Miami Criminal Lawyer Blog

In yet another criminal defense case involving a National Football League (NFL) player, an Atlanta jury has found Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall to be not guilty of domestic violence battery against his former girlfriend. The verdict was annouced on Friday, August 14, 2009, after just about one hour of jury deliberations.

Marshall had been facing two counts of simple domestic violence battery stemming from a March 4, 2008, argument with his then-girlfriend Rasheedah Watley at the Atlanta condominium the couple shared. After the verdict, Marshall admitted that he was nervous when jury deliberations started, but was confident in the hard work of his criminal defense lawyers.

Continue reading " Miami Domestic Violence Lawyer Reports: Denver Broncos Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall Found Not Guilty in Domestic Violence Battery Case " »

The Miami Police Department is searching furiously for a hit and run driver who rammed a stolen car into five unsuspecting pedestrians outside of an Allapattah bar on early Saturday morning. Miraculously, three of the pedestrians escaped virtually unscathed. Two of the victims, however, had to be rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital where they remain in critical condition.

According to Officer Jeffrey Giordano of the Miami Police Department, officers rushed to the area of 2818 NW 22nd Avenue in response to multiple reports of someone slamming a vehicle into a group of pedestrians. Witnesses claim that the incident began as some sort of domestic argument between a couple. It is unclear whether any domestic violence actually took place. Nevertheless, witnesses say that the domestic dispute caused the boyfriend (or husband) to become enraged, steal a nearby car, and then run onto the sidewalk as he sped off. Giordano stated, "In leaving the scene in a rage, he struck five people."

Continue reading " Miami Police Search for Criminal Suspect in Hit-and-Run " »

Another victory for Donte Stallworth, a Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judge has allowed him to leave his home to resume strength and conditioning training in hopes of returning to work in the NFL. In case you have been living in a cave and haven't heard, Donte Stallworth is the NFL wide receiver who was convicted of DUI manslaughter for driving drunk and killing a man in Miami Beach, and who was sentenced to just 30 days in jail (really just 24 days with gain time and credit for time served) followed by 2 years of community control (a fancy term for house arrest) and 8 years of probation. For a full recap of this controversial case, please refer to our previous posts on the subject: Miami DUI lawyer case 3/17/2009, Miami-Dade DUI attorney case 3/20/2009, Miami Beach DUI lawyer case 4/3/2009, and Miami Beach DUI attorney case 8/10/2009.

This event coincides with a meeting that Donte Stallworth had with the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, to try and get reinstated to the NFL. Training camp has already begun and it will be difficult for Stallworth to sign on with a team especially with a Miami DUI manslaughter conviction on his record. It is extremely important for Stallworth to be in tip-top shape if he hopes to sign on with an NFL team after his suspension, which should come within the next week or so ... stayed tune to the Miami Criminal Lawyer Blog for additional updates.

Continue reading " Miami-Dade DUI Lawyer Update: Donte Stallworth Allowed to Leave House for NFL Training " »

In a stunning turn of events (not really), Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Donte Stallworth, 28, recently made another public apology to the family of Mario Reyes, 59, the man that the he killed while driving drunk in Miami Beach this past March. In case you don't remember this incident, please refer to some of our previous posts for more detail: Miami DUI case 3/17/2009, Miami-Dade DUI case 3/20/2009, and Miami Beach DUI case 4/3/2009.

In his most recent apology, Stallworth stated that he feels that his DUI case has done "irreparable harm" to Reyes and his family. Ya think? Of course you've done "irreparable harm" to Reyes and his family! After all, death is the ultimate in "irreparable harm."

Continue reading " Miami DUI Attorney Update: Donte Stallworth Apologizes Again " »

A disgraced Hollywood police officer, currently under investigation for discussing on video how to falsify a woman's arrest report last February, is now being accused of lying about the existence of a DUI videotape in a separate case.

Officer Dewey Pressley is being accused of lying during court proceedings relating to the DUI arrest of Steven Berglund in August of 2008. According to Berglund's attorney, Pressley lied when he testified that a DUI videotape did not exist... allegedly due to problems with his in-car video recording system. A videotape, however, did indeed exist and appeared to show several inconsistencies with Pressley's testimony in the case.

Continue reading " Hollywood Police Officer Accused of Lying in Another DUI Case " »

Our clients are constantly asking us about sealing or expunging their Florida criminal records. When asked, we're always happy to tell our clients about the numerous benefits of having one's criminal record sealed or expunged. But inevitably, someone will say to us, "Why should I bother? After all, you got my case dismissed!"

Well, it may come as a surprise to some people, but every Florida criminal arrest becomes a visible part of your Florida criminal record... even if the court withholds adjudication (the conviction)... or even if your case is outright dismissed! So remember that drug charge or grand theft charge that you were mistakenly arrested for? Every potential employer will see it on your criminal record and you will have to explain it away over and over and over again. But that's just part of the story. A criminal arrest can also potentially cause you problems in education, finance, housing, and in other situations where a Florida criminal background check is done.

Continue reading " Miami Criminal Attorney Discusses the Sealing and Expunging of Florida Criminal Records " »