Posts by Lee Koch

As projections say that millions of Americans will file for bankruptcy in the coming months, it’s a good idea to review the federal crime of bankruptcy fraud. According to the US Department of Justice, one out of every 10 bankruptcy filings involve some element of fraud. While this is not a bankruptcy law office, we…

There’s a reason why reading the fine print on almost any gambling site will tell you the site is being run out of some small country overseas. Online gambling is illegal in all 50 states.  Technically, you can be brought up on charges for placing bets online.  It is rare for individual gamblers to be…

If you’re in the middle of a federal court case you may be wondering whether bail might be available to you after your arrest. After all, you already know there are some significant differences between a federal case and a state one. After your arrest, you’ll have a bail hearing. The judge has sole authority…

Before charges may formally be laid in a criminal case, the prosecutor must bring that case in front of a grand jury. The grand jury decides whether the prosecution has enough evidence to proceed. If they decide the prosecutor has sufficient evidence, the prosecutor can charge an individual with a crime and the criminal justice…

One thing that’s different about being investigated by the federal government is that you generally know you’re being investigated. You may know what specific crime the feds think you committed and you may not, but you usually get a letter letting you know that they’re taking a look at you and your activities. Even if…

Gun violence is on the rise in New York City. If you are a defendant accused of a gun crime, you could face both federal and state charges. Adding firearms to any other crime can also make the charges and likely sentence far more serious.  New York itself has very strong gun laws. For example,…

The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allow the government or the court to dismiss any indictment, information, or complaint.  The specific law is written as follows: “The government may, with leave of court, dismiss an indictment, information, or complaint. The government may not dismiss the prosecution during trial without the defendant’s consent. The court may…

As George Floyd protests continue so to do the number of arrests related to these protests. Most people know they can get arrested for participating in a protest, but probably assume this happens only at the local level. What they might not know is that if you incite violence or participate in violence at a…

The Covid-19 act brought a $2.2 trillion dollar relief package. That’s good for  most Americans, who just want to live their lives and who don’t want to hurt anyone while doing it. It also creates opportunities for those who are willing to engage in fraud to get what they want. That’s why the Act itself…