Criminal Defense

Fairfax diversion is a pilot program called Taking Root, that was announced in April 2022 by county commonwealth's attorney Steve Descano, with this news release. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I have looked for but not found many details about this program outside the foregoing...

Arson investigations typically include firefighters and police. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I repeatedly analyze how the Fourth Amendment applies not only to police, but also to all other relevant government personnel, including fire fighters and government-employed emergency medical technicians (EMT's) / paramedics. Amidst horrifying...

Fairfax former prosecutor Nathan Freier claims to have been overwhelmed and undertrained to prosecute the sex crime cases he was assigned to, as stated verbatim in his email to his chief, found near the bottom of this link. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer headquartered a...

Returning allegedly stolen property is not guaranteed to avoid a theft conviction. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that doing so can reduce the harm to a Virginia criminal defendant, but does not by itself negate the prosecutor's ability to prove the theft element...

Flight under Virginia criminal law sometimes can be akin to putting a target on one's behind that says "kick me".  As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know the human tendency to flee being caught by police and falsely (or even not falsely charged) before at...

Conflicting prosecution witness testimony does not always amount to an acquittal for a Virginia criminal defendant. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that if such testimony is not irreconcilably, materially and diametrically opposed to each other, then the matter proceeds to a jury verdict...

Who is the best Fairfax criminal or DUI attorney for you? As a Virginia criminal lawyer, I know that this is a critical question that cannot be taken lightly. Your friends and family -- no matter how wise or well meaning -- may weigh in...

Virginia child abuse is a felony. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that the following behavior, if convicted, is a Class 6 felony, incarcerable up to five years in prison: "Any parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child under...

Caught red handed? As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that scenarios where this often happens include when a drug dealer learns that his customer is a cop; when a child pornography viewer learns that the Internet is not at all anonymous, as the cops...

Contraband possession convictions can result from unlawful possession of drugs, weapons, obscenity or other unlawful material. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that such possession is defined as knowledge, dominion and control over the material. Based on that, knowing presence near unlawful substances unrelated...