Cleveland Criminal Law Blog

If you face a federal white collar crime charge in Ohio, you and your attorney may have the opportunity to enter into a plea bargain agreement with the prosecutor. It may surprise you to learn that upwards of 90 percent of federal white collar criminal cases are resolved this way. In addition, for those defendants who choose not to accept a plea bargain, juries convict about 90 percent of them.

You need to understand that in any plea bargain you gain certain advantages, such as a possibly reduced prison sentence and the monetary savings of not having to take your case all the way to jury trial. Unfortunately, however, you also agree to certain negative things in a plea bargain, including the following:

• You give up your constitutionally protected right to a jury trial.
• You have to admit your guilt in open court.
• You become a convicted felon.
• Normally you give up the right to appeal your conviction.
• Normally you cannot later change your mind and rescind your plea agreement.

Being faced with a drug charge in Cleveland, Ohio, is stressful. You either have to fight the charge or take the punishment that the court hands you -- so it makes sense to start looking at your possible defenses.

Today, we will look at the best way to mount a strong defense to drug charges in Ohio.

Cyberstalking is a rather loosely-defined crime in that it can encompass a whole host of different activities that are carried out online. As much as the internet has changed our lives and our communication over the past few decades, it has also changed criminal activity. It is important to know how this works.

Generally speaking, cyberstalking is just the act of harassing or stalking someone -- or, in some cases, an entire group -- using "electronic means." Often, this means going on the internet, but not always. For instance, text messages could also constitute cyberstalking. The same is true for messages on social media or emails. If it takes place on an electronic device, it may qualify.

In our digital era, more people have access to the internet than ever before. This has many advantages—it means that people around the world can communicate with each other more quickly than ever, sharing their experiences and ideas. However, the age of the internet comes with disadvantages as well: Cybercrime, for example, is at a peak.