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As embarrassing a Drunk Driving, DWI or DUI arrest in New York may be, a conviction for any VTL 1192 crime is exponentially worse. Not only is there potential for incarceration and jail as well as significant fines and fees, a plea or post trial conviction for VTL 1192 also will result in a suspension of your license to drive and an installation of an ignition interlock device on your vehicle. In some situations it is not merely the suspension you will have to contend with, but a revocation of your drivers license in New York by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV.

Revocation of your license for a first time offender for a DWI crime usually involves the offense of VTL 1192.3, sometimes known as either Common Law DWI or a Refusal DWI. The latter of these “types” of DWI, and the subject of this blog entry, addresses those crimes where you, after being advised of your rights and the consequences of failing to comply with a request to “blow,” refuse to provide a breath sample. More specifically, this blog addresses how, if all, your refusal can be used against you in a criminal prosecution.

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Though the topic of drug crimes often conjures thoughts of sales, trafficking, or even mere possession of illegal substances, there is another important category of offense that is regularly prosecuted in New York courts. In fact, you may have been arrested an issued a Desk Appearance Ticket, or DAT, for this crime in addition to possessing a controlled substance or marijuana. What is this offense you ask? Second Degree Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia, New York Penal Law 220.50.

Second Degree Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia is classified as an “A” misdemeanor and is capable of producing serious consequences for those convicted of doing so, but understanding the law and the statute is your first step in protecting your future.

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Am I the victim of Extortion? Am I being Blackmailed? How are these crimes different than Coercion? I know someone is preying on me and making demands, but what, if any, crime has this person committed? To answer these questions lets examine the following scenarios.

I’m being threatened over some pictures my ex got a hold of. If I don’t pay him he will send them to my employer, landlord and friends on Instagram. I’m being threatened over a compromising video my ex secured without my permission, but instead of wanting money she says that if I don’t tell my family that I’ve done something wrong or admit to my boss I’ve used drugs, she will share it with these same people.

While the above hypotheticals may seem very similar, very similar and the same are quite different. In the eyes of the New York Penal Law, criminal defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges, the above two scenarios are the foundation of two distinct and separate crimes – Grand Larceny Extortion (Blackmail) and Coercion respectively.

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A common question that is repeatedly asked is whether or not a judge must hold a hearing before granting or denying a sealing motion according to New York Criminal Procedure Law 160.59. In other words, if you want your criminal conviction erased from the public domain can a judge do so without giving the prosecution both an opportunity to respond in a public forum outside of a motion seeking to preclude sealing?

Because I have addressed New York’s criminal conviction sealing statute in great detail throughout this blog and on our website by breaking down the relevant procedures, benefits and eligibility requirements of NY CPL 160.59, I will not do so again here. However, for those with criminal records and convictions in New York beyond ten years old, if you were not aware let this blog serve as notice that as long as you have no more than two total convictions, of only one can be a felony, and those convictions are not sexual or violent crimes, you are potentially able to have your conviction sealed and “removed” from public view. In terms of process, however, beyond filing a motion for sealing, can a judge require more materials and evidence in the form of a hearing before rendering his or her decision?

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Is a New York City Desk Appearance Ticket, or DAT, an arrest? What does “Top Offense Charged” mean? Do I need to keep the appearance ticket? If I lose my DAT is that a problem? What if there is a mistake in my name or date of birth, does the Desk Appearance Ticket become invalid? Do I need an attorney or criminal lawyer at my “trial” or “hearing” when I see the judge?

Briefly, the answers to some of your questions are as follows: If you were given a Desk Appearance Ticket you have been arrested. It does not matter if you lose the ticket or there is incorrect information on the paper. A Desk Appearance Ticket merely is a way the NYPD processes lower level arrests, but crimes nonetheless. Read that twice….You have been arrested. You are charged with a crime. Whether you need a lawyer is subjective, but proceed at your own risk. Retaining counsel experienced in these matters has tremendous value. With all of that said, your first appearance is neither a hearing nor trial, but an arraignment where you are formally charged with a crime. Whether you ultimately have a trial will depend on the allegations, evidence and even your criminal defense attorney.

While extensive information relating to DATs, the DAT process, and other relevant materials is available on the websites below, the links herein, and throughout this blog, this entry will breakdown the important information contained on the face of a DAT and what it all means to you.

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You’ve taken responsibility and paid your dues. It now begs the question. Can my misdemeanor conviction be sealed? Can my drug arrest be expunged? Is there a statute in New York to clear my criminal record? Its been years, even decades, since my arrest, conviction and sentencing for Seventh Degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in New York. How do I now get a conviction for New York Penal Law 220.03 vacated, cleaned, washed away, expunged, sealed or any other relief to keep my past from destroying my future? As you can discuss with your criminal defense attorney and conviction sealing lawyer, whether you were convicted by a plea of guilty or by a jury of your peers, simple possession of cocaine, crack-cocaine, heroin, or any other controlled substance can be sealed from your record with a motion to your sentencing court in accordance with New York Criminal Procedure Law 160.59.

