New Enforcement Team Starting to Pay Dividends for Department of Justice in Chicago As we previously covered, last year the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced the formation of a new “Healthcare Fraud Section” in the...
Chicago Criminal Law Blog
Surveillance Technology and the Assault on the Fourth Amendment
Smart Doorbells and Secret Surveillance Capabilities Revealed The ongoing saga surrounding the sudden disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, has grabbed headlines across the nation as people are concerned for the well-being of the...
Conviction Overturned for Gun Owner
Appeal Court Rules “Just Talking” Can Become a Seizure Under the Fourth Amendment In a recent ruling, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals found that a seemingly consensual and cordial encounter with law enforcement violated an individual's rights to be free from...
Two Supreme Court Decisions and Their Impact on Criminal Case Law
Double Jeopardy Bars Second Conviction for Similar Conduct In a recent Untied States Supreme Court case, Barrett v. United States, the Court ruled in a unanimous decision that a defendant cannot be convicted and sentenced twice for a single act under the specific gun...
More Fraud Alleged by Illinois Government Employees
Investigations Continue in Pandemic Relief Program Abuses by Public Employees As we have previously covered, there have been numerous instances of highly publicized cases around the state of Illinois and city of Chicago detailing alleged fraud perpetrated by public ...
Allegations of Police Misconduct Surface Again
Chicago Police Department Accused of Targeting African Americans Over Guns As we have previously covered, watchdog organizations and community activists have expressed dissatisfaction with policing practices of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Now, the department...
Changes in Chicago Police Department Policies
CPD Officers Allowed to File Gun Charges Directly with Courts Under New Policy Recently, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced an expansion of a pilot program that allows Chicago Police Officers to file felony gun charges without getting approval...
Hemp Products Face Bans
Federal Government to Ban Hemp Derived and THC-Infused Products As we have previously covered, there has been some controversy since the passage of the 2018 federal farm bill that helped legalize the cultivation of industrial hemp for farmers. Although it passed by...
Border Patrol’s Nationwide Crackdown and Its Legal Implications
Massive Surveillance Network of Drivers Revealed In a shocking revelation, an investigation by the Associated Press has found that the United States Customs and Border Patrol has been monitoring drivers through automatic license plate readers and studying drivers for...
Federal Authorities Remain Focused on Criminal Elements of Cryptocurrency Use
Money Laundering Charges Announced Against Chicago Area Crypto Firm As we have previously covered, the Trump Administration previously disbanded the Department of Justice’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and has generally expressed a desire to work with...


