New York Criminal Lawyer Blog

September 23, 2012

Batchuta the Tiger’s Playmate Arrested for Trespass: Insanity Defense for David Villalobos’ Bronx Zoo Escapade?

David Villalobos, the young man arrested for allegedly wanting to “become one” with a Bronx Zoo tiger, is far from the first New Yorker to commune so closely with nature. Antoine Yates, a/k/a, the “Tiger Man of Harlem,” has that distinct “honor.” In fact, as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, I was the Assistant District Attorney that handled Mr. Yates’ case. Unlike Villalobos, Mr. Yates was indicted for numerous crimes including felony Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree (New York Penal Law 120.25). Ultimately, because Ming the tiger had free range inside a large sprawling apartment in a public housing complex where children, building employees and other residents were potentially accessible, Yates pleaded guilty to felony Reckless Endangerment. Now retired Supreme Court Justice Budd Goodman sentenced Yates to five years probation along with a few months on Rikers Island.

Despite the similarity in the apparent love of all things Animal Planet, Villalobos’ case is starkly different. That is, while his actions certainly imperiled his own health, children, police officers an other denizens of New York City were not potential prey. In fact, unlike an apartment where a housing employee may have access and enter the premises only to be surprised by a large feline (let’s not forget the cayman who took up residence outside the bathtub), Villalobos had to drop down approximately seventeen feet above to access the Bronx Zoo tiger den. Simply, Villalobos only endangered himself.

September 20, 2012

New York Criminal Lawyers Obtain Non-Criminal Resolution in Manhattan Felony Drug Arrest

by Jeremy Saland

New York drug crimes and the former “Rockefeller Drug Laws” were, and currently are, some of the strongest criminal laws on the books. In fact, New York drug attorneys and New York criminal lawyers often face down sentences where clients may be looking at mandatory imprisonment. For example, if you possess certain weights of drugs or you sell even an insignificant and personal use amount of cocaine (one might rightly argue there is no such thing as insignificant), you will face a presumptive minimum of one year and a maximum of nine years in state prison. While a first time offender convicted for Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (New York Penal Law 220.39) or Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (New York Penal Law 220.16) faces significant incarceration, even lesser offenses can carry similar punishment.

Regardless of the crime and sentence one may face for a New York drug crime arrest, those accused of these crimes may be pawns in a bigger scheme or otherwise good people who have been caught up in a terrible situation. Not only is it incumbent upon your criminal lawyer to advocate as strongly as possible, but it is equally important for him or her to ascertain whether the best defense to your New York City or suburban drug arrest is to challenge the legality of searches, probable cause and other evidence or to mitigate the conduct for which you are accused.

September 14, 2012

Arrested for Domestic Violence in New York: Understanding the Process, Crimes and Procedures

by Jeremy Saland

New York Domestic Violence crimes are some of the most serious offenses found anywhere in the criminal law (and rightfully so). Well beyond allegations of Assault, these crimes cover a wide spectrum of conduct. Regardless of the offense charged, the significance of a New York Domestic Violence arrest or accusations is evident in its handling by the branches of law enforcement. For example, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) has specially trained Domestic Violence officers that work in their respective precincts directly with those who are victims of Domestic Violence crimes. In the City’s District Attorney’s Offices (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc.), prosecutors are either specially trained to manage Domestic Violence cases or they may be assigned to a Domestic Violence unit.

As important as it is for law enforcement to investigate, arrest and prosecute offenders of abuse, an allegation against a “family member” does not mean the believed crime actually occurred. As much as we are all quick to judge what we may read in the news and assume that an accused is a batterer of a spouse, child, etc., it is imperative to recognize one is innocent until proven otherwise. Regardless of the crime, sometimes it takes your wrongful arrest or a false accusation against a family member before this principle hits home.

September 10, 2012

Dismissing a New York DWI Arrest Based Solely on an Admission: DUI Crimes in the Context of CPL 60.50

by Jeremy Saland

Sometimes the best defense to a New York DWI arrest or any DUI related crime may be right in front of your face. That is, the evidence against you may be strong – you blew above a .08, you were swerving in your vehicle and had blood shot eyes – but the four corners of the criminal complaint do not properly establish the crime of drunk driving. Instead of your New York DWI lawyer factually challenging the allegations and contesting your BAC at a hearing or trial, the first step in your defense may be filing a motion with the court to have your case dismissed for facial insufficiency. In other words, regardless of all of the evidence that may or may not come out at trial, the legal complaint against you is not sufficient enough to move the VTL 1192 case forward.

