All criminal charges dropped for tourist found with illegal gun (Manhattan)
2020
Our client, visiting New York with his family, was found to be in possession
of an illegal loaded firearm. The police, seeing this, asked our client
about it and our client admitted that it was his. He was
arrested and traveled to see us for the
case evaluation. During the
case evaluation, we discussed the fact that gun charges, in New York, are serious because
you face a 3.5 year sentence even if it is your first time being
arrested and even if no one got hurt with the gun. Additionally, the case against
our client was strong given that he was found in possession and confessed.
We proposed several strategies that have helped similar clients in similar
situations and started working on his case right away after being retained.
We contacted the prosecutor and started immediate negotiations to avoid
the harsh outcomes that are possible in cases like this. After several
months of negotiation and meetings, we worked out a deal with the prosecutor
where our client would only be convicted of a non-criminal offense called
disorderly conduct. As part of this deal, there was no
jail, no criminal record, no probation, and only a small fine.