Bronx

Published on: February 4, 2012

Hit-and-Run Suspect Could Not Avoid Hitting Woman, New York Criminal Lawyer Reports

by Stephen Bilkis

A New York Criminal Lawyer has learned of the arraignment of an East Hills man in the hit-and-run death of an 81-year-old Roslyn Heights woman. According to his account, he saw the woman, but could not avoid hitting her. The driver, 26, is charged with felony, leaving the scene of an accident with a death, and with a traffic violation, leaving the scene of an incident without a report.

The prosecution said that the driver hit the 81-year-old woman with his Jeep Cherokee and just kept driving without alerting the authorities. She was thrown at least 75 feet by the impact and pronounced dead on the scene.

Nassau police sources said that the driver was found when he took his car to a Queens body shop and someone called the Nassau police department tip line. The driver says he was alone the night of the accident, according to a New York Criminal Lawyer.

Published on: February 4, 2012

A growing local church in Palm Beach Gardens faces economic woes

by Stephen Bilkis

A non-denominational community church was recently threatened with foreclosure following verification that it owed $11.3 million in principal, as well as substantial interest and moderate late charges, as reported by a New York Criminal Lawyer.

The non-profit community church in Palm Beach Gardens was cited for a possible foreclosure along with its fellow tenants, including a construction company and a real estate counseling firm. The principal amount owed by the church stemmed from a past loan from a local bank in 2006, and the case was heard in the Palm Beach County 15th Judicial Circuit. The non-profit community church originated in a former cinema complex in Palm Beach Gardens, and in 2008 upgraded to its current location, a retail/office/entertainment complex. A New York Criminal Lawyer notes the postulation of Palm Beach Gardens’ vice mayor that the church’s financial situation may be due, in part, to a struggling economy and the resulting decline in giving among members and guests. His insight is relevant due to his further involvement in commercial lending; the vice mayor serves as vice- president of commercial lending for another bank.

The community church houses a 50,000-square-foot cultural center oriented toward the local community, as well as a banquet hall that houses a commercial kitchen and features a capacity of 500 individuals. According to the aforementioned vice mayor of the city, it is likely that an agreement will be reached between the church and the bank- perhaps a payment plan- rather than pursuing a mortgage foreclosure. The vice mayor is quoted as saying, “Foreclosing on a church is not good public relations for a bank”.

Published on: February 3, 2012

Libya is Full of Prison Horror Stories

by Stephen Bilkis

Countries with dictatorial regimes in control are often filled with a population that has been abused, horrified, and terrorized, to the point of submission. The Libyan regime is no different, and with the world’s focus now turned toward it, many stories that have been hidden for so long are now making their way into the international spotlight, a New York Criminal Lawyer reports.

While each story told comes from an individual, there is a very common theme to each of them…A government-administrated campaign against its own people. Regardless of whether either passive or active submission techniques are employed, every totalitarian, authoritarian, and dictatorial government or ruler throughout history has used many of the same population control methods as has Gaddafi since he assumed power in 1969 as part of a military coup.

Some of the more recent reports from Libya reflect stories of those who were kidnapped, tortured, stored away, or even never heard from again. While many of their stories may seem far-fetched to many in the world who hear them, the stories are real and unfortunately, they are true.

Published on: February 3, 2012

Ex-Cop faces Prison

by Stephen Bilkis

A former police officer was convicted of sex crimes and now faces many years in prison for his crimes. He abused his position of power and used that power to victimize two women. The now ex-cop offered jobs and child care programs to two women when he was not in authority to offer either to the women. He was convicted by a jury trial and one of the female jurors used the term “disgusting” when referring to the Defendant and his actions. He was also convicted of other charges at the trial including official misconduct and unlawful imprisonment.

Following his conviction, the ex-cop now faces up to seven years in prison for his illegal activities. He is due to be sentenced in July unless there is an extension of his sentencing date, according to a New York Criminal Lawyer.

His legal problems do not end with this sentencing. He was fired from the New York City Police Department last January for allegedly propositioning a teenager for sex. No further information is available at this time in regards to any further legal procedures involving this accusation. He also now faces a rape trial for charges related to two alleged assaults. He is accused again of abusing his position of power by luring two women to provide personal information to him while he was in uniform. He then took their personal contact information to get in touch with the two women at another time. Meeting up with the women he then allegedly attacked them sexually. The rape trial is pending.