In People v. Dwight Padmore, 2011KN048590, NYLJ 1202570516971, at *1 (Sup., NY, Decided September 5, 2012), the strategy implemented by the criminal defense was just as described above. If, as the defendant’s criminal lawyer believed, the criminal court complaint charging DWI (Vehicle and Traffic Law 1192.3) was insufficient, then prosecutors should be barred from moving the criminal case forward with this complaint. In a fairly unique set of facts, the complaint (which became an “information” once all hearsay was removed) stated in substance that the arresting officer observed the defendant standing behind a car that had been damaged. The defendant admitted to driving and swiping the vehicle and that friends had driven his vehicle away. Further the defendant agreed to pay for the damages that the officer observed. Beyond this description, the police officer further gave the “catch all” description of the defendant’s believed intoxication indicating that he had watery blood shot eyes and smelled from alcohol.

August 31, 2012

When Remaining Silent May be Your Best Criminal Defense: Making Graffiti & the New York Police Department’s Vandal Squad

by Jeremy Saland

Every so often there is a story that is worth repeating when it comes to criminal defense in New York. As I have noted countless times in my blog entries and directly to clients, speaking to a detective or police officer with the NYPD or an Assistant District Attorney without a criminal defense attorney is usually a terrible mistake. Remember, you always have a right to request a lawyer. Whatever you say, if it can be construed as damaging in any way, will be used against you. Again, not only do I know this from my experience representing clients throughout New York City, Westchester County and other jurisdictions, but many cases that I prosecuted as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan were enhanced because targets of investigations or those arrested either thought they were smart enough to talk themselves out of a situation, minimized their actions through half-truths or just made admission. If you take home anything from this New York criminal law blog entry, remember to think before you speak.

The anecdote worth sharing recently occurred in a Manhattan precinct where our client was arrested in NYC for his alleged involvement in making graffiti. The crimes associated with this offense and common arrest charges for graffiti include the obvious, Making Graffiti (New York Penal Law 145.60), Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree (New York Penal Law 145.00) and Possession of Graffiti Instruments (New York Penal Law 145.65). Alternatively, if the graffiti arrest involves a felony a higher degree of Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree may be charged.

August 27, 2012

NY DWI & DUI Criminal Basics: Preparing Yourself with Education to Assist in Your New York Drunk Driving Arrest & DWI Defense

by Jeremy Saland

With Labor Day just around the corner, the NYPD, local police departments, County Police and New York State Troopers will be out in full force looking to arrest drivers for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Drunk Driving or any other named version of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law for intoxicated driving. Whether the police arrest you and charge you with a misdemeanor or felony VTL 1192 crime (the section of the law that defines all DWI and DUI crimes in New York), there are a few things that all of us should know about New York DWI laws beyond the obvious of steering clear of drinking and driving in any capacity. In no particular order, remember the following:

(1) When the police pull you over or you are stopped at a DWI checkpoint you need not answer them when they ask you whether or what you have been drinking. You always have a right to a lawyer. Telling your mother you only had a couple of beers when you were busted as a kid didn’t fool her. Make no mistake. It will not fool the police or prosecutors either. Your admission will absolutely be used against you.

August 23, 2012

Suppressing a Box Cutter, Gravity Knife or Other Weapon in New York Courts: Does it Matter if the Basis of Your Search was Non-Criminal?

by Jeremy Saland

Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, otherwise known as Fourth Degree Weapon Possession, is a fairly common misdemeanor arrest charge throughout the boroughs of New York City and the rest of New York State. Beyond an arrest for NY PL 265.01, the police can issue a NYC Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT) or a pink summons for other knife or weapon based violations and crimes. One routine way in which New York weapon possession lawyers and criminal defense attorneys see arrests for Criminal Possession of a Weapon and crimes relating to New York Penal Law 265.01, is where an officer claims he or she sees a “clip” partially inside and outside an arrestee’s pant pocket. This observation gives the New York City Police Officer who ultimately makes the arrest for weapon possession (gravity knife, switchblade, etc.) the grounds to approach the arrestee and investigate further.

As frustrating as it may be when you are the target or subject of such an NY PL 265.01 arrest, Desk Appearance Ticket or summons in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, etc., what if no clip is evident? What if there is no bulge outlining what appears to be a knife – switchblade, gravity or otherwise – in your pocket? This blog entry will address a recent Bronx criminal court decision addressing whether or not a court will suppress a weapon recovered by the police where the basis of the recovery is not due to observations of that weapon, but secondary to disorderly behavior of the arrestee. In more legal terms and as stated by the Court, the issue is “whether the stop, question and frisk search violates the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States constitution and Article 1, [section] 12 of the State Constitution when the activity initiating the frisk is a violation.”

