Recent Articles

Boston U.S. Attorney's Office Files More Charges In Mortgage Fraud Case

September 05, 2010 04:23

Last January, the Boston Globe published a lengthy investigative piece on an apparent mortgage fraud scheme run by several individuals. The story alleged that the ring was led by one Michael David Scott, a Mansfield, Massachusetts real estate developer, who recruited several other co-conspirators...

Craigslist Killer Suicide: Justice Denied or Truth Silenced?

August 19, 2010 04:24

The suicide early Monday morning of accused “Craigslist Killer” Phillip Markoff forever ends any possibility of hearing from this man’s own mouth, the story of what brought death to a troubled young woman making her money as a prostitute, Julissa Brisman, and what brought down the life of a promi...

Massachusetts CORI Reform Signed Into Law

August 08, 2010 04:22

Readers of this blog know that I’ve written previously about Massachusetts CORI reform, and that I’ve advocated a balanced approach to any reform measures, preserving the privacy rights of those convicted of certain (but not all) crimes, while preserving employers’ and other organizations’ rights to...

Murder In Massachusetts: Indictment in 1980 Cape Cod Murder Shows Long Arm Of the Law

July 16, 2010 07:29

“Justice Delayed is Justice Denied” is generally speaking an accurate truism. But in some cases, not so. Legal events this past week in Falmouth District Court make clear that exception. Thirty years ago, in January of 1980, a woman by the name of Frances Carriere was found murdered in the bat...

Massachusetts Supreme Court Clarifies “Resisting Arrest”

July 11, 2010 23:09

I often get questions from readers and friends as to exactly what the charge of “resisting arrest” means. I’ve represented many clients on this charge (successfully, avoiding many convictions,) and I can assure you that this area of criminal law can be extremely murky. The very term “resisting arr...

: Massachusetts Date Rape: Though Problem Is Real, So Is The Potential For False Accusations: Part Two of Two

June 17, 2010 00:08

In my last post on this subject, I discussed the irresponsibility of some organizations and media outlets, in taking extreme license in promoting legally invalid definitions of rape. In that post, I had mentioned views advocated by some colleges and universities. When it comes to the university...

Massachusetts Date Rape: Though Problem Is Real, So Are False Accusations

June 13, 2010 21:04

Date Rape, also referred to as “Acquaintance Rape” can be a serious problem, and is real. Notwithstanding that the media have been reporting date rape as a new phenomenon, primarily due to the covert use of an anesthetic drug, the practical reality is that drugs (most frequently alcohol,) have b...

Boston Marijuana Seizure Shows Gravity of Wasted Resources: Millions In Tax Revenue Up In Smoke

June 05, 2010 16:44

Media Reports that Boston police seized almost a ton of marijuana earlier this week, will be seized on by marijuana opponents as dramatic evidence of a serious problem in our society – one that must be eradicated no matter what the cost to taxpayers, no matter what the waste in police and p...

Massachusetts House Passes CORI Reform: Tough On Crime, Or Not Tough Enough?

May 30, 2010 16:46

This past Wednesday night, the Massachusetts House voted, 138-17, to approve legislation that would both reduce the waiting periods now required for sealing criminal records from public view, and prohibit employers from asking job applicants about prior criminal records on initial job application...

SCOTUS: Juvenile Life Sentences Without Parole In Non-Homicide Cases Violates Eighth Amendment

May 24, 2010 01:51

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this week, that juvenile sentences of life without parole in non-homicide cases violates the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, brought humanity and civility back into many courthouses across the United States. No one, this writer inc...