Cleveland Criminal Law Blog

Man accused of theft, scamming homeowners faces felony charges

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Felonies on Thursday, July 5, 2018.

A man in Milford has been charged in relation to a roofing scam, according to a July 2 report. The report out of Cincinnati states that there were nine different homeowners who were stolen from during the course of the scam.

The man accused of scamming the homeowners, a 35-year-old, faces a total of eight felonies for stealing from the elderly. Six are fourth-degree felonies, and two were raised to third-degree felonies. He also faces 10 counts for theft. Those are also felony charges of the fourth- and fifth-degrees.

Cyberterror: Defending yourself successfully

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Internet Crimes on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.

Cyberterrorism is any politically motivated and prearranged attack that is made against data, computer systems or computer programs that results in violence against those who are not combatant targets.

Cyberterrorist attacks are created to physically harm people in the United States. The U.S. Commission of Critical Infrastructure Protection states that cyberterrorists tend to target power plants, water systems, the banking industry, military installations and air traffic control centers, but there are no targets that specifically fall into cyberterror categories.

The blurred line between the juvenile and adult justice systems

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Drug Charges on Thursday, June 28, 2018.

The mission of the U.S. judicial system is to faithfully enforce the law and protect its citizens. Since the 1800s, the U.S. has had two separate judicial systems: one for adults and one for juveniles. Back then, people under the age of eighteen who allegedly committed a crime received more leniency in juvenile court. Over the passing generations, however, society has called for tougher sentencing, even for the once protected class of youth.

In Ohio, trying and sentencing someone as young as fourteen as an adult is legal. It's the job of criminal defense lawyers to ensure that a fair trial occurs.

Embezzlement: Develop a strong defense

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in White Collar Crimes on Wednesday, June 20, 2018.

Embezzlement might not seem like it's hurting anything or anyone when you're doing it. Taking a small amount of money from a cash register each day and manipulating the data to show that nothing is missing is a good, simple example. The problem is that even if no one gets hurt, it's still a crime.

When you do this, it's called accounting embezzlement. While major embezzling usually occurs in employment and corporate fields, it can occur in other sectors.

Several consequences to committing mortgage fraud

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in White Collar Crimes on Friday, June 15, 2018.

Mortgage fraud is one of the most complex forms of fraud, and its prevalence has only increased since the housing market crashed in 2008 - scrutinizing new transactions and investigating past ones. It's important to comprehend what mortgage fraud is and what the penalties are to avoid any issues.

Boating in Ohio: Restrictions on alcohol and drug use

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Drug Charges on Thursday, June 14, 2018.

Operating any vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal in Ohio. No one is allowed to operate or control a vehicle, water skis or other devices if they are on drugs or under the influence of alcohol. If a person is impaired when driving any kind of vehicle, he or she could be putting him or herself and others in danger.

Ohio's laws state that people are considered impaired or to be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol if they have blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .08 percent or higher or if they are impaired by any kind of drug, controlled substance or combination of items.

What happens if you're caught with heroin?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Drug Charges on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.

Ohio heroin laws aim to protect individuals by restricting the use of this dangerous drug. It is illegal to possess, sell or distribute heroin in Ohio, except for in some extremely specific scenarios, like if you're working with the drug in a professional capacity.

As a typical person caught with heroin, it's important to know that there are some options open to you. Simply possessing heroin comes with the possibility of six months in prison in Ohio, but thanks to drug courts, you may have alternative options. Those who go to the drug courts often have specialized options for their cases, such as seeking addiction treatment instead of sending the accused to prison.

How many people are victims of internet fraud yearly?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Internet Crimes on Monday, June 4, 2018.

The latest release of internet crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has shown that victims lost in excess of $1.3 billion in 2017 as a result of internet crimes.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) displayed data showing that the costs could be spread among at least 10 different internet crimes. Some included real estate or rental crimes, credit card fraud and nondelivery or nonpayment fraud. Each of these cost victims millions of dollars in 2017 in total.

Vandalism in Ohio: Railroads versus general vandalism

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Felonies on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.

When you think of vandalism, you might imagine a person painting graffiti on a wall or damaging a neighbor's plants. Usually, it's something seen as a juvenile crime, but that's not always the reality. Depending on the kind of damage caused, a person can face a felony for vandalizing a property.

For example, if you vandalize a property and cause significant harm to it or create a risk of harm to people who use that property, you could be charged with a fourth-degree felony. If you cause serious physical harm to someone as a result of your actions, you'll face a second-degree felony. For simple physical harm, you'll face a third-degree felony.