Criminal Defense Blog

Posted By Lance Fletcher 8-Jan-2020

Sealing, Expungment, and Hiding Criminal Records in New York

Expungement and Sealing in New York New laws in New York now make it easier than ever to hide an old New York arrest. Having an arrest record can severely damage your reputation, career, professional license, immigration status, ability to travel ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 24-Jul-2019

Arrests in Port Authority and other Train Bathrooms in NYC

NYPD Crackdown on Lewdness and Exposure in Penn Station, Grand Central & other Public Bathrooms Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported about increased policing of public bathrooms in New York City. This is part of an ongoing effort by the ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 12-Jul-2018

Rolling Background Checks Becoming More Common

Rolling Background Checks at Work are Becoming More Common If someone accuses you of a crime, you could be arrested. Being arrested in New York causes an immediate record because your case and arrest information can be accessed by other people and ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 31-Jan-2018

Will I lose my job after my NYC arrest or conviction?

Will I lose my job after my New York arrest or conviction? Being arrested is a stressful experience. After the physical and psychological shock of being treated like a criminal, you have to wonder about how your arrest could harm you in the months ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 13-Feb-2017

MDMA Arrests in NYC

MDMA Possession Cases in NYC In New York, possessing more than 25mg of MDMA is a felony offense. Being caught with less than 25mg of the drug is a misdemeanor and can result in being charged with possession of a controlled substance in the 7th ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 7-Feb-2017

Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer After Arrest or Desk Appearance Ticket?

If You're not Considered poor, You may be on your own Following Arrest (but it's probably for the better) City and local government are often grappling with ways to solve funding problems. This can happen when total expenses exceed tax ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 4-Feb-2017

After Arrest, the Rich Can Buy the Outcome they Need

After Arrest, the Rich Can Buy the Outcome they Need Historically, someone arrested for a crime would hire a lawyer to argue their case in court. The rich can afford to pay for a more skilled criminal defense attorney thereby increasing their odds of ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 2-Feb-2017

New York Medical Marijuana Update

Medical Marijuana in New York State In July of 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo together with the New York State Legislature passed the Compassionate Care Act. Allowing residents of New York State, with qualify illnesses such as H.I.V./AIDS, ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 1-Feb-2017

Even Low-level Offenses Can Have Severe Consequences

Immigration Consequences Can Happen Even for Minor New York Offenses As a New York City Criminal Defense Attorney, I'm often asked if a minor offense can lead to short-term immigration consequences like problems getting back into the US or damage ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 28-Jan-2017

The Benefit of a Good Criminal Defense Attorney

Think Twice before Going to Court Alone As an attorney, I'm often asked if it makes sense to hire an attorney for certain situations that some people think aren't that serious. I almost always say yes. Sometimes I'm asked to be candid. My ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 28-Jan-2017

U.S. is Home to 5% of World's Population but 25% of its Prisoners

U.S. is Home to 5% of World's Population but 25% of its Prisoners According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the US is home to a quarter of the world's prison population despite having only 5% of the world's population. They made ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 2-Jan-2017

Financial Realities Hurt Free Lawyers & Legal Aid Attorneys

Who's Paying Your Lawyer? They say there's no such thing as a Evaluation lunch. This observation exposes the truth that everything costs something. What might be evaluation for you may have been paid for by others which raises questions about ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 27-Jun-2016

Crime and Punishment in the Post Broken Windows Era

The Link between Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoyevsky in Crime and Punishment succinctly observed that, “[t]he man who has a conscience suffers whilst acknowledging his sin. That is his punishment.” But some people’s conscience ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 27-Jun-2016

Brock Turner - Stanford Rape Case 2016

Brock Turner Brock Turner was a Stanford University student athlete swimmer who was convicted on three counts of felony sexual assault on January 18, 2015. Mr. Turner, then a 19 year old freshman, encountered the victim, a 22 year old alumna of a ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 23-Jun-2016

Accounting Error or Grand Larceny?

Bookkeepers and Accountants are Often Suspected A profession with a large amount of responsibility is something of a double edged sword. On the one hand, praise is heaped upon a person when things are going well. On the other hand, that same person ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 20-Jun-2016

The High Cost of Justice

The High Cost of Justice Clarence Earl Gideon was a homeless drifter with an eighth grade education. He had been on the streets since age 14 and had a string of nonviolent crimes like burglary and larceny in his past. Though it may not excuse his ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 20-Jun-2016

NYPD in the Bathroom - Exposure & Lewdness in NYC

NYPD in the Bathroom - Exposure and Lewdness A public restroom is almost an oxymoron. How can a place reserved for our most private moments be translated to a public facility? While there are certainly those who would take advantage of the ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 20-Jun-2016

Gravity Knives in NYC

NY’S GRAVITY KNIFE LAW We all know that it is legal to own a knife, but how do you know? I am going to go out on a limb and say that you have not read a New York statute that told you: It is legal to own a knife. You probably don’t really ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 8-Apr-2016

Enhanced Prosecution of Counterfeit Goods

Expect More Aggressive Prosecution for Selling Counterfeit Goods Counterfeiting is one of the oldest crimes. Some of the earliest examples of counterfeits goes back to the 6th century involving counterfeit coins. In the world today, counterfeit ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 6-Apr-2016

Gravity Knifes Law in New York May Violate Second Amendment

New York's Law Prohibiting Gravity Knives and other Per-se Weapons May Be Unconstitutional By Lance Fletcher, New York City Defense Attorney An important new U.S. Supreme Court decision may have far reaching consequences. In Caetano v. ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 18-Jan-2016

Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney in NYC

Hiring a Criminal Defense Attorney You’ve just been arrested and your worst fear has come true. Now what do you do? The most important thing to do when facing a criminal charge is to hire the right attorney. There are many historical reasons ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 5-Jan-2016

Medical Marijuana in New York

Medical Marijuana in New York On January 7, 2016 New York will become the twenty third state to allow people to legally possess marijuana for medical purposes. While the Compassionate Care Act was actually signed into law by Governor Cuomo in 2014, ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 12-Jul-2015

Statements You Made to the Police

Statements or Confessions May Have Severe Consequences by NYC Criminal Defense Attorneys Lance Fletcher and John Brosnan You've just been arrested in New York. In a relaxed tone of voice, the arresting officer asks your name and address which you ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 12-Jul-2015

Marijuana is Still Illegal in New York

Marijuana is Still Illegal in NYC by John Brosnan and Lance Fletcher, NYC Criminal Defense Attorneys Despite the decriminalization of marijuana, and legalization in some states, marijuana is still illegal to possess in New York City. There has been ...

Posted By Lance Fletcher 12-Jul-2015

New York City Bail

Criminal Court Bail in New York City By John Brosnan and Lance Fletcher, New York City Criminal Defense Attorneys Generally speaking, bail is a system that governs you from the time you've been arrested to the time that your case is resolved. It ...

NYC Criminal Defense Attorney