South Florida Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Temario D'Andre, 23, Frederick Antonio Campbell, 20, and Alex Lee Campbell, 21, were arrested by police on charges of drug trafficking in a marijuana distribution case spanning from California to Florida. According to Jacksonville Police, nearly $573,000 in cash, 100 pounds of marijuana, a few high-powered rifles and handguns. Other agencies involved were a regional High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force, the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives), and FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement).

Police say a tip from the community gave up where all the contraband would be found, with the marijuana totaling up in a street value of a hundred and twenty five grand. The traffickers were bold enough to send 50 pounds of marijuana at a time via UPS.

Drug trafficking of marijuana, cocaine, and oxycontin or other prescription pharmaceuticals carry a hefty prison term and are very damaging to oneself and to the community. Do not hesitate to contact a lawyer when you're chips are down and you need to defend yourself to the best extent of the law.

Continue reading " Law and Disorder: Drug Traffickers Caught " »

A criminal sports betting syndicate has been busted in Philadelphia.

Wagering is illegal in most states, Florida has extensive laws concerning gambling and illegal betting. South Florida is a hotspot for this sort of criminal activity. Criminal defense attorney Ralph Behr has had over 10 cases in the last two years: arrests in Fort Lauderdale, and Miami.

Wagering and betting on sports events is a felony in Florida you face arrest, and conviction after trial, just like in Philadelphia, only it's worse…… here it carries a 15 year felony prison term.

If you place wagers you can be arrested as under the principle rule. Know thy bookie. Call thy attorney. His name is Mr. Behr. Phone lines standing by.

An overlooked quality that one should seek out in a criminal defense attorney is the rigorous qualification of being Board Certified. Certification is the highest level of evaluation conducted by The Florida Bar pertaining to the experience and competency of an attorney in areas of law that are recognized for certification by the Supreme Court of Florida. During certification the bar examines the attorney's skill, special knowledge, and proficiency in their area of law, as well as other areas of law, including the ethics and professionalism in practice.

There are only 23 Board Certified Criminal Trial lawyers in Broward County, all of varying ages, backgrounds, and knowledge bases. Choosing the one right for you is pivotal if you wish to win any court case you engage in. You want one with insight, thoroughness, aggressiveness, and experience.

Continue reading " Is Having a Board Certified Lawyer Important? " »

Last week a judge turned down prosecutors' request to jail the recent $50 billion-dollar-disappear magician Madoff. He had sent many pieces of jewelry to close family in the weeks after his investigation took hold. Nearly $173 million in signed checks were stashed away in a drawer of his office, in what some would say was a daring and bold move. Prosecutors on the case are moving quickly to appeal the magistrate's decision.

White collar crimes like these truly show how voracious and destructive to one's life savings a single person you entrust with them can be. The problem is in these times, anyone and everyone can be charged with a white collar crime by a prosecutor who feels you have done wrong financially.

Don't be caught without a chair when the music stops. You need a lawyer to defend your rights and protect you from aggressive prosecutors. See that you get the representation you need. Criminal defense Attorney Ralph Behr is a NASD Arbitrator and knows how the financial markets work and how prosecutors frame and prosecute white collar charges in State and Federal courts in South Florida. South Florida criminal defense attorney Ralph Behr will defend you aggressively. South Florida criminal defense attorney Ralph Behr will work for you by getting you quick, prompt, and effective defense in South Florida State and Federal Courts.

Continue reading " Bernard Madoff, Still A Free Man " »

STRAIGHT OUT OF LAS VEGAS!!

Ryan Michael Cataneo, 40, was taken into custody without incident by U.S. Marshals this month at the Wild Wild West casino-hotel several blocks off the Las Vegas Strip. He was a fugitive in the murder of his wife in Florida.

Assistant Chief Deputy Marshal Javier Jimenez says Cataneo was wanted on a warrant issued in Pinellas County of Florida in the November murder of Deana Cataneo, 39. He was pending an extradition hearing in the state court system out of Clark County.

It was not immediately known if Cataneo had a lawyer.

Continue reading " Vegas Fugitive Finds His Way Back Home to Florida " »

Criminals who recklessly endanger your safety have been and will most likely always be out in our society. Many citizens speculate that the threat will only increase in these upcoming times of financial hardship and rising stress. There will be massive budget cuts in education, juvenile justice, drug programs, prosecutor's offices and courts. In turn, robberies, drug dealing, and various violent crimes might escalate and will impact you and your family. Should you protect yourself from the physical harm of another individual acting illegally, you should have a lawyer to protect your self-defense interests.

