Assault. If you intentionally injure someone else, the District Attorney may charge you with assault. Nevertheless, we can often successfully argue self-defense as a legitimate cause for your actions. Assault charges range from misdemeanors to violent felonies, depending on whether weapons were involved and how serious were the injuries.
Gang Assault. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be in a gang to be charged with gang assault (a felony). For example, if you’re at a ballgame and someone starts a fight with your friends, and if you and your friends then injure someone, you could all be charged with gang assault.
Grand and Petit Larcenies. Larceny is nothing more than a fancy word for stealing or theft. It includes several types, from petit larceny (shoplifting) to grand larceny (property or money stolen worth over $1,000). Sentences can range from a fine of $1,000 to up to 25 years’ prison.
Robbery and Burglary. Stealing by force while displaying a weapon, aka Robbery, is a felony that can result in a severe prison sentence. If you get into a fight at a bar or in a shopping mall, you can be charged with Burglary, and face 7 years’ prison. In another context, simply on a prosecutor’s whim, a shoplifting charge can be elevated to a burglary charge. We can defend you effectively and strategically on any of these charges.
Attempted Murder. If you get into a domestic dispute or even a bar fight, and cause injury to someone, such that he or she almost dies, prosecutors can charge you with attempted murder. We have successfully defended many clients accused of this crime.
Weapons Possession. In New York, cops and prosecutors can charge you with criminal possession of a weapon claiming you are in possession of a “gravity knife” or a switchblade, even if it was only a utility knife bought at a Home Depot. If the State charges you with this, you face up to a year in jail. They can also charge you with this crime if you possess brass knuckles, martial arts weaponry, and even unloaded guns. In fact, if you have a prior criminal conviction, no matter how old, and you possess one of these items, the District Attorney can “bump this up” to a felony, where you can face 7 years in prison.