Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

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...

When someone accuses you of abuse, it’s natural to feel scared about the potential consequences of those claims on your reputation, livelihood, and freedom. Sometimes those fears can morph into a desire for revenge because...

One of the more frustrating limitations that a criminal record imposes is fewer employment options. Millions of Americans nationwide cannot find well-paying jobs that match their skillsets due to their prior offenses. Since...

On January 21st, Pennsylvania state police arrested a Lebanon County man en route to Washington, D.C. with an AR-15 rifle, two handguns, rope, and ammunition. Police stopped him at a gas station near Shippensburg after the...

In 2018, Pennsylvania passed its Clean Slate legislation (“Clean Slate”). Under the law, legislators added first-degree misdemeanor offenses punishable by imprisonment of no more than 2 years and upgraded offenses...

A recent article by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that lawmakers are pushing for legislation expunging low-level offender records. Under the old legislature, a judge determined an offender’s eligibility for...

A distressing video of a double homicide-suicide in Plains Township, Pennsylvania, made national and global news in early February. The footage shows three neighbors arguing over a snow shoveling incident, but the argument quickly...

A recent In Touch article alleges that former Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowry filed a protection from abuse order (PFA) against ex-boyfriend Chris Lopez. Lowry, who has a child with Lopez and was pregnant at the time of the...

Sometimes people make mistakes, particularly when they are young. Unfortunately, while our justice system’s goal is supposed to be rehabilitation, it often becomes about punishment. After a felony conviction, even for...

Legalizing marijuana or cannabis both medically and recreationally has been a movement across the country. But right now, federal law still prohibits the use and possession of recreational marijuana. As a result, some state...

In Pennsylvania and many states, did you know that you can go to jail for murder even if you didn’t kill or even intend to hurt anyone? If someone dies during the commission of a felony, anyone involved in that crime can...

Despite overwhelming bipartisan support from Michigan’s House and Senate, Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently vetoed an expungement reform bill that would have allowed past offenders to petition for an expungement of...

As legislators across the country passed laws legalizing marijuana, people with past convictions for pot-related crimes wonder whether those reforms will help them. Some states have made pot expungements automatic as a function of...