Out of Orlando, reports have it that an average of 14 shots fired calls are sent in daily to local police departments. Police are out manned and outgunned to simply go after every call and perpetrator in a timely and effective manner. Citizens have been taking their mortal safety into their own hands by carry of concealed weapons or placing them in their vehicles should they ever need them.

Last month the Orlando Sentinel had a story detailing how the state's "10-20-Life" sentencing provisions are nothing more than a farcical slogan. In a four-year period, only 5 percent of the 7,437 gun suspects arrested in Orange on gun charges received a mandatory sentence.

If you are in a self-defense situation, do not answer the many questions that police will use to incriminate you or build a false case against you. Just say you want to speak with your lawyer. Mr. Behr can be your lawyer in your time of need.

Continue reading " The Future of Crime Fighting Is In Your Hands " »

Jamie M. Stringfield, 22, faces felony charges of grand theft auto out of Collier County. Officers say she stole a doctor’s car from a North Naples hospital parking garage while he was tending to a sick child. The keys were left on the counter and she simply took them.

Deputies arrested Stringfield after video surveillance footage showed her entering and stealing the Infinity, which was parked in the hospital parking garage, reports said. One of Stringfield's family members told deputies that Stringfield had accompanied her to the hospital Tuesday, reports said.

Continue reading " South Florida Car Theft in The News " »

If you're under probation for any conviction, you are under contract with the State to maintain certain restrictions and activities. There are different types of probation you may be under.
Administrative probation means:

a form of noncontact supervision in which an offender who presents a low risk of harm to the community may, upon satisfactory completion of half the term of probation, be transferred by the Department of Corrections to nonreporting status until expiration of the term of supervision.

Administrative probation is only one type of probation out there. You may be under community control, drug offender probation, or sex offender probation. All are serious matters and must be dealt with accordingly. It's your life and if you want to keep it on track, you are advised to follow orders as specified in your specific case.

Continue reading " Violation of Probation Is A Serious Matter " »

Have you ever been in a situation where self-defense was warranted? Harmful force to yourself may be met with equal force in defense, in most scenarios involving civilian to civilian confrontation. Self-defense is a defense commonly asserted by someone charged with a crime of violence, such as battery (striking someone), assault with a deadly weapon, or murder. The defendant admits that she did in fact commit the crime, but claims that it was justified by the other person's threatening actions.

This means that you do not have to wait until you are struck the first blow in order to strike your own, in most cases. You must be VERY SURE that if you deliver force it will prevent the unavoidable injury of the aggressor's deliberate and violent actions to your self.

In the State of Florida, if you are struck with a garden hose, you cannot use a firearm in self-defense. Yet if you are imminently about to be attacked with a knife or firearm by an aggressor or aggressors, you may use deadly force to prevent injury or death to your body.

Continue reading " Florida Authorizes Force in Defending Yourself from Force " »

With the economy tanking, those who took advantage of the situation are now feeling the heat. Anthony Dehaney, 57, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for concocting a $12 million mortgage fraud scheme that helped slide the Florida market and economy further downward than it already was. He pled guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and bankruptcy fraud.

The criminal proceedings for the Jamaican national were in order and final in verdict. The defendant stated during trial that he started in 2002 by investing in real estate. Egged on by other mortgage professionals, he let the details slide on loan applications. Dehaney admitted to fudging mortgage loan applications on no less than 20 properties in Broward county from Jan 03 to Aug 06. Some lofty properties noted in the report were that of 3 different properties on 26th Street located in Wilton Manors and a Coral Springs home valued at $1.4 million.

US District Judge William Dimitrouleas viewed the sentencing as a "signal to others tempted to skirt the law 'to make a quick easy buck' ." Dehaney's actions were only a drop in the pool of what has caused banks to lose millions.

This particular case has also been noted as one of the most severe in sentencing of any mortgage fraud case, even going over the prosecutor's recommendation of a 5 year prison term.

The sentence--among the toughest to date in a mortgage fraud case--exceeds a prosecutor's recommendation for a roughly five-year prison term. "As real estate prices escalated, things were moving so fast no one realized what they were doing," he said. "Everyone was trying to make money."

