Maryland

Federal Judge Says Thousands of Tweets and Posts, Many Urging Target’s Death, Weren’t Criminal

Saying that a religious leader targeted by some 8,000 tweets and blog posts is a public figure, a federal judge in Maryland yesterday dismissed criminal charges against a former friend charged in the cyberstalking case. The messages, many of which urged the death of Alyce Zeoli, a Maryland-based Buddhist leader,…

Dec 16, 2011 7:23 PM CST

Cops Use Social Media, Launch Website in Effort to Find Potomac River Rapist

The FBI is joining with local police in Maryland in an Internet-inspired effort to get the public’s help in tracking down a serial rapist. Authorities are launching a website, employing digital billboards and using social media in an effort to find the man known as the Potomac River rapist, the…

Dec 16, 2011 2:59 PM CST

Lawyer Who Stashed $1M in Safes Is Sentenced; He Tells of ‘Abyss of Ruination’

A Baltimore criminal defense lawyer has been sentenced to a year in prison after a search turned up $1.15 million in his home and office safes. Stanley Needleman, 69, had faced a possible sentence of up to 15 years in prison, report the Baltimore Sun and the Baltimore City Paper.…

Dec 16, 2011 12:31 PM CST

Prosecutors Worry That Defense Lawyer Comments Are Putting Witnesses in Danger

Unlike their counterparts in New Jersey, who have brought a high-profile criminal case against a prominent defense attorney in Newark, federal prosecutors in Maryland aren’t accusing local attorneys of intentionally making trouble for witnesses cooperating with the government. But at least twice, federal prosecutors say, defense lawyers have inadvertently disclosed…

Dec 7, 2011 1:02 AM CST

Judge Resigns After Paying Fine in Alleged Road Rage Incident

A Maryland judge has resigned from the bench after paying a fine for reckless driving earlier this year arising from an alleged road rage incident. Judge Brian Kim of Rockville, Md., resigned to “seek a new opportunity,” his lawyer, Barry Helfand, told the Washington Post. Kim’s $510 fine stems from…

Dec 5, 2011 2:07 PM CST

Md. Lawyer Abducted from Macy’s Parking Lot Thought ATM Robber Would Kill Him

A Maryland lawyer abducted in a Macy’s parking lot on Sunday thought his kidnapper would make good on threats to kill him. The 77-year-old lawyer from Silver Spring told the Washington Post his ordeal began when a stranger in the parking lot showed him a box cutter and told him…

Dec 1, 2011 4:32 PM CST

Judge Asked to Intervene in Family Dispute over Feeding Tube

A Maryland judge on Wednesday will consider a request for a preliminary injunction requiring doctors to keep a feeding tube in place for an unemployed computer technician who suffered brain damage after a heart attack. The brother and mother of Daniel Sanger say he should be kept alive with a…

Nov 1, 2011 4:52 PM CDT

U of Baltimore Law School to Retain More Money After Outgoing Dean’s Protest

The University of Baltimore School of Law will retain more of its own money after the school’s outgoing dean aired his complaints about the use of law school money for university initiatives. The law school will get an extra $1 million a year for the next five years, report the…

Oct 14, 2011 2:15 PM CDT

Md. Surrogacy Lawyer in Baby-Sale Ring Disbarred, Awaits Sentencing in Federal Wire Fraud Conspiracy

A Rockville, Md., lawyer who reportedly collaborated with a California attorney to flout adoption and surrogacy laws in a baby-selling scheme has been disbarred. Hilary Neiman was disbarred by consent yesterday in Maryland, reports the Gazette. She and a California lawyer, Theresa Erickson, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit…

Oct 7, 2011 10:08 PM CDT

Former Adjunct Law Prof at GW Is Disbarred After Guilty Plea in Computer Sex Sting

A former adjunct law professor at George Washington University Law School has been disbarred in Maryland after being snagged in a sex sting. Richard Donald Lieberman pleaded guilty to attempting to seduce a minor on the Internet and was disbarred on Sept. 19, the National Law Journal reports. He was…

Sep 23, 2011 2:52 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor Sues, Says USERRA Required Baltimore to Rehire Him After Reserve Training

A former prosecutor has sued the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, contending that its failure to rehired him after he completed military training for the U.S. Army Reserve violated the U.S. Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Capt. Andrew Gross, 28, also named the city of Baltimore as a defendant in…

Sep 21, 2011 4:46 PM CDT

8-Lawyer Real Estate Team Leaps from Holland & Knight to Lerch Early

Five real estate and land use partners from the Bethesda, Md., office of Holland & Knight have led an eight-lawyer group to Lerch Early & Brewer, The group had gotten to know Lerch Early, which is based in Bethesda and has about 65 attorneys, including the new arrivals, by working…

Sep 19, 2011 7:36 PM CDT

Ex-Prosecutor in NJ and Veteran Md. Defense Lawyer Take Plea in Tax Cases; Both to Be Disbarred

A New Jersey criminal defense lawyer who formerly worked as a Hudson County prosecutor had taken a plea in a tax evasion case and agreed to give up his law license. Francis S. Cutruzzula, 48, admitted to a federal judge in Newark today that he hadn’t filed a tax return…

Sep 14, 2011 11:35 PM CDT

Md. Lawyer Pleads Guilty in Fla. to Federal Teen-Sex Enticement-Attempt Charge

Married to another lawyer, 48-year-old Howard Scott Kalin has been a great father and mentor to other children in his Maryland community, neighbors told the Baltimore Sun earlier this year. In addition to practicing family and business law, he ran an entertainment company and billed himself as a “master balloon…

Sep 1, 2011 5:07 PM CDT

Criminal Defense Lawyer Accused of Hoarding $1.3M in Client Payments to Evade Income Tax

A Maryland criminal defense lawyer is facing a federal tax evasion case after allegedly hoarding $1.3 million in cash payments from clients over a six-year period in order to conceal his income. Federal authorities found $1.5 million in two safes when they raided the home and law office of Stanley…

Aug 30, 2011 11:50 PM CDT