Case Summaries

Sale of Counterfeits in Maryland

October 11, 2013 | by Anthony A. Fatemi, LLC

Maryland law prohibits the intentional distribution, sale and possession of items identified by a counterfeit mark. In a recent case, the defendant was driving on Route 301 with two burned out tag lights when he was pulled over by a state trooper. The state trooper noticed that the defendant did not make eye contact and that there were four air freshening trees hanging in the car, including at the rear of the car.

He radioed to the station for a criminal history and traffic check on the defendant, which revealed the defendant’s license had expired and the defendant had been charged with drug possession. Accordingly he called for backup and began citing the defendant for driving on an expired license.

When the other trooper arrived, they spoke about the situation and asked the defendant and his companion to exit the car. A trained dog searched the vehicle for illegal substances. There were two marijuana cigarettes, which the defendant admitted belonged to him. Also recovered were more than 300 DVDs and CDs suspected to be counterfeits. The defendant was charged on numerous counts, including a charge of distributing, selling and possessing counterfeit items. Continue reading

Case Summary: Prostitution Charge Dismissed After Client’s Successful Completion of Diversion Program

April 22, 2013 | by Anthony A. Fatemi, LLC

Recently, our office represented a criminal defendant who had been charged with prostitution in Baltimore City, MD. She was facing up to one year in jail and a $500.00 fine if she was found guilty. However, the possible immigration consequences were even more severe – deportation from the U.S.

Our client was originally from the Dominican Republic and had been in the U.S. for almost twenty years. She was a legal permanent resident (green card holder) and had never applied for her U.S. citizenship.

When she came to the office she was petrified about the possible immigration consequences she would face if she was convicted of prostitution. She also feared that because of this pending criminal charge, she would not be able to take a prescheduled trip to Dominican Republic this coming summer to visit with her extended family. The client came to our office specifically because she knew we handled both criminal and immigration matters and she understood that she needed help with both.

Case Summary: DUI Accident, No Jail – PBJ given

March 19, 2013 | by Anthony A. Fatemi, LLC

Recently, our office represented a criminal defendant who had been charged with 8 traffic citations: driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), driving under the influence of alcohol per se (DUI per se), driving while intoxicated by alcohol (DWI), failure to reduce speed on a curve, negligent driving of a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life, and person, failure to obey designated lane directions, unsafe lane change, and failure to control vehicle speed on highway to avoid a collision in Montgomery County, MD.

Our client had caused a very serious accident on the capital beltway when his vehicle crossed the center line, striking another vehicle with such a high rate of speed that the other vehicle flipped over and came to rest on its driver’s side. Both occupants in that vehicle were injured as a result of the collision. When police arrived at the scene, a breathalyzer test was conducted and our client blew a .16 – two times the legal limit. He was facing up to one year in jail for each of the DUI citations, 60 days in jail for the DWI citation, and a total of $3,300.00 in possible fines.

When he came to our office, he was panicked, stressed, and worried not only about the severity of the citations, but also the potential immigration consequences a conviction would have. He was 38 years old, originally from Peru, and had just recently become a legal permanent resident (green card holder). He was scared to death that this one mistake would jeopardize everything he had worked so hard for.