Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

Automatic Expungements for Marijuana Gain Popularity In recent years, the use of marijuana has become increasingly mainstream. Many states have not only decriminalized marijuana possession, but they have also taken steps to...

Recently, actress Olivia Wilde sought and received a restraining order against an apparent stalker of her family. The star, once engaged to Jason Sudeikis, applied for the restraining order to protect herself, Sudeikis, and...

The recent arrest of a Scranton man offers a useful opportunity to discuss stalking in Pennsylvania, particularly what enhancements can do to a stalking sentence. Earlier this year, Gregory Rossi, 49 of Hazelton, received 30...

No one drives perfectly. There are days, though, when the little mistakes someone else makes on the road can tip a driver over the edge. Road rage, or aggressive driving, has serious consequences both for its victims and for those...

We’ve all read procedural dramas or heard cautionary tales of situations where the punishment simply doesn’t fit the crime. When it happens in real life, however, the unfair details can be far more prosaic. Recently, a...

Rhetoric is a powerful thing. In light of COVID-19’s origins, many parties across the United States and the world began to accuse people from Asian countries as well as Asian Americans of purposefully spreading the virus....

The recent rise of true crime podcasts has made everyone a little more familiar with the term “cold case.” The reality of modern cold cases, however, is often trickier than the average podcast will make it seem. Cold cases...

During the coronavirus pandemic, Public Policy grad student Paige Oustrich wrote her master’s thesis on the requests for, and enforcement of, Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders in Pennsylvania during 2020. Her research...

A criminal record is more than just an informational document. People with criminal records struggle to move on with their lives after serving out their sentences. These parties have a more difficult time securing work, applying...

If you’re a gun owner, you can be forgiven for being confused about gun laws these days. That’s true in the United States at large, but it’s especially true in Pennsylvania. Between executive orders, legislation,...

Pennsylvania State Police arrested a West Chester man in March, charging him with contempt of court for violating a protection from abuse order (PFA). According to Patch, there was an active PFA against the man when he was found...

If you or someone you love has been convicted of a crime and is now serving time in prison, you might be wondering if there is any further recourse. Most sentences allow the offender to appeal, but once appeals are exhausted, it...

Protection from abuse orders are meant to protect the victims of abuse, but sometimes, defendants violate their orders, and the government must bring them back before the court for adjudication. Breaking a PFA, even if done...

Being charged with hiring a hitman is something that only happens in the movies, right? In Pennsylvania, the state can charge a defendant with “criminal solicitation,” which is essentially the same thing. If you or someone you...

Last month a Northumberland County Judge denied a motion for dismissal of gun charges against a witness in a 2017 homicide. Defendent Robert Villari, who has been jailed since September 2017 on an unrelated matter, was witness to...

Unfortunately, the consequences of a criminal charge don’t end when a criminal sentence is served. If jailed, victims of crime can act to block your early release, and the restrictions and stigma imposed by a criminal record...

Pennsylvania and cannabis have never really gone hand in hand. In fact, until 2016, cannabis use was illegal. In 2016, the government legalized medical marijuana use while continuing to condemn non-medical use to fines or jail...

If you or someone you love has been served with a PFA, you may be wondering what might violate the order. A PFA is a formal order that protects children or adults from physical or sexual abuse. For the court to award a PFA, the...

If you or someone you love has been charged with some form of criminal homicide (murder or manslaughter), it is essential that you understand the intricacies of the crime charged. For instance, murder in the first degree is the...

Florida Sheriff Gregory Tony has been ordered to turn over sealed juvenile records detailing criminal charges he faced as a teenager in Philadelphia, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Though juvenile records in Pennsylvania are...