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...
Chicago Criminal Law Blog
Warrantless entry under Lange: Part 1. The warrant requirement
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...
What is the difference between healthcare fraud and wire fraud?
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...
What you need to know about insider trading
Like many white collar crimes insider trading can be extremely complicated. It is not uncommon for a person to get information and use it on the stock market, without having any idea that they are committing a crime. If you deal at all with securities, it is critical...
Understanding the new felony murder rule in Illinois
The law is changing all the time. It is no small task keeping up with the changes that occur in every area of law from one year to the next. Illinois lawmakers have drafted nearly 300 new laws and changes to existing legislation, according to NBC Chicago online. These...
Are “ghost guns” illegal?
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...
When can a few isolated smash and grabs become “organized crime”?
Two trends have emerged in recent years: An increase in seemingly isolated “smash and grab” burglaries of high-end retail establishments throughout Chicago and the suburbs, as well as an increase in so-called organized crime. In response, the federal and state...
Straw purchasers being targeted by federal gun crime crackdown efforts
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...
Is there an increased crackdown on gun crimes?
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...
Loss calculations in federal court are often more complicated than it may seem
While news stories play an obviously important role in our culture, they tend to gloss over many of the important details, to make things seem crystal clear when they are anything but. One important example is loss amount, restitution, and forfeiture calculations in...