Category Archives: Criminal Law
When Does Double Jeopardy Forbid a Second Prosecution?
The concept of double jeopardy seems simple on the surface: a person cannot be prosecuted more than once for the same crime. But the word “same” is not as simple as it sounds. There are significant gray areas, particularly when a person is accused of violating different statutes that on their faces are similar to… Read More »
Students Face Terroristic Threat Charges for Comments on Bus and Social Media
Two incidents in Ocean County near the end of the 2022 school year illustrate New Jersey law enforcement’s inclination toward investigating and prosecuting alleged terroristic threats among school students, even if the accused is a minor. In May, a student at Southern Regional Middle School, in Stafford Township, was charged with making terroristic threats… Read More »
Prescription Fraud Conviction Shows Broad Sweep of Anti-Kickback Statute and Travel Act
The April 2022 conviction of a Gloucester County man for two health insurance fraud scams illustrates how federal prosecutors are using complementary anti-bribery laws to charge people with a litany of offenses against the health care system. Steven Monaco, 40, was a medical sales representative who was charged with two related scams that defrauded… Read More »
Feds Using Wire Fraud Charges to Prosecute Theft of Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
The May 2022 arrest of a Camden County man on federal wire fraud charges related to pandemic unemployment assistance illustrates how authorities are cracking down on crimes connected to the government’s COVID-19 relief programs. As federal agencies ramp up their investigations and devote more resources to prosecuting this type of fraud, it is crucial… Read More »
Authorities in New Jersey Step Up Efforts to Prosecute Fentanyl Distributors
A recent spate of arrests and prosecutions related to distribution of fentanyl illustrates how New Jersey and federal authorities are attempting to gain control over an intensifying opioid crisis. As law enforcement ramps up its investigations and prosecutors seek harsh sentences to try to send a message, it is more important than ever for… Read More »
New Jersey Authorities Cracking Down on Opioid Traffickers
As the opioid epidemic continues to rage across the nation, New Jersey authorities are carrying on a multi-track strategy to address the problem. The state attorney general and other law enforcement agencies are pursuing doctors, pharmacists and other professionals who help drive the crisis by issuing improper prescriptions or by otherwise engaging in the… Read More »
Law Enforcement Anticipates a Post-Pandemic Crime Surge
Police in New Jersey and across the nation are bracing for what they believe could be a serious uptick in crime in the second half of 2021, as lockdowns and social distancing measures fade away and people reemerge into society carrying the burden of pandemic-induced stress. Increased gun violence is particularly concerning for law… Read More »
Child Pornography Sweep by NJ Prosecutor Leads to Mass Arrests
A New Jersey county prosecutor’s program targeting online sexual exploitation of children has led to multiple arrests on child pornography and related charges since mid-2020. Operation Safe Quarantine, begun by Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina in the early weeks of the pandemic, resulted in the arrests of 10 people last July on charges of… Read More »
Mass Release of Prisoners Underway in N.J. to Check Spread of Coronavirus
COVID-19 is most likely to be transmitted in enclosed, crowded environments, which puts inmates in highly populated prisons at a high risk of contracting it. As the virus surges nationwide, New Jersey is engaging in a mass release of prisoners in an attempt to slow the spread. The state Department of Corrections has released… Read More »
Newton Man Faces Money Laundering Charges After Email Scheme Is Uncovered
A Newton small business owner could be facing jail time for laundering more than $75,000 in proceeds from an email scam he allegedly ran in 2017 and 2018. Robert J. Herburger, 60, is charged with having sent fraudulent emails to employees at multiple businesses seeking money for an apparently legitimate reason. Herburger then took… Read More »