Police and prosecutors often find evidence of crimes in the strangest places.  More and more, social media is becoming a treasure trove of evidence for criminal cases, with prosecutors presenting posts, videos, and recordings of livestreams in court to convict defendants. Your social media can be used against you in a criminal case in three major ways.  First, if your posts were themselves criminal (e.g., threats), then they can be presented as evidence.  Second, if you posted evidence of a crime, the posts can be used against you.  Third, previous posts might be used in so ..read more

Child pornography crimes often carry very serious penalties that can leave you with expensive fines and long jail terms.  These are some of the most serious crimes in our society, and penalties can extend beyond jail time. All child pornography crimes are felony-level offenses, meaning they can all result in over a year in jail.  Even the lowest penalties for simple possession of child pornography can result in 3-5 years in jail and fines up to $15,000.  The penalties can also include Megan’s Law registration as a sex offender.  Juveniles arrested for child pornography poss ..read more

In New Jersey, like in the rest of the country, it is illegal to produce, possess, or distribute child pornography.  These crimes have serious penalties, but they also have sometimes vague or unclear limits. Child pornography is generally considered to include any depictions of a child in a “sexually suggestive” way or performing actual sexual acts or simulated sexual acts.  The statute goes on to define some of these terms more specifically, including broadly any depiction that draws sexual attention to a child or is used to sexually gratify a viewer.  “Possession” under this l ..read more

Criminal charges related to child pornography are difficult to deal with for several reasons. These charges often carry harsh penalties, and the stigma defendants face, even when charges do not stick, can be overwhelming. Talk to a lawyer about how you can defend yourself. An attorney can help you review your case and determine which defense strategies might be the most effective in your case. Perhaps the alleged pornographic material was seized illegally and should not be used against you. Maybe the supposed child porn was found on your computer, but you were not the one who downloaded it, an ..read more

One of the biggest issues in many criminal cases is the legality of searches and seizures by the police. The police are not allowed to just barge in and take what they want for evidence. If they do, there might be serious consequences. Depending on what kind of evidence was seized in an illegal search of your property, we might be able to have your child pornography case dismissed. Getting a case dismissed is not easy, but it is not impossible. When evidence is seized illegally, it is considered tainted and may not be admitted into court. If the prosecutor’s case cannot survive without the tai ..read more

Assault is both a serious crime and a cause of a civil action in New Jersey. However, the type of assault that deals with actual injuries to your person is assault under New Jersey criminal law. Assault in civil cases refers to the threat of injury, not actual injury. In assault cases, there is a threshold for different kinds of injuries. One of the most important thresholds is the one for “serious bodily injury.” By New Jersey statute, serious bodily injury is any injury that causes a substantial risk of death, permanent disfigurement, or loss of functionality in a part of the body for a long ..read more

False allegations of any kind can be incredibly embarrassing and make your life difficult.  Especially when you are falsely accused of something that directly tarnishes your character, like child abuse, the effects can be devastating.  False child abuse allegations could even lead to lost jobs and community opportunities, as well as conviction and legal penalties for a crime you did not commit. If you are facing face child abuse allegations, the first thing to do is call our lawyers for help.  We can give you advice on how to proceed, what steps you can take yourself to minimize ..read more

Drug charges are regarded as some of the most commonly charged criminal offenses across the country. Drug distribution is one of many serious offenses related to controlled substances, and the penalties might be quite harsh. Exactly what constitutes the distribution of drugs can be hard to pin down, as the definition of distribution is somewhat broad. Distribution might involve delivering drugs to someone who plans to use them. It might also involve delivering drugs to other distributors in a larger drug ring. Charges for distribution can be severe. The nature of your potential penalties may c ..read more

Possession of some drugs is more dangerous than other drugs, leading to different criminal penalties for different drugs.  However, when it comes to possession of drug paraphernalia, there is one penalty for nearly any type of paraphernalia you might have. Under NJ law, it is illegal to use (or have with the intent to use) any drug paraphernalia.  This offense is nonetheless a low-level offense, qualifying as a “disorderly persons offense” – essentially a misdemeanor.  It can nonetheless lead to up to 6 months in jail and fines up to $1,000 on top of any possession charges for t ..read more

Perhaps some of the most heinous and outrageous crimes we hear about in the news are those related to sexual offenses against children. Unfortunately, some such claims, like those involving child pornography, are sometimes false. The penalties for child porn offenses are often steep. You might stand falsely accused of creating child porn, allowing your child to be part of child porn, or possessing and distributing illicit materials. Our legal team can help you launch an effective defense to refute these false allegations. When accusations are truly false, it is often easy to poke holes in the ..read more