Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

One of the perks of allowing each of the 50 states creates their own set of laws is that it lets states experiment with ideas for all the others to see. Right now, the state of Maine is considering a law that would allow victims...

Robert Kraft’s defense lawyers scored a big win when they were able to get potentially damning surveillance video excluded from the tycoon’s trial. However, while the development is a huge win in Kraft’s legal...

A recent situation in north Philadelphia involving three teenage boys firing a gun at a crowd of people raises important questions about when minors are prosecuted as juveniles or adults. Three Armed Boys Fire Into Philadelphia...

Pope Francis recently issued a papal decree that requires all Catholic clergy to report sexual abuse to church authorities. The decree included the need to report attempts to cover up sexual abuse but does not require clergy to...

A Philadelphia driver is in hot water after he apparently drove for several miles on Interstate 95 with no tires on his vehicle. While he has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI), the incident...

A Philadelphia man has pleaded guilty to theft of services for not paying tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The development puts an end to a watershed case of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s new efforts to...

Staff members at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia have claimed that someone driving a Jeep off-road on the Center’s walking paths has done extensive damage. The incident draws out the breadth...

Police in Philadelphia are investigating an alleged theft that implicated hundreds of thousands of dollars in advanced medical equipment. Due to the apparent value of the equipment, a conviction would be among the most...

Criminal law is very concerned with whether a suspect or defendant was aware of what they were doing at the time of an alleged crime. The reason for this concern is the almost universal agreement that someone who intentionally...

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...