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Atlantic City Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

NTSB recommends lowering BAC level to .05

It is hard to believe that just thirty years ago in the United States, the legal blood alcohol content for driving impaired was .15 percent, nearly double the current limit of .08. But groups like Mothers against Drunk Driving and the National Transportation Safety Board are vouching to have the legal limit reduced to .05 percent in New Jersey. That could mean a DWI after just one extra dry martini.

The NTSB recommended to federal officials recently that by lowering the legal BAC limit, hundreds of lives could be saved a year. Could this really help reduce the number of fatalities caused by DWI's or just land more money to the government for DWI convictions? New Jersey residents want to know.

Identity theft a growing crime in America

Theft can be described as many things in New Jersey. The dictionary describes it as "the taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it." Typically, when people think of theft, they assume it's something tangible like an iphone or car. However, in today's society, theft can also occur in the digital world. One of the fastest growing crimes in America is identity theft.

Last year, more than 12 million people were victims of identity theft. ID theft is the fastest growing financial crime. Within the last four years, ID theft has risen by 60 percent. Once an offender has someone's identity, they can open new accounts in that person's name or even take money out of their current accounts. ID theft has been the top complaint for the Federal Trade Commission for the last 13 years. Typically, when a wallet or something similar is stolen, victims notice right away, but ID theft can take a while to figure out.

Cops bust large underage drinking party in New Jersey

With spring in full bloom and prom just around the corner, many New Jersey high school students are preparing for graduation and anticipating new thrilling experiences in the future. One common experience many teens have indulged in is alcohol. It is estimated that in the past month, 10 million people under the age of 21 have consumed alcohol in America. A seemingly harmless crime has cost many teens anguish and despair. Recently several teens join this demographic after police crashed an underage drinking party.

After a teen's parents went out of town for a graduation, an underage drinking party soon followed. When police arrived late at night, they discovered that "a large quantity of alcohol was observed inside of the house and it was determined that those present were being issued wrist bands upon paying an admission fee." After police raided the house, 17 juveniles were charged with underage drinking and 14 more were brought into protective custody. Four teens were also hospitalized for alcohol poisoning. Additional charges are still pending.

Repeat New Jersey sex offender could face 40 years in prison

New Jersey residents, like most Americans, benefit from the information and entertainment that are readily available over the internet. But as most people know, the internet has a dark side. It can get people in trouble for various crimes including sex offenses.

Recently a 32-year-old New Jersey man was arrested for allegedly distributing images of child sex abuse over the internet. The man was a previously convicted sex offender and worked at a law firm where he allegedly downloaded the images using a false name on a peer-to-peer file sharing network. FBI agents searched the law office and allegedly found child pornography on the man's work computer. At the time the agents raided the office, the computer was allegedly logged on to the same network, under the same fictitious name that had been used to download the images. Since the man is a repeat offender, he faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years if convicted. He could, however, receive as much as a 40-year sentence and $250,000 fine.

Underage drinking continues to tempt New Jersey minors

Just about every New Jersey teen has likely been tempted by alcohol at some point or another. From drinking at a college party to stealing booze from parents, underage drinking continues to occur throughout the nation. With one of the highest drinking ages in the world, the US frowns upon minors drinking alcohol. Now that spring has arrived and with prom coming up, many underage teens may choose experiment with alcohol.

What may seem like an innocuous offense has caused serious harm to many young New Jersey residents. Being a minor in consumption of alcohol is a serious offense. It can land athletes off the sports team, derail college plans and cost a lot of money. Underage drinking can also be physically damaging, especially to a young developing brain. Non-profit groups like Shaping Summit Together have made it their mission to prevent underage drinking by helping spread awareness. The group recently noted that April was alcohol awareness month, but encouraged the same awareness of the issues throughout the year.

Over 30,000 drunk driving arrests last year in New Jersey

People make mistakes every single day. Whether it's a minor mistake at work or forgetting your car keys, making mistakes is part of life. While most mistakes are minor, there are a few that can have lifelong detrimental effects. For many individuals, making the mistake of drunk driving has led to a world of problems. Last year more than 30,000 arrests were made in New Jersey alone for drunk driving.

In late April, families of victims of drunk drivers gathered for a yearly ceremony to remember loved ones and commemorate officers who have aided in DUI arrests. One officer received an award for individually arresting 86 people, which is over one DUI arrest a week. With the average DUI cost reaching into the thousands, many offenders have to pay dearly for their mistakes.

NJ husband and wife charged with theft of over $700,000

When most Americans think of theft, they may think of cinematic robberies of expensive jewelry heists or bandits breaking into Fort Knox. Those crimes against property rarely happen, however. Theft more commonly involves smartphones, purses or other personal property. Cases of fraudulent businesses also regularly make headlines. A New Jersey husband and wife face theft charges after allegedly making over $700,000 in a fake travel business.

The couple had supposedly opened eight different fake travel businesses all over New Jersey. Their purported scheme was offering membership packages to clients and collecting fees for services that were never performed. Between fake promotional airfares or cheap cruises, the couple reportedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars. They now face charges including money laundering, conspiracy and theft by deception. If convicted, the pair could face 30 years behind bars and fines up to a staggering $1 million.

New Jersey teacher faces heavy consequences for sex with student

There is a fine line between consensual and nonconsensual sex in the state of New Jersey. Many residents are aware that the age for one to give consent is 16. Without consent, one can face severe sex charges that carry serious consequences for offenders. What happens when a teacher has consensual sex with a student who is at the legal age? Does the teacher still face sex offense charges? The answer is yes.

Last May, a female teacher was accused of criminal sexual contact with one of her 16-year-old male students. The teacher was accused of touching the teen's genitals for her own sexual satisfaction. The two later had sexual intercourse at the teacher's apartment. What is wrong with this picture? Both consented to have sex and the legal age is 16, so why is the teacher sentenced to a year in jail and five years probation?

15 arrested after drug bust in New Jersey

In most cop movies or detective fiction novels, the protagonist and his or her team of FBI agents attempt to catch the drug-dealing bad guys and lock them away for good. In reality, most of these "bad guys" are not as insidious as the movies or television make them out to be. In many cases, individuals accused of drug crimes get mixed up with the wrong crowd or are forced to join a gang to support their families. After an undercover investigation, police recently arrested 15 New Jersey residents for various drug crimes after seizing $20,000 worth of cocaine and heroin.

"Operation Double Threat" is what police called their latest undercover operation that they used to unravel a New Jersey drug ring. The operation started by having undercover police officers pose as a drug addicts who were sent to various residences of the accused in order to buy cocaine and heroin until they had gathered enough evidence to issue a search warrant. After searching many of the vehicles and residences of the accused, police discovered at least $8,000 worth of cocaine and $14,000 worth of heroin. They arrested nine individuals for arranging to buy narcotics and six others for selling and supplying drugs.

New bill aims to update Megan's Law: Bad news for sex offenders

Since 1994, Megan's Law has provided New Jersey communities with personal information of many convicted sex offenders living in the area. Residents would know the who, what and where of every sex offender. From their address to eye color, sex offenders were made public. Lately, state Senators have introduced a new bill that will modernize Megan's Law, making sex offenders pay a monthly fee in addition to their crimes. It will also protect juveniles from facing harsh 'sexting' crimes.

If passed, the new bill would force anyone convicted of a sex offense to pay a $30 monthly charge that would help pay for equipment used to supervise sex offenders and to hire more staff. In addition to the new fee, offenders will also face heavier consequences, depending on their offense. For example, a crime of the second degree would be punishable by five to ten years in prison or a $150,000 fine.

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