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…
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…
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…
While many people have accidentally bounced a check every now and then, check kiting is a deliberate form of fraud. It’s a federal white collar crime and can involve sophisticated schemes and multiple banks. Yet it does not have to…
Under the federal Bank Secrecy Act, banks must report deposits, withdrawals, or transfers of more than $10,000. This doesn’t mean it’s illegal to make them, only that the federal government gets an alert when they see you do it. Some…
Upon a defense lawyer’s request, federal law requires prosecutors to give the defense copies of all the materials and evidence they intend to use at trial. This includes any evidence which may tend to support the defendant’s innocence, called exculpatory…
A geofence warrant is a warrant that goes to any company capable of tracking your location data through your cellphone. Law enforcement gets a warrant from a judge, then serves it to Google or Apple. The warrant specifies a physical…
Lying to federal agents is against the law, and the 5th Amendment will not protect you if you choose to do it. Under the 5th Amendment, you have the right to avoid incriminating yourself. At least, that’s the simplified version…
Polygraphs are notorious for being “junk science.” The technology behind them hasn’t been updated since the 1950s, and they are only 80% to 90% accurate. In fact, some experts say they don’t measure lies. They measure stress. Fear. Anxiety. In…
A proposed rule would allow immigration officials to collect DNA from detainees. This information is then placed in a national criminal database. This decision will impact 748,000 migrants. Prior to the passage of this rule, the FBI was already collecting…