New Jersey Criminal Defense Blog

According to a bangordailynews.com article, a 42-year-old Jersey City native has been sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for his part in a cocaine distribution ring which extended from Mexico to the Bronx to Maine. After he finishes his prison term, the man will begin a three year supervised release sentence. Based on the report, the convicted man may receive treatment and counseling for his drug addiction while in prison and on supervised release per the U.S. District Judge’s recommendation.

Similar to this man’s situation, many individuals arrested for drug-related crimes in New Jersey and across the nation are in serious need of drug rehabilitation and counseling to help them combat their addiction(s). The man’s attorney stated that the defendant saw two murders while growing up in New Jersey and developed a “lifestyle of substance abuse.”

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Although New Jersey’s overall crime rate for 2009 will not be determined until next summer, preliminary homicide reports have shown a decline for the third straight year. Based on a dailyrecord.com report, preliminary murder statistics in New Jersey show a downward crime trend that may be attributed to a state plan combating violent crimes. Other credited crime prevention tactics include advanced surveillance and security systems, more intelligent deployment of police resources, stronger drug and gun laws, and harsher sentencing guidelines.

According to the Uniform Crime Report, the number of violent crimes in New Jersey decreased by 1 percent. Even though this decline is small, it shows that the number of incidents have decreased seven years in a row. The report also shows that there were 26 crime victims for every 1,000 residents last year, which is up from 25 per 1,000 in 2007.

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An off-duty New Jersey State Police sergeant has been charged with drunken driving after being involved in a two-vehicle collision on December 17, 2009 in Allamuchy Township. According to a lehighvalleylive.com article, the 45-year-old sergeant from Sussex County is suspended from duty at the Hope Township station without pay until the investigation is complete.

In addition to charges for driving while under the influence of alcohol, the man is also being charged with refusing to submit to an alcohol breath test, failing to report an accident with injuries, and leaving the scene of an accident. At the time of the article’s release, information was not provided regarding who endured injuries or how severe those injuries were.

When an individual is charged with DUI or DWI on top of other offenses, several complex legal issues may arise and a person’s reputation may never be the same. Being accused of drunken driving in New Jersey can bring about serious consequences, such as lengthy jail time, steep fines, driver’s license suspension, becoming unemployed, and much more. However, with skilled legal counsel on your side, you may be able to have the charges against you reduced or even dismissed completely.

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A 51-year-old Newark woman pleaded guilty to a third-degree charge of receiving stolen property. She admitted to being involved in a conspiracy with a former employee of the City of Newark to steal from the federally funded WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program through fraudulent vouchers. According to a jacksonnjonline.com article, the state will suggest that the woman be sentenced to a term of probation under her plea agreement. Her sentencing is set for March 3, 2010.

The article also discusses that an ongoing investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau determined that between December 1, 2005, and January 31, 2007, over $1 million was to be issued in fake vouchers by the accused individuals. The investigation started when the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and the Newark Department of Health and Human Services warned the Division of Criminal Justice about suspected voucher thefts from the Newark WIC Program. As a consequence, the former WIC employee was sentenced in 2009 to eight years in state prison for second-degree official misconduct for his part in the scheme.

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