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.”

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.

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.

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.

Apparently, the accountant took 30,000 shares of stock and $500,000 from the retirement, stock-option and profit sharing plans of Bel Fuse, Inc. The certified public accountant was in charge of managing the Bel Fuse, Inc. day-to-day stock options plan, 401(k) plan, and profit-sharing plan. After it was discovered that he was illegally transferring stock to himself and inflating his contributions to the company’s 401(k) and profit-sharing plans, he was fired during a routine audit. During the recent hearing, the man also admitted to illegally transferring 2,000 shares of stock into a brokerage account regulated by his son who was not an employee of Bel Fuse.

According to an nj.com story, the two individuals charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance under 50 grams have been profiled in the nationally broadcast “Brick City” documentary. Apparently, after citing their vehicle for a non-moving violation, a state trooper smelled marijuana, searched their vehicle, and found marijuana. A third individual in the vehicle was arrested on the same charges as the documentary participants.

Motorists should be aware of the potential side effects of a prescription drug or over-the-counter medication. Some of these reactions may include drowsiness, nausea, excitability, sight-related issues, or impairment of motor functions, all of which may affect a person’s ability to operate a vehicle. Also, an individual may experience these effects if a certain medication, whether over-the-counter or prescription, was mixed with alcohol or illegal drugs.

So why the falling numbers? Apparently, casinos throughout Atlantic City have enhanced in-house security. Also helping lower crime is the growth of police forces within the area. In addition, there seems to be greater concern regarding comprehensive studies of what crimes happen where and when, whether victims and perpetrators know each other, and whether or not they are residents.

Although the flow in crime-patterns is in Atlantic City’s favor, especially with thefts being the lowest in 2008 (2,927 incidents) since casinos opened, crime did rise in the first 10 years of casino operation. It is promising though that within the last 20 years, crime has fallen. Some other reasons for this decline include an increase in recreational outlets for at-risk children, low-income neighborhoods being destroyed, and casinos working more diligently to recruit job applicants from low-income neighborhoods.

The director of Drug Policy Alliance New Jersey provided the following statement: “Twenty years ago, New Jersey began implementing harsh mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. These laws have been a spectacular failure. They have done nothing to decrease drug activity and have filled New Jersey’s prisons with nonviolent drug offenders at great cost to New Jersey taxpayers.”

In encouraging the committee’s willingness to consider Senate bill 1866, the director and many others hope that the new bill will prevent any further exceptional levels of incarceration and huge amounts of taxpayer money spent; both of which resulted from the Comprehensive Drug Reform Act’s initiation in 1986. Based on additional information provided by the Drug Policy Alliance Network, approximately twenty years ago, only 11% of individuals in prison were serving mandatory minimum sentences. Today, about 69% are serving mandatory sentences. Also, in 1987, only 11% of the New Jersey prison populated was incarcerated for drug offenses. Now, 29% of the prison population is incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses.

The former NBA player was acquitted in 2004 for aggravated manslaughter, but was convicted of covering-up the shooting, which took place at his mansion in New Jersey. In awaiting a second trial for reckless manslaughter, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence, the jury deadlocked on the reckless manslaughter count.

Apparently, the man entered his plea on November 17, 2009 and the Superior Court Judge addressing his case set the man’s sentencing date for February 22, 2010. In negotiating a plea agreement, the accused man faces a sentence of seven years in state prison. He will also have to reimburse FMI Inc. approximately $126,600 to cover its losses because he used a company credit card for personal expenses amounting to $150,880.97. Furthermore, the man is also charged with buying computer equipment worth $729,550.57, re-selling the materials, and keeping the profits for himself.

Although the man in this particular case pleaded guilty to the charges against him, doing so is not applicable in every criminal case. It is advisable for anyone considering entering a plea agreement for a white collar crime to first speak with a skilled New Jersey white collar crime attorney. White collar crimes in New Jersey are very serious offenses that may pertain to the following:

• Extortion


• Credit card fraud


• Money laundering


• Forgery


• Embezzlement


• Perjury


• Internet fraud

The Division of Highway Safety will use this opportunity to educate motorists about the consequences of driving while impaired. When stopped at the DWI checkpoints, drivers will be given pamphlets describing the repercussions of impaired driving in addition to being told by law enforcement that first-time offenders may lose their driving privileges for up to seven months and face fines, insurance surcharges and legal fees amounting to as much as $15,000.

In discussing the reasons for conducting DWI checkpoints, New Jersey’s Division of Highway Safety’s website says the following: “Although every year 1.5 million impaired drivers are arrested, only one arrest is made for every 772 occurrences of driving under the influence of alcohol. Repeat offenders account for a high number of alcohol-related crashes.”

It is clear that this case may present some complex issues given the often blurred separating, or differing interpretations, of what constitutes private and public space, especially in instances where the windows of a house may not have blinds or curtains to hide inside activity from the outside.

So what’s the story behind this man’s guilty plea? Such a case is often far too complex to accurately explain here. However, it is yet to be determined whether the truck driver will serve jail time, be given a suspended sentence, or if the case will have a completely different outcome than is currently expected. As the case stands now, it all began after the truck driver was accused of hitting two cars while driving his tractor-trailer on Route 9 in Woodford when the truck overturned along a sharp, downhill curve. More details as to the condition of the driver at the time of the accident and other causation factors have not been made public at this time.

While it is true that motorists, including commercial truck drivers, have many responsibilities while operating a vehicle on the road, there may be multiple factors that contribute towards causing an accident other than driver negligence. Evidence is always a critical element to any vehicular manslaughter, homicide, or murder case, as it is sure to be in the aforementioned incident.

Apparently, the teen had eight prior encounters with law enforcement before the alleged robbery with the gun. Other allegations against the boy relate to acts of violence and weapons use. Based on the article, a Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor stated that the boy is required to serve 85% of his sentence before he may be able to qualify for parole, and also said, “This is still a young man and there is some chance of rehabilitation.”

This case has raised concern regarding an unsettling trend in the amount of juvenile offenders who seem to rapidly turn to serious crimes. The argument behind this teen’s prison sentence is that his first conviction was an armed robbery case, whereas other juveniles may receive some leeway in the form of a probation sentence if their first conviction is a drug case. The Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor also said, “We are seeing more and more gun-related crimes or crimes of violence by people who are younger.”