led him to believe his safety was at risk. Heroine was found as a result of the illegal search. The client was charged with a Class X and the State demanded a 10-year sentence. We filed a Motion to Suppress and conducted three days of hearings. The Court granted our motion. The State DISMISSED all charges.
NOT GUILTY, state first-degree murder charges, JURY TRIAL
Client charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder. Faced with two allegedly neutral eyewitnesses to the crime and three witnesses claiming the defendant had confessed to them, we aggressively challenge the evidence over the course of a week-long jury trial. Verdict: Not Guilty of All charges
NOT GUILTY, state domestic battery charges, JURY TRIAL
Client charged with criminal domestic battery stemming from alleged violence against his ex-wife. The prosecution presented multiple witnesses including “eye witness testimony” from the parties’ 8-year-old son who recounted, in detail, how he witnessed his mother suffer serious abuse at the hands of his father. We worked hard to explain to the jury why the story they were being told did not make sense. After a short deliberation, the jury found our client not guilty.
NOT GUILTY, state felony drug charge, JURY TRIAL
Client charged with possession with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance. After the 3-day jury trial, the jury found our client not guilty on intent to distribute.
NOT GUILTY, state domestic battery charges, JURY TRIAL
Client charged with domestic battery after he allegedly pushed his wife through a glass door, resulting in substantial injuries. We worked intimately with our client to discover the truth of the situation, prepared an aggressive defense, worked hard to voir dire the panel of potential jurors to make sure our client was being judged by an impartial group of his peers, and aggressively cross examined all State witnesses to point out the weaknesses in their case. After a very short deliberation (less than a half hour), the jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
NOT GUILTY, state felony criminal case, BENCH TRIAL
Client charged with being an armed habitual criminal and with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. We challenged the evidence based on the fact that the defendant was not in the building when the police executed a search warrant. The defendant was facing life in prison. After a bench trial and a motion for directed verdict by our office, the Defendant was found NOT GUILTY and was released.
DISMISSAL, state felony gun charges
Client charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for having a firearm in her purse. Based on a case our firm previously litigated before the Illinois Supreme Court, we argued via pretrial Motion that the charges should be dismissed. Case dismissed.
RETAINED, MILITARY separation board
United States Navy service member was charged with fraudulent enlistment and his command sought to have him separated from the Navy. We challenged the case at the separation board, and the members unanimously voted to retain our client. His military career was saved.
MANDATORY MINIMUM AVOIDED, Federal Criminal Defense
Client charged as part of a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of marijuana. When we were retained, our client was facing the mandatory minimum of 10 years. Through our efforts, we were able to secure a plea that avoided the mandatory minimum. Our client was sentenced to eight months and is now free and home with his family.
MANDATORY MINIMUM AVOIDED, Federal Criminal Defense
Client charged as part of a conspiracy to distribute marijuana. When we were hired, our client was facing the mandatory minimum of 10 years. We were able to secure a plea agreement through which the client served six months home confinement.
MANDATORY MINIMUM AVOIDED, Federal Criminal Defense
Client charged as part of a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. We entered a plea agreement in which the parties did not agree on the weight of the cocaine attributable to the client. The government was unable to prove the weight necessary to establish the ten-year mandatory minimum. The defendant received a substantially lighter sentence.
JAIL TIME AVOIDED
A 60-year-old man in possession of a firearm after a drunken dispute at a bar is charged with unlawful use of a weapon. At first, he was assigned a public defender who told him the best deal possible was two years in prison. We took the case and mounted an aggressive defense. We reached a plea agreement in which he received probation and didn’t spend one day behind bars.
PAROLE REVOCATION AVOIDED
Represented client in front of the prisoner review board to argue that recent arrest for domestic battery should not lead to revocation of client’s parole. After working with the family to aggressively combat the allegations and disprove the lack of information in the parole violation report, we convinced the parole hearing officer that our client should be released with modified terms.
DUI DISMISSED
Client charged with driving under the influence of synthetic marijuana. We challenged the scientific evidence and pushed the case to trial. The day before the jury trial was scheduled to begin, all DUI charges were dismissed.
