Federal criminal defense attorneys in Florida appear before the federal district courts in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Federal criminal prosecutions require defense lawyers who are skilled in federal criminal practice, know the law and statues for federal crimes, have defended white collar crimes such as mortgage fraud, money laundering, cash transaction reporting statutes, wire fraud, federal drug trafficking and drug possession law, know the federal evidence code and federal criminal court rules. A Florida federal criminal lawyer, to be effective, should know federal criminal laws backward and forward: something that comes from years in federal criminal courts. Federal criminal lawyers learn their skills by appearing in federal criminal courts, defending those accused of federal crimes in Florida and out of Florida. [this article continues on page 2 ]

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Published first in 2008 by BookMasters, my book is the book you need to own, I know because I wrote it for you, not for me or my vanity (?). CAN THE POLICE LIE TO ME? is 218 pages of pure information on criminal law, prosecutors and police. The book has one paragraph definitions of the fifty most-charged crimes in Florida: from A to Z. Distilled into plain English it is direct, concise and easy to read. The book then goes into a question and answer format. I have assembled the 100 questions I hear from my clients. It starts with the realization that “CAN THE POICE LIE TO ME?” And the answer is YES. Each question is one sentence and each answer is limited to one page. This is a great first step for students, teachers and citizens to know enough about criminal law to get along in this world. If you read the book and have a question just call me. I’ll answer your questions; whether about criminal law in Florida or if you have been arrested and need to know how to defend yourself. Availaable from Amazon or from me in my office (I usually provide copies for my clients to read).

This will get your blood pressure up for sure. If you are arrested you can be tried in a federal court under a federal criminal statute, OR the jurisdiction (State) in which you were arrested. Yep! Double jeopardy? No, the law says its not double jeopardy, but many don’t agree. Being a federal criminal lawyer means specializing in federal criminal trial rules, evidence and procedures. Federal criminal charges come from the federal criminal code (title 18) and differ from (for example) Florida criminal laws and rules. If you are arrested and charged in federal court your first need is pre-trial release: for that you are brought before a federal magistrate. Federal criminal courts have several pre-trial release methods, from standard monetary bonds to corporate surety bonds, personal surety bonds, or stipulated agreements between the United States Attorney and your federal criminal lawyer. Rules of court vary from federal criminal district (Southern District of Florida vs. Middle District of Florida) and from region to region. If you have been arrested in South Florida and are in the preliminary pre-filing stage: are the feds going to “pick up the charges” or the State of Florida?? There are many things your South Florida federal criminal lawyer can do to help you. Call Ralph Behr for a free consultation.

When the economy goes ‘south’, some crimes go through the roof! Identity theft, always a major problem, is again making headlines and on YOUR dime! (dollar??).
The Attorney General of Florida has posted an identify theft protection kit, which I highly recommend. Press on identify therft and it will take you to the webpage.
Credit card fraud, bank fraud, falsification of credit information….all is increasing in frequency, and your South Florida criminal lawyer sees it every day! To protect yourself from identify theft follow some basic sensible precautions. First; keep your (article continues on page two)

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Anyone arrested in South Florida (Fort Lauderdale or any community in Broward County) is brought before a Magistrate and bail (bond is bail) is set, (or denied) according to the type of crime charged and the persons’ personal situation. The bail or bond sets conditions and/or the money which must be posted for release. Once released from incarceration, you are free to go home. (the article continues….go to page 2)

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The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Our next competitor is China. Here are the numbers for the USA:
-Over 7 million people are in prison, probation or parole
-With 5% of the world’s population the USA has 25% of the world’s incarcerated
-70% of US prisoners are “non-white”
-1 of 3 non-whites males between 20 and 29 years of age are in prison or parole
-In Federal prisons 57% are in on drug related charges
-93% of prisoners are male
In Broward Count Florida (composed of Fort Lauderdale, Pompano, Davie, Weston, Hollywood, Coral Springs, etc)
-in 2008 there were over 90,000 arrests

A joint task force originating in Tallahassee under the control of Florida’s Attorney General, Bill McCollum, sought and obtained a conviction of Samuel Johnson and over 30 others for Drug violations and for cocaine trafficking. The task force announced the drug trafficking ring operated in South Florida from Miami to mid-Florida (Flagler County and St. Augustine). The conviction resulted in a 35 year prison sentence followed by 30 years of probation. The mass arrest and trial involved more than 30 individuals. The prosecution was done by the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Many of the individuals were charged with trafficking in cocaine from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach and Hollywood. The court also imposed a one million dollar fine on Johnson. The cocaine trafficking charges alleged at least 25 kilograms of cocaine was distributed over a six to eight month period covered in the trafficking in cocaine prosecution. Law enforcement agencies from South Florida, Broward, Miami, Flagler County and Putnam County Florida were involved in the investigation and prosecution. The street value of the cocaine was estimated at between 1.5 and 2 million dollars.

It came as no surprise that a case coming out (of all places!) the 2nd Circuit: Hayden v. Paterson, (Federal) refused to restore civil rights to felons even after re-stating the obvious racial disparity in our prison populations: “Blacks and Latinos are sentenced to incarceration at substantially higher rates than Whites, and Whites are sentenced to probation at substantially higher rates than Blacks and Latinos. For example, in 2001 Whites made up approximately 32% of (continued on page 2)

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Accused of the crimes of Unlawful Termination of a Pregnancy and Practicing Medicine without a License a South Florida Criminal Defendant from Miramar, Florida pled guilty to five felonies and two misdemeanors. The defendant’s 16 year old daughter gave birth on a toilet in her home to a fetus that was found in the garbage. The defendant, who was not charged with murder or homicide, worked a plea bargain with the Office of the State Attorney for Broward County and was sentenced before a Broward County Circuit Court. The felony charges called for a 26 year sentence which was reduced by the prosecutor and agreed to by the court so that the 39 year old mother could avoid a lengthy prison term.

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