Blog

Pandemic-related lockdowns and resulting isolation sparked an increase in reported domestic violence incidents in Philadelphia and across the country over the past year, according to national and local authorities. This increase has swelled the number of people needing a legal defense against such accusations. The National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice said in February… Read More »

Travel restrictions around the world have created a market for selling fake negative COVID-19 test results. Fraudulent certifications have been discovered by law enforcement officials in Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands. Europol issued an alert in early February, warning that several people had been arrested at various European airports for trying to sell fraudulent… Read More »

Amid the rash of racial injustice protests nationwide in 2020, a federal statute enacted in response to the civil unrest of the late 1960s has come into play again. The Civil Disobedience Act of 1968 has been invoked by federal prosecutors in cases across the country. In Philadelphia, a federal grand jury recently indicted four… Read More »

Four Chester County residents, are facing federal charges for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 unemployment benefits for prison inmates, who by definition are ineligible for these payments. The CARES Act, which passed in March at the onset of the pandemic, provides for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. To be eligible for PUA, a person must be… Read More »

Criminal charges associated with sex trafficking can have serious consequences and defendants in these matters should obtain counsel from a qualified lawyer. Someone who is convicted of providing or promoting sexual services for hire might face much more than a small fine and some embarrassment. But certain types of serious misconduct linked to prostitution, such… Read More »

During the coronavirus pandemic, previously bustling locations from malls to urban downtowns have gone eerily quiet. But your local pizza place might still be open, along with restaurants that can survive on takeout and delivery orders and, of course, grocery stores. After all, keeping people fed during an epidemic is critical, and food delivery and… Read More »

Across the country, stay-at-home orders have strained law enforcement and tested how far states and municipalities are willing to go to enforce the orders. These directives have triggered controversy and confusion, as standards sometimes differ from town to town or county to county. In certain instances, people who have violated government edicts designed to reduce… Read More »

Along with the serious health risks associated with coronavirus, Americans are burdened by quarantine orders and similar directives that forbid them from seeing their loved ones, even for major events such as holidays and birthdays. It can be tempting to try to break the rules, especially for people who believe that they don’t fall into… Read More »

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia recently announced a $15.5 million-dollar settlement with Guardian Elder Care Holdings, Inc., a nursing home chain with more than 50 facilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The settlement resolves claims that the company was improperly billing for medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy to its residents to boost its revenue…. Read More »

Every state in the nation has strict regulations on controlled dangerous substances (CDS). The state of Pennsylvania includes drugs like heroin, cocaine and marijuana, along with the various chemical compounds used to create them, on this list. Pennsylvania divides CDS into five different “schedules.” Schedule I includes the most dangerous drugs, those with no recognized… Read More »