Criminal Defense

Extortion cannot be successfully prosecuted in Virginia when a threat is only made after the alleged victim has voluntarily handed over money. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I congratulate Assistant Public Defender Tabatha Blake for winning an appellate reversal of her client's extortion conviction, by...

Commonwealth of Virginia jails will report the names of all non-United States citizens to United States immigration authorities. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that the Virginia legislator has passed legislation that will limit such mandatory ICE reporting to felonies only.

County jail changes are happening in Fairfax in response to and during the pandemic. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that during Covid-19 the county jail rejects delayed jail service commencement, rejects having inmates serve multiday sentence on successive weekends (with weekends being...

Insanity is a defense often considered when the defendant is unlikely to win on a theory of defense that the alleged act took place in a murder, homicide, or other serious felony case, when the evidence of committing the act is overwhelming. As a Fairfax...

Lapdancing and motorboating are at risk of getting prosecuted along with handjobs due to new legislation (Legislation) awaiting the governor's signature, that expands the definition of prostitution. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I do not expect a gubernatorial veto, but do see the prospects at...

Reduce jail populations during this pandemic. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I know that doing so not only helps the health of inmates, but also reduces the risks of inmate unrest and rioting, and helps the health of jail employees, the general population, and judicial...

Misdemeanor convictions can be more of a headache than thought at first blush, not only for a criminal defendant's liberty, but also for reputation, security clearance, career and immigration purposes. As a Fairfax criminal defense lawyer, I know that a suspended imposition of sentence ("S.I.S.")...

Crowd limits in restaurants and other leisure venues started in the nation's capital and state to the north recently, in response to the coronavirus, and yesterday sadly came to Virginia. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I am saddened to see not only that the...

COVID-19 / coronavirus continues to spur mobilization to test for, reverse and end the virus; claim lives; spread rapidly; and lead to substantial changes and disruptions in daily life. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, I am keeping my law firm open for regular business hours...

Coronavirus reactions have reduced courthouse activity in various jurisdictions, battered the stock market, closed government activities and many educational institutions, forced quarantines, imposed travel bans, and led to such government state of emergency measures as banning large gatherings of people. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer...