Boston Criminal Defense Law Blog

The Boston Globe reported on Monday, that an armed intruder has broken into Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Square One Mall in Saugus. Police are currently on the scene. When the suspect is apprehended, he will be read his rights and offered the services of an attorney if he cannot afford one. This isn’t just for his…

Manslaughter and murder are two of the most serious charges that individuals face in Massachusetts. Manslaughter, or the killing of a person without premeditation, can result in legal consequences of up to 20 years in prison. Murder, or the unlawful and premeditated killing of a person, can lead to life in prison upon conviction. Defending…

Child pornography laws exist on both the federal and state level. Violations carry serious penalties upon conviction; even first-time offenders may be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. However, while there are long-established laws making it illegal to possess, produce or distribute child pornography, social media is making it more difficult to determine…

Massachusetts law outlines many scenarios that may be considered kidnapping, each requiring different facts to be established and elements to be proven. Accordingly, the legal defenses to a charge of kidnapping will depend on the nature and circumstances of the alleged crime. A previous blog post discussed some of the different actions that constitute kidnapping in Massachusetts…

Despite constituting a federal crime, kidnapping is primarily prosecuted at the state level unless the kidnapping crosses state lines. Kidnapping laws in Massachusetts are complex and outline potential legal consequences for many different scenarios. In Massachusetts, kidnapping is defined as the taking and confining, without authority, of another person against their will. Courts take several…

More than 21,000 lower-level drug-related criminal cases throughout Massachusetts have been dismissed following the fallout from a scandal at the state’s crime lab. A rogue lab technician is thought to have falsified thousands of results in cases handled over a number of years prior to her resignation in 2012, leading to one of the biggest…

For most people, the term embezzlement brings certain images to mind from federal agents loading boxes of incriminating evidence into nondescript SUVs to defendants in distinctly corporate attire walking into a federal courthouse. While these sorts of images are by no means inaccurate, they are nevertheless limited. Indeed, the reality is that it’s not just…

A Massachusetts driver and passenger are facing serious criminal charges after a traffic stop in New Bedford. The traffic stop was initiated after law enforcement from the Narcotics and Gang Unit witnessed an alleged drug transaction take place. After stopping the vehicle and searching it, police arrested two individuals who are now facing various drug…