Personal Injury and Criminal Defense Legal Blog

Increase in Crime Around UW Campus Fault of Students?

Newly admitted students to the University of Washington are being warned to stay on their guard and beware of dangerous crime situations that they may find themselves a part of during the beginning of the new school year. According to Komo News, crime levels have certainly risen at the University of Washington, with an increased number of crime alerts recently having been sent out to students and faculty of the university. According to campus police, the recent influx of crimes committed against students is not an indication that crime is getting worse, but simply an indication that there are more students present and potentially susceptible to instances of crime being committed against them.

According to Seattle police, an increase in the number of crime alerts sent out to members of the University of Washington community will do nothing but two things: either cause a panic amongst the UW community, or desensitize that community, potentially causing it to be less aware of, and more susceptible to, being a part of dangerous situations that could otherwise be avoided. If a panic does ensue, then such behavior will undoubtedly lead to more accusations against innocent individuals being made, simply because those individuals are in the wrong place at the wrong time, or don’t meet the stereotype of the type of person that is regularly in the area. If an individual finds him or herself falsely accused, then that individual’s best course of action should be to retain the services of a skilled criminal defense attorney that will examine the details of the arrest and charges, and mount the best possible defense on their behalf, given the circumstances of the case.

If you stand accused of a committing a crime in Seattle, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Seattle criminal defense lawyers at McNeese & Trotsky, PLLC. Our skilled criminal defense lawyers will examine the details surrounding your arrest, and will build the best possible defense on your behalf given the circumstances of your case. Please call us today at 888-282-6977 for a free and confidential evaluation.

Court to Strip Business Owners of Freedom

According to seattlepi.com, a Washington state strip club owner and his business associates face an array of charges ranging from money laundering to facilitation of prostitution. Allegedly, the strip clubs, and the activities that transpired at those clubs, whether legal or illegal, netted the owner and his associates $25 million over a four year period. After a year’s long investigation, the strip club proprietor and his associates face 20-year prison sentences.

The article goes on to explain that once illegal activity began taking place in the strip clubs, the club owners did little to curb the illicit behavior. In essence, they turned a blind eye to the acts that were transpiring between the club’s dancers and frequenters. On top of that, it was reported that the dancers were required to pay daily rent to the strip club in exchange for dancing, a common practice amongst strip clubs in the state of Washington. However, whether or not dancers were technically paying to dance, or to engage in other activities, is debatable.

The businessmen have also been accused of mail fraud in that tax records mailed were falsified, therefore constituting the fraud. The details surrounding this case are vast, and it is undoubtedly vital that these strip club moguls have skilled legal representation on their side that can examine every aspect of the case to ensure that the best possible defense is made.

If your or a loved one has been accused of a white collar crime in the state of Washington, don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Seattle white collar crime defense lawyers at McNeese & Trotsky, PLLC for a free consultation of your case. Call us today, toll-free, at 888-282-6977, and our knowledgeable criminal defense lawyers will protect your rights in a court of law.

Source Article:http://www.seattlepi.com/local/408389_colacurcio24.html

DNA Deception: Real? Fake? What Now?

According to CBS News, DNA evidence is no longer, or, more accurately stated, should no longer be considered, infallible evidence that should not be questioned. The reported story discusses the idea that DNA can be fabricated, better yet, manipulated to implicate one person of being the owner of the DNA while in fact that person truly is not. That is, an Israeli company recently announced that they have developed a technique of removing DNA from one person’s blood sample, and replacing it with another person’s DNA, thus eliminating any genetic evidence that the first person’s DNA was ever present to begin with.

This idea brings to light the notion of evidence being placed at crime scenes in order to indicate that a specific person was present during, and probably responsible for, a committed crime. If instances of false accusation are backed up by DNA evidence, then what hope do those accused have in defeating such damning charges? Luckily, and conveniently, the Israeli company has also developed a method for detecting tampered with DNA, disallowing the very practice that they created in the first place. It is speculated that this company, certainly looking to make a profit at all costs, has done nothing more than introduce a new method of DNA testing/determination into circulation and that widespread DNA tampering is not very likely.

The more important notion is not whether or not there are techniques available to tamper with DNA in the first place, but whether or not one source of evidence, in this case DNA, should be deemed completely accurate. In addition to lab testing and evidence collecting going wrong, thus jeopardizing a sample, one must take even greater human error into consideration, such as the concept of an unscrupulous individual intentionally manipulating evidence in the first place. In any event, regardless of whether or not DNA evidence has been submitted, evidence of all kinds should be carefully considered, and human error should certainly be taken into consideration as to how the evidence was collected, transported, stored, and ultimately tested.

If you or a loved one has recently been accused of a crime, even if DNA links you to the scene, it is important to remember that your case is not over before it begins. By retaining the services of skilled legal counsel, you not only improve your chances of being found not guilty, but of receiving more lenient sentencing as well. At McNeese & Trotsky, PLLC, our skilled Washington criminal defense attorneys will see to it that you are provided with the strongest possible defense for your case. If you are facing criminal charges, please don’t hesitate to call us today at 888-282-6977 for a free consultation.

Source Article:http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/08/19/crimesider/entry5253639.shtml#addcomm#addcomm