PNA Law - Northern Virginia Criminal Lawyers
The Virginia State Crime Commission was told Wednesday that smuggling cigarettes has become so lucrative, organized criminals and many former drug dealers are getting in on the act. During the legislative session last winter, the General Assembly told the commission to study the practice and make recommendations before the 2013 session commenced. With that session…
New domestic violence laws took effect this summer in Virginia. Some important changes could make a difference if you are facing domestic violence charges. One important change was greater penalties for certain kinds of violent acts. If someone if found guilty of strangling another person, which is any act that “impedes the blood circulation or respiration of…
A federal appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to exonerate a Prince William County man who was in jail on death row in a murder-for-hire case. In the case, Justin Michael Wolfe was convicted in the 2001 murder of his marijuana supplier, Daniel Petrole Jr. The man who carried out the crime, Owen Barber…
The Maryland Senate voted to change a law listing all pit bulls as an “inherently dangerous” breed and holding all pit bull owners as well as landowners who rent to a pit bull owner responsible in case of an attack. The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted seven to two in favor of Senate Bill 2, which…
A new law took effect last month and will affect all drivers convicted of drunk driving in Virginia. The new state law requires all first-time offenders who have a blood alcohol level of more than .08 to have an ignition interlock device installed in their primary vehicle. Before the law took effect, only drivers with…
Maryland police may continue to collect DNA samples from people arrested for some serious crimes, at least until further notice. In an order issued Monday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts said there is a “fair prospect” the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn an April ruling, which found collecting DNA from those not convicted of a…
Prosecutors are fighting to uphold charges against a file-hosting company, Megaupload. In January 2012, Megaupload’s founder, Kim Dotcom, along with six other people were arrested in New Zealand and charged with copyright infrigment and fraud. They have argued the U.S. prosecutors have no legal jurisdiction over the company, that is based in Hong Kong and…
Murder charges have been dropped in a 2011 shooting of a 30-year-old outside an Edmonston bar, according to an article on the Washington Post web site. According to the article, Malik Huff, 25, pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault charge and was sentenced to five years in prison Friday. A representative of the prosecutor said they were…
Authorities in Norfolk and Carroll County are investigating up to five possible wrongful convictions from years past. According to several reports, DNA testing in recent years involving more than 70 cases where officials discovered after testing evidence from cases failed to match with the convicted person. The cases under scrutiny range from 1973 through 1988.…
Owners of a Virginia home health care business are facing 22 counts of health care fraud, along with charges conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Officials said the pair gained more than half a million dollars through fraudulent health care claims. According to the United States Department of…