August 19, 2012

Criminal Possession of a Weapon Defense: Does the “Car & Automobile Presumption” for New York Firearm & Gun Possession Apply if the Weapon is Inoperable?

by Jeremy Saland

There are few crimes that prosecutors in New York take as seriously as those involving the illegal possession of firearms, revolvers, pistols, glocks and other weapons. In fact, not only is it an “automatic” felony in New York to possess a loaded firearm outside your home or place of business without a permit to do so, but even if you are lawful gun owner and permit holder in another state, you must have permission from New York to possess that firearm here. Should you fail to secure a New York permit (there are different types of permits that allow certain types of possession), you can and likely will be arrested for Second Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon (New York Penal Law 265.03). This crime, a “C” violent felony, is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of 3.5 years in a New York State prison and a maximum term of 15 years. This law holds true whether or not you are trying to check your firearm properly at JFK or LaGuardia Airports on a flight out of New York City (see recent cases prosecuted by the Queens County District Attorney’s Office) or you are merely trying to do the “right thing” by “turning in” your gun at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan upon realizing that your possession is not legal or proper (see recent cases prosecuted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office). While the important and commendable intent and purpose of the criminal statutes found in Article 265 are there to curb illegal gun sales, gun trafficking and gun violence, it unfortunately also gives District Attorney’s Offices the ability to hammer (or threaten to do the same) otherwise law abiding citizens who are not familiar with New York’s strict gun laws.

Colloquy aside, whether you are a resident of New Hampshire riding in a vehicle with another person who legally owns a firearm in that state or you are a passenger in a vehicle with someone who has a defaced firearm that he or she plans on using in a “stick up,” can you be charged for possessing that firearm even though it was not on your person or in your actual physical possession? The general answer to this question is found in a New York Penal Law 265.15(3). The presence in an automobile (with some exceptions) of any firearm is presumptive evidence of its possession by all persons occupying such automobile at the time such weapon is found (again with some exceptions such as the firearm being found on the person of another passenger or driver). Taking this question or issue a step further, what if the firearm found in that vehicle is inoperable? Does the presumption still apply to guns that do not work? The answer appears to be that it does not.

August 10, 2012

Defending a New York Felony Assault Arrest: Small Scars, Lacerations & Second Degree Assault (NY PL 120.05)

by Jeremy Saland

New York Assault lawyers and criminal defense attorney who routinely practice in New York’s criminal courts see Assault prosecutions involving the entire spectrum of injuries. For example, common Third Degree Assault (New York Penal Law 120.00) allegations occur after two people get into a fist fight. Maybe one person took a worse lickin’ and received a punch to a jaw that left him soar and bruised. Alternatively, during another melee a spouse had scratches to his or her neck or arm with some redness. As long as prosecutors can establish intent to cause a physical injury and the actual suffering of a physical injury (generally described as substantial pain and illustrated throughout numerous blog entries in Saland Law PC’s NewYorkCriminalLawyerBlog.Com), NY PL 120.00 is proveable. What is more difficult, however, is establishing the level of injury required to achieve an arrest, indictment and conviction for Second Degree Assault according to New York Penal Law 120.05. In this felony level Assault, the degree of injury is defined as serious physical injury.

Whether one deems it fortunate or unfortunate, prosecutors often attempt to push the law in a manner favorable to their goals. Sometimes this comes in the form of “overcharging” a defendant for a crime to help achieve a plea. Regardless, if prosecutors cannot prove the level of injury required by statute, then the Assault charge should either be reduced or dismissed. In People v. Ricky Trombley, 104135, NYLJ 1202564193232, at *1 (App. Div., 3rd, Decided July 12, 2012), an Appellate Court did just that.

August 6, 2012

UPDATED – Stephanie Pratt’s Boyfriend Faces Possible New York Felony Assault Charges: Trumped Up Arrest Charges or Viable Case Against Julien Chabbott?

by Jeremy Saland

In what appears to be a failed low speed getaway, the boyfriend of dime-a-dozen reality “star” Stephanie Pratt was arrested yesterday for allegedly rolling over the foot of a police officer in Manhattan. According to earlier reports, Julien Chabbott was charged with Second Degree Assault (New York Penal Law 120.05(3)), Vehicular Assault (New York Penal Law 120.03) and Obstruction of Governmental Administration (New York Penal Law 190.50). However, it appears that only the misdemeanor crimes of Third Degree Assault and Obstruction of Governmental Administration are being prosecuted. While I am confident Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. did not envision he would be juggling cases of such magnitude upon being elected as Manhattan’s chief prosecutor, I am equally confident he and his office will get to the bottom of this allegedly bone-headed move (just accept the ticket, man!!!).

As a preliminary matter, Chabbott apparently lacks the minimum level of common sense one would expect from the average self-absobred twenty-something who can only afford a zip car. If a police officer is issuing you a ticket, don’t get in his or her face, grab the ticket from his or her hand or…wait for it…drive away as he or she is standing immediately next to or in front of your car. While stupidity is fortunately not a crime, Chabbott’s alleged charades may be. So, instead of sleeping at nearly 1:00 am, let me quickly and briefly dissect some of the potential charges.