Cleveland Criminal Law Blog

Overdose leads to arrest of 32-year-old man

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Drug Charges on Friday, April 20, 2018.

When someone dies as a result of someone else's actions, the person who caused the death is normally held accountable. In the past, drug-related deaths weren't always treated that way, but they are today. If you give someone drugs, you could be held accountable if that person dies or suffers injuries as a result.

That's what happened in this case in Cleveland. Investigators looking into a woman's fatal overdose have linked her death to a prostitution ring in Cleveland Heights. According to a news report from March 29, a 32-year-old man was arrested in relation to the woman's death after being accused of running a prostitution ring and giving the woman a fatal overdose of drugs.

2 officers dragged as suspect attempts to flee

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Felonies on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

If an officer asks you to pull over, the best thing you can do is to follow directions. If you don't, you could end up getting yourself into more trouble than if you had just listened to begin with.

Take, for example, this case out of Cleveland. Two officers ended up in a dangerous situation when they attempted to remove a passenger from a stopped vehicle. The driver did not want them to remove the passenger and attempted to flee.

What can you do to stay safer online?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Internet Crimes on Thursday, April 5, 2018.

-You love to go online and shop, but recently, you've been shut out of your account. The company called and said it blocked your purchases because you triggered an alert. Several days later, you were stopped by the police on your way into your house, accused of stealing someone else's credit-card information.

You know you didn't do any such thing, but somehow, the other person's credit-card information made its way into your account. It could be something as easy as a glitch or using a public computer that led to this mix-up, but now you're in trouble with the law.

What is mass marketing fraud?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in blog on Friday, March 30, 2018.

Mass marketing fraud involves any scheme that uses some form of mass communication, such as radio, television and mail, to acquire money in either one jurisdiction or several. In the modern digital age, this form of fraud has even extended into the realm of social media.

In many cases, the fraudulent party informs the victims of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a ton of money. The party may even engage in high pressure sales tactics to get unsuspecting victims to act fast before this "opportunity" goes away. There are different types of mass marketing fraud present in the United States.

Medical marijuana can still result in charges

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Drug Charges on Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

Ohio does allow for medical marijuana to be used for patients in need. There are things to know, though, especially if you're being accused of a drug crime related to marijuana use. In fall 2018, medical marijuana will be available for the first time ever in Ohio. It will only be allowed to be sold by approved retailers starting in September. Each sale is taxed.

Ohio will allow for the sale of buds, edibles, concentrates and tinctures. Dosages of any of these could be anywhere from $5 to $20. Some edibles cost as little as $3.

Potential defenses to mortgage fraud charges

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in White Collar Crimes on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

Mortgage fraud is a serious crime, not only in the state of Ohio, but also throughout the country. There are federal laws in place that attempt to prevent such a crime. Despite this, there are still people who complete fraudulent mortgage applications, either purposefully or by accident. It is estimated that 10 percent of all applications are fraudulent due to simple mistakes made. Today, we will discuss some common defenses used when faced with mortgage fraud charges in Cleveland.

If you made an honest mistake on the application or didn't know that you were being misled by the mortgage company, you will need to prove this in order to have the charges dropped. This can be done by bringing in expert witnesses for testimony. You might also want to have a forensic accountant or a property valuation expert conduct an investigation with a white collar crime attorney on your behalf.

Renting with a felony: Things to consider

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Felonies on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

When you're living with a felony, there's a potential for your past to make your present very difficult. It's particularly difficult for some people with criminal pasts to rent apartments.

Everyone needs somewhere to live, so having difficulty getting an apartment is a big deal. Sadly, even if it's been 10 or 15 years since a conviction, there's a chance it could still hold you back from getting an apartment to call home. A landlord has the right to refuse you based on your criminal history at his or her discretion.

Trial set for Akron board member accused of possessing marijuana

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

If you remember a previous post, a former Akron school board member had been accused of using opioids and other drug crimes. The man, who has a trial date in early April, still has a pending drug case against him, but he has completed a detoxification program in hopes of reducing the penalties.

The man's attorney stated that he would like to reach an agreement with the prosecution before this case goes to trial. In the meantime, the attorney's 57-year-old client is doing everything that he can to help himself, including going through detoxification. The 57-year-old man is also accused of using marijuana, which he pleaded not guilty to thus far.

Why aren't cybercrimes easy to prosecute?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in Internet Crimes on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.

Cybercrimes are interesting, because while they may also involve crimes that take place in the real world, they primarily take place online. Someone may hack into your email and get your credit card numbers before using them to make a purchase online, or someone might steal your identity and make a real estate purchase before you know you've been a victim of fraud at all.

The reason that people who are accused of cybercrimes don't always get prosecuted is that it's very difficult to prove who committed a crime. While it may be easy to link a specific computer to a crime, that's not necessarily enough to link an individual to it. Additionally, it's easy to make it seem like one person committed a crime by rerouting the investigators to different ISPs, essentially throwing the investigation off the tracks of the actual perpetrators.

What is insider trading?

On behalf of The Goldberg Law Firm posted in blog on Tuesday, February 27, 2018.

It seems like there are constant news stories about insider trading. You may be familiar with the incident that sent Martha Stewart to federal prison. But you do not need to be wealthy or famous to be guilty of this white-collar crime. In fact, it is possible to commit insider trading without even realizing it.

But you may still be unsure about exactly what insider trading is and how it works. Here is a look at this unique white-collar crime and what the consequences of engaging in it may be.