Asset seizures for the purpose of forfeiture happens with shocking frequency. Law enforcement authorities at all levels are involved with forfeitures and they are frequently coordinating their efforts between the federal, state and municipal levels to launch criminal...
We live in a digital era. Police use body cameras. There are cameras and home security systems littered throughout every neighborhood. ATM machines usually have security cameras that are always recording what they see. Even the smartphones carried by most citizens can...
Police corruption in Illinois is nothing new. In recent years, we’ve seen the corruption scandal surrounding Sgt. Ronald Watts result in many convictions being thrown out of court, and this story is far from the first incident like this. But what does this mean for...
In the previous blog post, we discussed the warrant requirement generally and some exceptions that have been applied over the years. In this post, we are looking at a relatively recent Supreme Court case that creates some significant limitations on warrantless entry...
One of the most important aspects of criminal defense is uncovering instances of police error and procedural abuse. When the police make errors in the investigation, arrest or other aspects of your case, these errors could result in a violation of your constitutional...
Whenever allegations arise of someone in the medical field committing fraud, it is usually assumed to be a case of healthcare fraud. However, there are distinct elements to healthcare fraud and other types of fraud. Quite often, allegations or charges surrounding a...
Gun control and aggressive prosecution of gun crimes have been significant stories in Chicago and throughout Illinois in recent months. In a recent post, we talked about the federal crackdown of straw purchasers of weapons. An important related issue involves “ghost...
Due to a marked increase in violent crimes in recent months, especially those involving firearms, authorities at every level are coordinating renewed efforts to minimize the violence and curb gun crimes in Illinois and throughout the country. In a recent post, we...
Given events of the past couple years, the importance of and enforcement of criminal laws regulating gun ownership and use have become front page news. Instances of gun violence, charges and convictions seem to be increasing drastically in the past year. Perhaps...
When we think of public corruption, most of us think of governors, senators and other high-level government officials engaging in multi-million-dollar fraudulent schemes with tax-payer money. In Chicago, you might think of local Aldermen. Although these common...
