Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

In a recent blog post, we discussed a rather theoretical question: Does a jury have to be unanimous to convict someone of a crime? The answer raised an even more theoretical idea: The incorporation doctrine. While very conceptual,...

In a recent blog, we covered how a mistrial was declared in a case where a man admitted to breaking off the thumb of a Terracotta Warrior in a Philadelphia museum. In that case, the 12-member jury split, 7 to 5, in favor...

Criminal charges against three people for allegedly running a scam through the website GoFundMe are wrapping up. The case highlights the power of prosecutors and vulnerable defendants to sign plea deals that serve both of their...

A mistrial has been declared in the case of a local man who had been accused of breaking off the thumb of one of the famous Terracotta Army statues while they were on exhibition at the Franklin Institute. The media has made lots...

In our last blog post, we looked at the white collar crime of investment fraud faced by the founders of the green energy company Mantria. However, the young Temple graduates behind the company are also facing other...

Graduates of Temple University are due to be sentenced for their role perpetuating a Ponzi Scheme and investment fraud. Their business, Mantria, had raised $54 million in investments on the promise to turn garbage into green...

A man in the Philadelphia area is facing numerous criminal charges for allegedly killing his ex-wife with an assault rifle in what appears to be a child custody dispute. While there are numerous facets to the scenario, one that...

Defense lawyers for Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots who has been accused of soliciting a prostitute in Florida, have filed a motion to exclude an important piece of evidence in the...

A man in Philadelphia could be charged with theft for allegedly taking money from the tip jar at a restaurant in Old City. While he could still face criminal charges, Pennsylvania’s theft laws do recognize that the...

There has been an interesting turn of events in the case of the deadly car accident that happened in Philadelphia just after New Year’s. Police are now pressing third-degree murder charges against the driver who crossed the...

The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office continues to push for some sensible reforms to the criminal justice system. The most recent movement has been against excessive probation and parole programs in Philadelphia, which...

A security guard shot and killed a man armed with a knife in a store in northern Philadelphia. The incident provides an important glimpse into an important aspect of self-defense law: the defense of justification. Security Guard...

A Philadelphia area man has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting several children at the daycare that he and his wife ran. While this particular question is a side note to the case, an interesting query to...

Police are investigating an incident where a man allegedly robbed a store in Philadelphia while with his hand in his pocket to mimic a gun. In most states, the incident would raise the question of whether this amounted to an armed...

In one of our recent blog posts, we detailed how sex crime defendants can face additional charges if they are HIV-positive. We followed that post up with an overview of how other states handle the problem of...

In a recent blog post, we discussed how a sex crime suspect could face additional charges because he had been found HIV-positive. The way Pennsylvania’s criminal law handles the situation, though, is not the...

Police have announced that a suspect who had been charged with three counts of rape in Philadelphia is HIV-positive. The incident warrants a closer look at the additional charges someone can face for a sex...

Two Pizza Deliverymen Robbed in Philadelphia On Sunday, February 24, a pizza deliveryman was robbed while on a delivery. Then, on February 27, another deliveryman was shot and killed during the course of another...

A fight outside a high school in Philadelphia was cleared away when an unknown adult brandished what seems to have been a firearm. The situation presents an opportunity to go over the limits of Pennsylvania’s “stand your...

A unique aspect of the solicitation allegations that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is facing is the threat that they suddenly pose to both his reputation and his status in the football community. The collateral...