The Justice Department recently released a statement that a former New Mexico Sheriff’s Office Deputy pled guilty to sexually assaulting an arrestee in his custody and obstruction of justice after attempting to destroy the evidence of his crime. He awaits sentencing but faces up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, mandatory registration as a sex offender, and restitution payments to the victim. The guilty verdict was obtained under the enhanced penalties of the 2022 Reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act. Violation of Civil Rights of Arrestee and Obstruction of Ju ..read more

Earlier this year, officials with the Pennsylvania Office of Administration, the state agency that provides information technology services for most government departments, admitted that human error resulted in the deletion of thousands of records from state servers, including criminal records belonging to the Pennsylvania State Police’s forensic labs. Why Were Thousands of Records Deleted? A spokesperson for the Office of Administration acknowledged that on January 3, 2024, an employee performing routine server maintenance accidentally deleted data from two applications used by the Pennsylvan ..read more

If you are arrested or facing criminal charges, your first introduction to the Philadelphia criminal court system may involve the setting of bail by a magistrate or judge. At The Zeiger Firm, we understand that the criminal justice system may feel intimidating. We want to help make it less so by seeking to reduce your bail. Philadelphia Bail System According to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO), bail is the money a defendant must pay to be released before trial. The purpose of bail is to guarantee the defendant’s appearance in court. Bail defines the terms of release, meaning y ..read more

Danelo Cavalcante, the convicted murderer who captured the nation’s attention after escaping from a Pennsylvania prison for weeks, was captured at gunpoint. He is now facing a dozen new charges, according to news reports, including charges for burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, and criminal trespassing. About the Escape On August 31, 2023, Cavalcante allegedly climbed up a prison yard wall and ran across the roof to escape from the prison. On September 13, 2023, he was arrested in a rural part of Chester County. The guard on duty was fired. He was taken back in custody. However, he ha ..read more

The question here is: how long can the government keep your cell phone when there is an investigation but no charges, indictment, or arrest? We’ll try to answer this question based on a current case dealing with these issues. Example Case The My Pillow Guy, Mike Lindell, who is a believer in election fraud, had a warrant executed against him, and his cell phone was seized. However, he was not charged with any crimes, and he alleged this was a witch hunt. Lindell asked for the following: a -3- declaration that the defendants’ actions violated his First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights; a de ..read more

Kouri Richins, a children’s book author who was already facing murder charges for the death of her husband, is now also facing witness tampering charges related to the murder case, according to CNN. Here is what to know about this ever-changing case. Background on the Case Kouri Richins is accused of murdering her husband by poisoning him with fentanyl in a beverage. The autopsy showed he had five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl that would kill most people. About a year later, she published a children’s book called Are You with Me?, discussing grief after the loss of a loved one. However ..read more

According to The New York Times, five police officers are facing various state felony charges and federal civil rights, conspiracy, and obstruction offense charges due to their role in the beating death of a 29-year-old Black man, Tyre Nichols. Here are the important facts and legal issues to know about this case. Background on the Case In January 2023, Tyre Nichols was stopped by Memphis, Tennessee police for seemingly no reason. He was forcibly pulled out of the car, beaten, pepper sprayed and tased. He eventually died from these injuries. The police department investigated everything, chang ..read more

Former NFL defensive back Sergio Brown was arrested this week on a murder charge from Chicago, Illinois for his own mother. The Brown case has two very interesting issues that normally don’t come up in routine practice. Background on the Case Brown and his mother lived together in a home outside of Chicago. In September of 2023, the body of Brown’s mother was found in Illinois. She died from assault. Both Brown and his mother were missing for days before her body was found. Media outlets had no report on Brown other than he was a missing person. I found that last part odd. Was Brown dead? Had ..read more

According to multiple news reports, Duane Davis, nicknamed Keffe D, was arrested and charged with the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Keffe D is believed to be the last living conspirator involved in the slain rapper’s drive-by shooting. Background Information on the Tupac Murder For review, Tupac was at a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, NV on the night of his killing. He was involved in a physical altercation with a man named Orlando Anderson. After the fight, he was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records owner Suge Knight in Las Vegas when he was shot in a drive-by shooting coming fr ..read more

According to a CNN news report, a former Georgia detention officer is facing charges after allegedly exerting excessive force on a female detainee who was in handcuffs. The former officer has been fired, and the case is ongoing. About the Case The United States Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia, has indicted former correctional officer Monique Clark for strangling a female inmate at a prison in Fulton County, Georgia, while the inmate was restrained. The inmate was handcuffed when Clark assaulted her. Clark allegedly strangled the female inmate to the point where she required emergency med ..read more