In response to a series of racially charged and internationally publicized cases involving allegations of police misconduct, including the murder of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota and the death of Freddie Gray while in Baltimore City Police custody in 2015, the Maryland Legislature has been drafting and finalizing a number of laws designed to monitor police behavior, provide recourse to those who have alleged they were wronged and place restraints on police department’s behavior and inte...

Do you own a handgun, or multiple handguns? Do you live in the state of Maryland? If you do not live in Maryland, do you ever travel into Maryland? If you answered yes to any of these questions, new changes to Maryland’s gun laws apply to you.

The Second Amendment of the Constitution sets forth the right to bear arms. However, it is important to remember that this right is not without limits. As a responsible gun owner, it is essential to constantly educate yourself on the gun laws of your state and the...

Being accused of a crime does not make you guilty, no matter how sincere the victim appears.

Shortly after Halloween in 2020, a young man was charged with raping his cousin on Halloween eve. Her allegations were horrendous; she claims that he pulled her downstairs by her hair, threw her on a sofa, held her down, covered her mouth with his hand and raped her, all while her grandparents were upstairs.

Upon his arrest, the young man (who was an honors student and an athlete with a full college scholarshi...

What constitutes a win in a criminal case? In some cases, a win is obtaining a “not guilty” verdict at trial.  In other cases, defeating some, or even most, of the charges can be considered a win.  And still, in other cases, a win is minimizing the impact of the case on the defendant and his or her family.

Below is an outline of a recent case where the client was sentenced in Federal Court (summer of 2021) – this case is a great depiction of how winning a case can look very different based on the ...

A West Virginia woman was charged in Garrett County, MD with fraud, identity theft, and theft. She was accused of using her adult son’s identity to obtain a loan online and had the funds electronically placed into her account.  When her son, a resident of Garrett County, MD received notice from a collection agency advising him that he was past due on “his loan” he reported the online application as fraud.

The police in Maryland immediately...

In 2019, a Frederick County man who was being investigated for suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography had a warrant executed at his home. All of his computers, cellular phones, routers, and hard drives were seized. Though the raid was carried out by local police, all of his electronic devices and account information were forwarded to the Department of Homeland Security for forensic analysis.

The client had not yet been charged, but knew he was in trouble and immediately sought out M...

Have you been accused of hitting your son?  Have you been accused of sexually abusing your girlfriend’s daughter?  These are some of the reasons you could receive a call from or be visited by a social worker from Child Protective Services (CPS).  CPS is a part of the Department of Social Services (DSS) that investigates allegations of child neglect and child abuse.  Once a claim of neglect or abuse is sent to CPS, they are required to investigate the claim. Certain laws ( Read More

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Murder and Manslaughter both result in the death of another person, but in Maryland, there are subtle differences between these offenses. Under Maryland law, the killing of another human being is broken down into three categories, from most to least serious: first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter. Each offense is a felony under state law but carries various penalties.

First Degree Murder

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A basic American right explicitly set forth in the second amendment is the right to bear arms.  It is important to understand that not only is that right not absolute, it often has many conditions, the violation of any of which may result in an otherwise lawful gun owner going to jail.  The following are the most commonly charged issues relative to firearms and gun law:

Gun Law Violation: Transporting Handguns

Under MD Criminal Law 4-203 it is illegal to knowingly wear, carry or...

As a Criminal Defense Attorney, one of the most commonly asked questions I get is “are my phone calls to/from jail being recorded or listened to?“

Unfortunately for prisoners in the State of Maryland (many of whom are still awaiting trial and have not yet (and may never be) convicted of a crime) and their family/friends who call them or receive calls from them, those calls will be recorded. Moreover, the recording of those calls is permitted by both State and Federal law.

While the...