Sentencing/Post Conviction

Officials Say Murder Defendant Slashed His Lawyer’s Face; Court Attack Was 2nd in County in 1 Week

A defendant in a California murder trial won a mistrial but faces a new attempted murder case after allegedly slashing his lawyer’s face with a makeshift weapon as the jury entered a Tulare County courtroom around 10 a.m. on Monday. Sheriff’s officials said assistant public defender John Shepard was not…

Nov 6, 2012 7:53 PM CST

See the Video: Driver Uses Sidewalk to Get Around School Bus, Is Busted; Plea Requires ‘Idiot’ Sign

A Cleveland woman who reportedly had more than once used the same stretch of sidewalk to pass a stopped school bus has taken a plea after being brought to justice with the help of a cellphone video taken by the bus driver and a Sept. 11 police sting. Originally charged…

Nov 6, 2012 5:05 PM CST

Pa. Lawyer Gets 33 Months for Embezzling Money From Clients Under Guise of Legal Fees

A suspended Pennsylvania lawyer has been sentenced to a 33-month federal prison term for embezzling more than $100,000 from clients. Kenneth Reidenbach, 61, was convicted last year of multiple felonies including bankruptcy fraud concerning money allegedly taken from four bankruptcy and divorce clients, under the guise of attorney’s fees, between…

Nov 5, 2012 4:58 PM CST

Judge Orders Newspaper to ID Claimed Juror Who Commented Online During Trial Over Attorney’s Murder

A Kansas newspaper has been ordered to identify to a local court an anonymous website poster who claimed to be a juror in a high-profile felony murder trial in which an attorney was the victim. The Topeka Capital-Journal will not contest the Shawnee County District Court order requiring it to…

Nov 1, 2012 5:44 PM CDT

Letters: Pro Bono Heroes

PRO BONO HEROES Regarding “The Convert,” September, page 14: It does my heart good to see the efforts of fellow members of the corporate bar, such as Richard Horstman (right), who take on the tasks that need to be done. Pro bono publico is not an empty Latin phrase. It…

Nov 1, 2012 9:50 AM CDT

Granted a Trial After Taking a 20-Year Plea, Man Is Again Convicted of Murder, Gets 45 Years

An Illinois man who won a new first-degree murder trial after taking a plea by pointing out to an appellate court that state law required him to get a substantially higher sentence, has now been tried, reconvicted and resentenced. And, just as a state appeals court warned Brian W. Pinkas…

Oct 31, 2012 9:14 PM CDT

Federally Convicted of Helping Client Launder $200K, Prominent Defense Lawyer Gets Over 3 Years

Still proclaiming his innocence, a high-profile criminal defense lawyer convicted earlier this year in a $200,000 money-laundering conspiracy for which prosecutors said he earned $20,000 was sentenced Wednesday to a three and a half-year prison federal term. The prosecution in the Boston case had asked for five years; the defense…

Oct 31, 2012 5:34 PM CDT

Sixth Grader Sentenced in Adult Court for Murder Conspiracy Seeks Juvenile Court Do-Over

Lawyers for an Indiana youth sentenced at age 12 in adult court for a murder conspiracy are asking a state appeals court to send the case back to juvenile court for a new hearing. Paul Henry Gingerich was a sixth-grader when he was accused of helping kill a friend’s stepfather…

Oct 31, 2012 1:05 PM CDT

Federal Court Staff Attorney Takes Misdemeanor Plea in Child Sex-Abuse Case; Probation Expected

A lawyer who is employed as a staff attorney at a federal court in Syracuse, N.Y., has taken a misdemeanor plea in a child sex-abuse case and is expected to be sentenced to a six-year term of probation, a prosecutor tells the Post-Standard. Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Cali said Thomas…

Oct 30, 2012 5:47 PM CDT

Legal Secretary Accused of Embezzling $830K From Retired Partner Gets 3 Years in Federal Prison

Assigned by an unidentified Atlanta law firm to help a retired partner pay personal bills, a Georgia legal secretary took the opportunity to use his funds to cover $830,000 of her own expenses, authorities say. After pleading guilty earlier this year to one count of mail fraud, Francine Fonger, 50,…

Oct 29, 2012 9:25 PM CDT

Attorney Found Guilty of Misdemeanor Law Firm Theft, Acquitted by Judge on Over 15 Felony Charges

An Ohio lawyer was found guilty after a bench trial Friday of a misdemeanor petty theft from his former law firm, because he had a client make out a $500 check to him personally and did not share the payment. However, Jesse Jackson Jr., 48, was acquitted by Butler County…

Oct 29, 2012 8:46 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Decide if Actual Innocence Claim Excuses Late Habeas Filing

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether an inmate who claims actual innocence is excused from the time limit for filing a habeas claim. The court will consider whether Michigan inmate Floyd Perkins can appeal his 1997 murder conviction, report SCOTUSblog and Reuters. Perkins filed his habeas petition…

Oct 29, 2012 6:34 PM CDT

After Inmates Sue for Dental Floss, Jailers Explain the Security Risk

A jail in Westchester County, N.Y., offered a dental compromise of sorts after a group of inmates filed a $500 million lawsuit last month demanding access to dental floss. Officials at the jail in Valhalla initially cited security concerns, but they now supply inmates with “Floss Loops,” the Associated Press…

Oct 29, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Kennedy Cousin Michael Skakel Has First Parole Hearing; Claims He is Innocent of 1975 Murder

Michael Skakel, the Kennedy cousin serving a 20-years-to-life sentence for the 1975 fatal beating of Martha Moxley, had his first parole hearing Wednesday. According to the Connecticut Post, Skakel told the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles that he is innocent of the crime, which allegedly happened when he was…

Oct 24, 2012 3:54 PM CDT

Pennsylvania Passes Juvenile Sexting Law, Which Some Say Goes Too Far

Pennsylvania legislators last week passed a law that makes sending explicit photographs by minors, ages 12 to 17, a misdemeanor or summary offense, rather than a felony. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 13 states in 2012 introduced or are considering sexting-related laws. The Pennsylvania law, House Bill 815, works on…

Oct 23, 2012 3:50 PM CDT