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The types of drugs that routinely flow through New York City and throughout other New York municipalities range from unlawfully possessed prescription drugs such as Oxy and Adderall to the more common cocaine, heroin, MDAM, Ecstasy and Molly. The law is generally clear and a criminal defense attorney you need not when determining what controlled substances you can (or cannot) possess. For that matter, you neither need a drug lawyer nor your mother to advise you that you can’t have any of these narcotics barring a prescription (or at all) unless your goal is trying to violate a New York drug crime.

You may enjoy getting hopped up, rolling, taking a bump or just getting annihilated and, by all means, that is your decision. It is not my job, as a criminal lawyer, to be your father and lecture you on the ills of drug use and abuse. Its my job to help you when you call me panicked after your arrest. That said, before doing so, just hear me out. Know that there are very real consequences to your actions well beyond those that may land you in handcuffs and before a judge.

Brief pseudo-lecture aside, the purpose of this blog entry is not to address the direct and collateral consequences to drug use and arrests in New York, but to make it clear how low the threshold is for prosecutors to proceed on criminal charges when you are accused of violating New York Penal Law 220.03, Seventh Degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance. In fact, as this blog will make clear, neither Assistant District Attorneys nor police officers need to actually test the drug in any capacity to draft a legally sufficient complaint charging you with this drug crime. What does this mean to you? The law can take you right past Go and directly to Jail in the game of Monopoly that has unfortunately become your life.

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The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has facial recognition technology that is both sophisticated and widely utilized. DMV Investigators, somewhat similar to an NYPD Detective, use face recognition technology in conjunction with old fashion investigatory skills to review applications for New York State Drivers Licenses to determine whether an applicant has previously applied for and received a drivers license under a fake name or alias. Further, the DMV investigators look to see whether an applicant has old and outstanding summonses or suspensions on his or her license. So, what is it that you expose yourself to when making certain misrepresentations at the DMV? What felony and misdemeanor crimes are you exposed to and what should you discuss with your criminal defense attorney to navigate an arrest should it occur?

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What is the benefit of sealing my criminal record? Why would I want to expunge an old arrest? Even if my criminal case is sealed, can employers still see my case, the evidence or accusations? All reasonable questions to ask your criminal defense attorney, or more appropriately your conviction sealing lawyer, the answer to these questions start with the purpose behind New York State’s passage of Criminal Procedure Law 160.59. NY CPL 160.59, the New York sealing statute, allows for the “public removal” or in some cases limited access to certain past criminal convictions. As addressed in other blog entries and in substantive detail on Saland Law PC’s New York Sealing Law Information Page, the goal of NY CPL 160.59 is to allow individuals who have led law abiding lives for more than ten years, have eligible non-sex offense and other convictions, and can provide a reason for a court to consider a sealing motion, to file for “expungement” of the criminal case(s). The caveat to all of this is that the law limits your eligibility to a criminal past involving no more than two convictions of which only one can be a felony and even if the court agreed with your sealing attorney’s application, no judge can actually expunge your criminal record. That’s right. While you may have your criminal record sealed and blocked from public view, law enforcement will have the ability to access your criminal history in perpetuity.

This all begs the question that you will no doubt vet with your NY CPL 160.59 sealing attorney. If I seal my criminal record who can see it?

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Despite having top training and experience in what is the most stressful of life situations and the respect of his friends, neighbors and nation as a veteran of the armed forces, nothing prepared a recent Saland Law PC client for the overwhelming fear and concern that resulted from an arrest at New York’s JFK Airport after he tried to check a lawfully owned firearm. Yes, our client followed the TSA’s guidelines prior to arriving at the airport to fly to Colorado where a new job awaited the following morning. Yes, our client made sure the firearm was stored away in a hard sided and locked cases consistent with the airline’s regulations. No, he was not remotely prepared for what would happen next.

A criminal and violent person our client was not, but instead a regular person, no different than you or me, exercising what he believed was his Second Amendment rights to possess a firearm licensed in another state. Unfortunately, despite his far from nefarious intentions, an arrest by the Port Authority Police Department and prosecution by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office was the last thing our client expected when his biggest concern to date on a flight was whether he should book an isle or window seat or have pretzels or chips with his Coke. Not a commentary on the state of firearm laws, the NRA, or Congress’ plan to allow conceal carry permits to cross state lines, this blog entry addresses how good people can unintentionally run afoul of the law and the efforts necessary to protect their good name, liberty and future.

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