Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Florida Theft Laws
In common usage, the word “theft” refers to any act of stealing or taking tangible or intangible property from its owner without the owner’s consent. When you get charged with theft, the implication is that the only way you harmed the victim was by taking their property. Therefore, the penalties for theft are less… Read More »
Can You Avoid Prison Time For A Sex Crime Conviction?
Although most communications are protected under the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, many laws are in place that prohibit people from publicly humiliating and harassing each other. For example, creditors cannot contact you about your outstanding debts while you are at work or post publicly visible messages about your debts on social… Read More »
Former Police Officer Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Possession Of Child Exploitative Images
Today’s teenagers know their way around cell phones, and they have since before they could talk. When a parent gives a preteen their own phone for the first time, the exchange usually involves dire warnings about how little control you have over pictures of you once you post them online. Of course, the worst… Read More »
French Man Arrested For Drug Trafficking When Entering The United States To Compete In Beard And Moustache Contest
Gal Vallerius is a citizen of the world, holding passports from France, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Before his illegal activities were exposed, however, he was a big fish in two relatively small ponds. Perhaps everyone is anonymous on the Internet, but your identifying features eventually give them away, no matter how hard you… Read More »
Police Officer Acquitted Of Molesting Teens After Victims Refuse To Testify
Many cases of sexual assault do not result in criminal cases because the victims refuse to press charges, fearing that, if they did, they would have to testify in court and face their accusers in the courtroom. The outcome of many sex crime cases that go to trial (remember that most cases do not… Read More »
Facing Drug Charges In The Age Of Operation Phantom Chase
For decades, lawmakers acted as though being as “tough on crime” as possible was the best way to win the “war on drugs” and prevent overdose deaths. In recent years, as the discipline of addiction medicine has evolved and as the reasons and means of obtaining drugs have changed, laws have also changed, too. … Read More »
What You Do While Out On Bond Makes All The Difference
Except in the case of the most heinous crimes or in situations prosecutors have sufficient evidence that you will flee or try to intimidate witnesses, there is a good chance that you will have an opportunity to post bail. Your criminal defense lawyer can help argue for a reasonable bond amount. While out on… Read More »
Lake County Grandma Gets Four-Year Prison Sentence For Aggravated Identity Theft
Identity theft is not just for hackers who never emerge from the basements of their mansions. For most people, the motivation behind financial crimes is desperation; many of us have been tempted to steal or defraud someone simply because we needed money. In 2019, Stacey Hendricks was in a tough situation. She was the… Read More »
Can Your Social Media Posts Influence The Outcome Of Your Criminal Case?
Everything on the Internet is fake. Even when the audience acknowledges that they should take what they see, hear, and read online with a grain of salt, anything you say on social media can and will be used against you. Whether all the dirt that prosecutors find about you on your social media accounts… Read More »
Organized Crime And Racketeering In Tampa
Tampa has a storied past when it comes to organized crime. Despite tough racketeering laws passed during the 1970s, these same types of activities continue today. Our Tampa federal crimes lawyer explains more about Tampa’s organized crime history, common types of organized charges, and the serious penalties you could face under federal RICO laws…. Read More »