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.