Sentencing/Post Conviction

Even a Felony Conviction May Not Preclude a Wisconsin Lawyer from Practicing

Being convicted of a felony, or even a misdemeanor, can mean the loss of a lawyer’s license to practice in many states. Plus, it is standard in some states for an attorney’s license to be suspended as soon as he or she is convicted of a serious crime. But in…

Jan 31, 2011 8:33 PM CST

Federal Judge’s Theories About a Child Porn Gene Get Him Tossed from Case

U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe has a theory about people who view child pornography. About 50 years from now, scientists will discover that child porn consumption is caused by “a gene you were born with,” Sharpe said as he sentenced a defendant to 6½ years in prison in December 2009.…

Jan 31, 2011 1:42 PM CST

Dutch Lawyer Argues His ‘Giant’ Client Is Too Tall and Fat for Jail Cell

A Dutch lawyer claims his 500-pound client, who is a couple inches shy of 7 feet tall, is too big for his jail cell. Lawyer Bas Martens maintains that his client’s 12-square-yard jail cell violates European human rights law, the Associated Press reports. Martens told a court in The Hague…

Jan 28, 2011 4:43 PM CST

Ex-Top Chicago Cop Accused in Widespread Alleged Torture of Suspects Keeps $3K Per Month Pension

A former Chicago police commander who is accused of having played a leading role in widespread torture of minority suspects decades ago will be able to keep his $3,000-a-month pension. Five of the eight police pension board members would have had to side against Jon Burge to deny him his…

Jan 27, 2011 7:00 PM CST

Doc Film Viewers Hiss at Onscreen DA, Shown as Villain in Abused Woman’s 26-Year Murder Sentence

Viewers at the premiere of Crime after Crime hissed when the Los Angeles County District Attorney appeared onscreen at the Sundance Film Festival this week. That’s because Steve Cooley is portrayed as the villain in the story of an abused woman who served 26 years in prison for the murder…

Jan 26, 2011 1:08 AM CST

Convicted of Drunken Driving, Md. Judge Must Take Daily Breath Test Before Hearing Cases

Convicted of drunken driving last year following an accident that caused minor injuries to another driver, a 68-year-old Maryland judge who acknowledges a long history of alcoholism has now agreed to take breath tests before hearing cases. Washington County Circuit Judge W. Kennedy Boone III bought the machine himself, and…

Jan 26, 2011 12:08 AM CST

Sued for Malpractice, Defense Lawyer Can Attack Client’s Alibi That He Was Elsewhere During Crime

Convicted of armed robbery, Jeffrey Marrero won an appeal after serving a year and eight months in jail and has not been retried. But now he is suing his former attorney, Howard Feintuch, for malpractice, contending that he would never have been convicted in the first place if defense counsel…

Jan 25, 2011 6:24 PM CST

Cleveland Solo Gets a Supreme Court Win; Ex-Prisoner’s $625K Award Is Reinstated

A Cleveland solo who works out of a spare bedroom in his apartment has won a U.S. Supreme Court victory for his client, a former Ohio inmate who sued prison officials for doing nothing to prevent her sexual assault. David Eduard Mills had never argued a case before the U.S.…

Jan 24, 2011 5:17 PM CST

Ex-Chicago Police Commander Accused of Torturing Suspects Gets 4.5 Years for Perjury

“[A]s unrepentant during his sentencing hearing as he was during his trial,” a former Chicago police commander notorious for his claimed role in widespread torture of minority suspects that led to multiple wrongful convictions decades ago was sentenced today for perjury, writes columnist Mary Mitchell of the Chicago Sun-Times. Jon…

Jan 22, 2011 1:10 AM CST

Ex-County Attorney Gets Probation for Role in ‘Nice Guy’ Prostitution Ring

A former county attorney in Minnesota who pleaded guilty to operating a “nice guys” prostitution ring has been sentenced to 15 years’ probation. Former Hennepin County attorney John Paul St. Marie, 66, won’t serve any time in jail because of his fragile medical condition, according to stories by the St.…

Jan 21, 2011 4:23 PM CST

Lawyer Gets 12 Years in $10.6M Mortgage Fraud; Another Attorney Awaits Sentencing

A Massachusetts lawyer who was earlier suspended from practice has been sentenced to a 12-year federal prison term for his role in a $10.6 million mortgage fraud. Eric Levine could have gotten as much as 20 years after being convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering last year, according…

Jan 21, 2011 2:29 AM CST

Convicted in Cyberbullying That Allegedly Tried to Drive Teen Victim to Suicide, Man Gets 45 Days

Saying that defendant Matthew Riskin Bean and others need to understand that cyberbullying is a crime, a federal judge in Philadelphia yesterday sentenced the 20-year-old New Jersey man to a 45-day jail term. Although a defense lawyer expressed concern that the 110-pound defendant could himself be targeted for abuse in…

Jan 19, 2011 10:29 PM CST

Supreme Court Hits 9th Circuit in Pair of Opinions Upholding Defense Lawyer Decisions

In a case from Oregon and another from California, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that criminal defense lawyers provided adequate assistance of counsel and that their onetime clients were not eligible for habeas relief. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote both opinions overturning decisions by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S.…

Jan 19, 2011 6:11 PM CST

Lawyer Accused of Overcharging Exonerated Inmates Who Collected Under Law He Helped Pass

A Texas lawyer who helped pass legislation to compensate exonerated inmates is accused in an ethics complaint of charging two men who collected millions of dollars under the new law an unconscionable contingency fee of 25 percent. Lubbock attorney Kevin Glasheen did not file a lawsuit for either of the…

Jan 19, 2011 2:02 PM CST

Motley Crue Singer Gets 2 Weeks in Jail for Driving Lamborghini Under the Influence

Motley Crue singer Vince Neil has agreed to serve two weeks in jail for driving his Lamborghini under the influence in Las Vegas last summer. That will be followed by another two weeks of house arrest, reports the Associated Press. “I have recognized that you can’t drink and drive at…

Jan 19, 2011 1:01 AM CST