Tag Archives: Leesburg Criminal Defense Lawyers
Virginia Man Sentenced to Five Years in Cigarette Trafficking Case
Yinhau (Steven) Chen of Fredericksburg was sentenced to five years in a federal cigarette trafficking case on December 22. He pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money-laundering in connection with a scheme in which he supplied interstate smugglers with large quantities of cigarettes at lower taxed Virginia prices. The smugglers then took the cigarettes… Read More »
Virginia State Crime Commission Rejects Asset Forfeiture Reform
In the second major blow to criminal justice reform in Virginia recently, the state’s Crime Commission has voted to reject proposed legislation that would require the government to first obtain a conviction or a guilty plea before subjecting the property of the criminal defendants to civil asset forfeiture. The Crime Commission is a part… Read More »
Public Defender Alleges Unethical Police Conduct
A public defender in Petersburg, Virginia is alleging police misconduct in proceedings to withdraw his client’s guilty plea. Jeffrey Fisher pled guilty to drug and gun charges earlier this year after being arrested during a raid of his home. Later, numerous disturbing facts about the case came to light that had been concealed by… Read More »
Holiday Traffic Fatality Concerns See Spike in Enforcement Efforts
Concerns over safety prompted the Commonwealth of Virginia to step up its police presence on the highways over Thanksgiving weekend this year. According to reports, the past year has seen an increase in death tolls on Virginia’s highways. Additionally, the highly publicized dangers of driving Thanksgiving weekend have caused concern as well. Whether the… Read More »
Fiery Crash: a Reminder that Fleeing the Police is Always a Bad Idea
A recent high-speed police chase has led to another tragic death. As is so often the case, this horrific event can be instructive for anyone facing the possibility of arrest. At the outset, we should state unequivocally that fleeing the police is always a bad idea. Not only do you risk greater criminal penalties… Read More »
Semi-Driver Charged with Reckless Driving in I-95 Turnover
The driver of a tractor trailer has been charged with reckless driving after a crash that overturned his trailer and completely blocked all southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in South Richmond, Virginia. The trailer ran off the interstate and hit the left barrier before overturning. Police believe fatigue was a factor. This seems to… Read More »
Virginia Larceny Case Shines Light on Immigration Issues
In February of this year, the Virginia Supreme Court reversed the conviction of an Ethiopian immigrant who has been in the United States since the age of nine. Michael Zemene, whose father obtained asylum in the United States as a political dissident in his home country, became a lawful permanent resident (LPR, more commonly… Read More »
Legal Lessons from Fatal Police Chase Crash: Part 2
Part one of this post introduced the case of Rakim Kilpatrick, a 25-year-old Richmond man who caused a fatal collision by running a red light during a police chase. That post discussed the offenses that most directly relate to what may generally be considered “traffic offenses.” We explained how a chain of mistakes ultimately… Read More »
Virginia Man Facing Serious Jail Time after DUI Manslaughter Conviction
A jury recently recommended an 11-year sentence for a Virginia man after he was convicted of DUI-related homicide. The conviction, for aggravated involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident, came after Dwayne Gray Miller plowed his SUV into the side of a tow truck, pinning its driver between the tow truck and… Read More »
Collision Involving School Bus, Minor Driver Teaches Lessons in Safe Driving
A recent Virginia bus collision that sent 28 children to the hospital is still being investigated. None of the injuries are life-threatening, but five are described as serious. The cause of the crash is unclear at the moment, but it appears that a 17-year-old driver of a van was leaving Caroline High School and… Read More »
