I represented a client today in the Bridgewater Municipal Court who was charged with shoplifting under N.J.S.A. 2C:20-11, a disorderly persons offense. The client was facing the following if convicted: A $1,000 fine, up to six (6) months in the county jail, and a permanent criminal charge on his record. Furthermore, our client was in the country on a visa and was not a citizen. In fact, he was in the process of filing for his citizenship after being in the country for twenty years. He had no prior criminal record. If he was convicted of shoplifting in New Jersey, which is considered a “crime of moral terpitude”, he would most likely be denied his citizenship and could even be deported from the country.
Continue Reading Bridgewater NJ Shoplifting Charges Dropped

Judge Robert Gilson denied the defense’s motion to dismiss the indictment against Kashif Parvaiz, accused of conspiring with a female friend to kill his wife in August 2011. The Judge denied the defense’s motion to dismiss the 17 count indictment which includes murder, conspiracy, weapons charges, and child endangerment. The defense argued that the State failed to enter potentially exculpatory evidence during the grand jury proceeding and that the State failed to determine if the grand jurors were biased or partial based on the amount of media coverage of the case prior to the presentation for the indictment.
Continue Reading Judge denies motion to dismiss indictment in Boonton homicide case

A woman allegedly crashed her vehicle and fled the scene in Bloomingdale earlier this month and when the police found her she “did not appear to be dressed appropriately for the cold weather”. Several officers responded to the report of an accident at 4:17 a.m., according to the Bloomingdale news release which was titled “DWI & Injured naked female”.
Continue Reading Injured naked female flees DWI crash, Bloomingdale police report

A man showed up at the Chester Municipal Court high on heroin and was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of heroin after a search of his vehicle revealed large quantities of heroin along with marijuana and drug paraphernalia. After the man arrived in court clearly under the influence of something, police officers questioned him and he had trouble staying awake. He then admitted that he had used heroin earlier in the day.
Continue Reading Man shows up in Chester court high, has 236 packets of heroin in vehicle

Madison police released photos Friday of robbery suspects, a man and woman, who allegedly tried to rob a money transfer service on Cook Avenue last month. According to reports, a woman entered Giro express first around noon on February 21 and engaged in conversation with a store employee. She then left and a moment later a man showed up brandishing a silver handgun and demanding money.
Continue Reading Madison police release photos of robbery suspects

Parsippany police had a busy week last week as they reportedly arrested eight women for prostitution after an investigation using undercover cops and the internet led to these arrests. The investigation was also fueled by tips from hotel owners, guests, and residents about a possible prostitution ring in the area. Parsippany is a prime location for prostitutes to work and meet their clients because it is accessible by three major highways: 80, 46, and 287.
Continue Reading Parsippany police arrested eight prostitutes in a week, according to reports

A 50-year-old Morris Township man was arrested and charged after an attempted arson of a Masonic lodge on Maple Avenue in Morristown earlier this month. According to reports, the defendant broke into the lodge with gas cans and plans of setting fire to the Masonic lodge when he was detected by a property manager who fought with him and detained him until police arrived. When police arrived, the two men were fighting and were immediately detained. The caretaker of the property suffered minor injuries from the altercation.
Continue Reading Man apprehended during attempted arson of Masonic lodge in Morristown

I recently represented a client who was charged with shoplifting in Middlesex County, New Jersey. First, she was charged with an indictable (felony) shoplifting case. Based on the fact that she had no prior criminal record, I was able to obtain her admission into the Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) program. This was crucial in this case because the defendant was not a US citizen and was a green-card holder. As a result, if she was convicted of a felony shoplifting offense she would undoubtedly be deported from the country. PTI allowed her to remain in the country and, if she successfully completed probation, the charges would be dismissed.
Continue Reading Middlesex County and Old Bridge NJ Shoplifting Success Stories

A 24-year-old Connecticut woman was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs (DUI) after allegedly falling asleep at the wheel and crashing her vehicle on Route 46 in Mount Olive, New Jersey. The officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle and found the driver asleep behind the wheel with her airbags deployed, indicating that the vehicle had recently been in an accident. Officers found a prescription bottle in the vehicle with twenty-seven (27) various pills which the driver did not have a prescription for.
Continue Reading Woman charged with drug DUI after falling asleep behind wheel, Mount Olive police say

A Boonton man took 48 cough and cold pills and Xanex and then got behind the wheel of his vehicle, according to local police. Then, while in the vehicle, he smoked marijuana with his passenger. The man was pulled over for running a red light around 1 a.m. in Lake Hopatcong and the officer smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver was barely able to speak and the officer discovered that he had taken 48 cough and cold pills and Xanex before driving.
Continue Reading Boonton man takes 48 pills, Xanex, smoked pot and then drove, police say