Continue reading " South Florida White Collar Crimes " »

Willie H. Nowell's death sentence was overturned recently by the high court. Nowell and his accomplice were charged with the following:

(1) first-degree premeditated murder; (2) attempted first-degree premeditated murder; (3) killing of an unborn child by injury to the mother; (4) armed burglary of a structure while inflicting great bodily harm or death; (5) robbery with a firearm while inflicting great bodily harm or death; (6) kidnapping while inflicting great bodily harm or death; (7) another count of kidnapping while inflicting great bodily harm or death; (8) grand theft of a motor vehicle; (9) possession of firearm by convicted felon (Bellamy); and (10) possession of firearm by convicted felon (Nowell)

A new trial of his previous first-degree murder conviction was ordered with new directions for the re-do trial. This decision by the court is unprecedented and extremely rare as the court almost never overturns death penalty cases.

The original issue seen by Supreme Court judges was that the trial court judge had "made a mistake "by not not ruling that the prosecutor had made improper comments during his closing arguments in the trial's penalty phase, by arguing that Nowell didn't deserve "mercy." " Further questionable acts were discovered in the juror filtering of a Hispanic individual thought to be based on his race.

Continue reading " Florida Supreme Court Overturns Death Penalty Case " »

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA

Residents of a quiet community in the area were disturbed by graffiti found on the white wall separating Shady Banks from Davie Road and I-95. ''It's a big surprise,'' said Paul DaCosta, 56, who has lived on the street for the past 36 years. ``What was written is really offensive.''

Swastikas and various slurs against police were found painted in bright orange. Phrases like "No police state" and "Cops kill" were found scattered on the wall in this small dead-end road. ''I can't imagine it being a real hate crime,'' said Blake Plyler, 25, who moved into the neighborhood last May. Plyler did find the messages "troubling" but hasn't seen gang activity in the area since he moved in.

Neighbors in the community said they have never seen something like this before and equated it to a threat on the homeowners. ''That's what got everybody up in arms,'' said Flak, 42, who called police after seeing the orange scribbling when retrieving something from his car.

Continue reading " Fort Lauderdale Vandalism Stirs Up Local Community " »

If you have a federal or Florida State conviction for a felony and reside in the State of Florida, you CANNOT own or possess a firearm as designated per F.S. 790.23. A firearm is defined:

...any weapon (including a starter gun) which will, is designed to, or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; the frame or receiver of any such weapon; any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; any destructive device; or any machine gun. The term "firearm" does not include an antique firearm unless the antique firearm is used in the commission of a crime.

If you have been wrongfully arrested and accused in South Florida, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or any city in Broward County, of displaying, discharging, or owning a firearm under any of the aforementioned conditions or other related ones, Attorney Behr is ready to answer any questions you may have. With over 30 years experience, Attorney Behr has acquired the fortitude and confidence to handle all gun related charges you may be charged with.

Continue reading " Felony Possession of Firearms Easiest To Avoid " »

James Ray Booth, 59, once a convict serving a life sentence, now serves a 10 year sentence. He was charged in 2006 with first-degree murder yet acquitted of aggravated battery and armed burglary recently this year in a new trial. The jury found nevertheless guilty of third-degree murder and aggravated assault with a firearm, two charges that were of lesser severity than former charges.

The lengthy legal procedings in court with Prosecutor Pete Magrino and the suspect's attorney, Patricia Jenkins, argued over legal semantics. The final verdict was two consecutive life sentences and 20 years in prison for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Continue reading " Florida Convict Gets Sentence Lowered " »

Some predict Barack Obama, the President-Elect, to become one of the most stringent opposers of anti-gun control legislation. Record numbers of concerned citizens have gone in droves to gun stores across the state to purchase firearms they would otherwise have never bought.

Florida Law states that one must maintain a Concealed Weapons License if carrying a weapon on your person, yet no license is required for ownership in one's place of residence or business.

With the boom in firearm sales and similar products thought to made illegal by Obama's upcoming administration, please be careful and safe in the storage, handling, and usage of said firearms.

Continue reading " Fearful Citizens Arm Up For Impending Obama Presidency " »

Over the summer of 2008, Haiti was hit hard by four consecutive hurricanes and tropical storms almost immediately after experiencing multiple food riots. Displaced by the storms were thousands of people, many were left starving. With no help from distant humanitarian aid, the future looks more bleak than ever.

Though recovery efforts have slowly commenced, much of Haiti remains in a state of destruction. 40,000 people are in make-shift shelters, and severe proper food sustenance issues have risen. Yet deportation levels are on the rise, according to national statistics.

Following the destruction of the inclement weather over Haiti, deportation flights of Haitian nationals had been suspended following serious concern from immigration advocates and political party offices. While the following sudden resumption of deportations is not a positive sign, the way in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) went about implementing this change is cause for controversy.

Continue reading " Haitian Immigration Woes In South Florida " »