Published on: February 3, 2012

Connecticut Legislature Considering New Medical Malpractice Bill

by Stephen Bilkis

Testifying before a Connecticut State Legislature committee, a widower was finally allowed to tell his story about how his wife’s psychiatrist had contributed to her suicide more than seven years before, a New York Criminal Lawyer learned. This 46-year old man claims that after taking antidepressants the psychiatrist prescribed, his wife had suicidal thoughts. He went on to say that, her psychiatrist literally ignored his calls as he tried to get her help. His 46-year old wife eventually backed her car into the couple’s garage and left the engine running. Her death was a suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

While his wife’s former psychiatrist and his license remain in good standing in the state of Connecticut, and his attorney flatly denies the allegations, the husband of the dead woman has been on a quest ever since his wife passed away. He has had legal representation part of the time, most of his lawsuit attempts at the doctor have been pro se, which means he has been representing himself.

He has spent many hours at courthouses and legal libraries in order to prepare himself as to what he needed to do on his mission, as well as what would be expected of him. As part of his journey through the legal maze that he faced alone, he has filed numerous motions and legal briefs, and has most of them dismissed even without the judge allowing any arguments. Undaunted, he had his day to speak about his loss and his quest to a group of lawmakers who are looking to change the way the system treats those who represent themselves in malpractice lawsuits. During his testimony he was allowed to exceed his three-minute time to speak allocation because of his compelling story that lawmakers and attorneys alike had either already heard of, or were intrigued by.

Published on: February 2, 2012

Man found guilty of DUI, weapon charges, awaits trial for arson

by Stephen Bilkis

A Kane County judge found an Elgin, Illinois man guilty of aggravated DWI and unlawful use of a deadly weapon. He was also found guilty of violating an order of protection. The judge dropped the most severe charge of armed violence and harassing a witness charge, a New York Criminal Lawyer was told.

The police were called to the residence of the 32-year-old man’s former girlfriend’s residence. They found the man asleep in a Jeep with a butcher knife outside the apartment complex at 2:45 a.m. April 7, 2010. The woman called the police because the man had knocked several times throughout a four-hour period. She never answered the door. Instead, she hid in fear until he went away.

At the trial, the police officers, who responded to the 911 call, testified that the man appeared intoxicated. He threatened his former girlfriend, one of the police officers said in court. At the time of the incident, he had been released on bond for an arson charge where he set fire to a house where one of his children, who was two-years-old, was inside. The child was not injured. The home belonged to his parents.

Published on: February 2, 2012

Detective arrested for driving under the influence

by Stephen Bilkis

An Alexandria Police Department detective faces driving under the influence charges after he was involved in a single car accident. He crashed his city-issued vehicle into a concrete pole. The car was provided to the department with taxpayer money. The accident happened at the corner of Gibbon and South Patrick Streets in Alexandria, a New York Criminal Lawyer was told.

The detective, who was off-duty at the time of the accident, refused to take a breathalyzer test when the police arrived about 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the accident location. He is also facing charges of unreasonable refusal for rejecting the breathalyzer test.

The mayor of the city said the incident could not be tolerated. “It doesn’t represent the characteristics of the hundreds of outstanding men and women of our police department. Hopefully, this is just an isolated incident,” said the mayor.

Published on: February 2, 2012

Drunk Driver Wreaks Havoc Through Mobile Home Park

by Stephen Bilkis

A man was arrested for DWI after allegedly striking objects and vehicles in a trailer park.

The local 911 office received several calls from trailer park residents about a driver in a white Ford truck striking, fencing, an electrical box, power lines and other vehicles. When officials arrived on the scene, they observed the white truck driving southeast without headlights in a field. When the truck stopped, deputies discovered the driver had abandoned the vehicle.

After searching the area, deputies found the 41 year-old man 300 yards from the abandoned truck. He was hiding in a ditch. The man stumbled out of the ditch mumbling that someone had slipped something in his drink and it was making him act crazy. Officials observed that the man seemed extremely intoxicated and discovered a rifle the man had left behind in the ditch, stated a New York Criminal Lawyer.

Published on: February 1, 2012

Passenger in critical condition, police book driver

by Stephen Bilkis

A driver, police believe was driving drunk, will face charges after her 17-year-old passenger suffered severe injuries from the crash. The 22-year-old woman driving crashed into a tree, a New York Criminal Lawyer was informed.

Police were called to the scene of the accident around 2:40 a.m. Sunday. The 17-year-old male passenger was unconscious when officials responded. He had visible facial injuries. The accident happened in Morgan Hill, California.

The driver is not the only person believed to have been drunk during the time of the crash, the minor was believed to have been under the influence too, as police officers reported to a New York Criminal Lawyer. A helicopter transported the 17-year-old male to a nearby hospital in California. At this time, the male is in critical condition, but the hospital was not able to go into any further detail about his health.

Published on: February 1, 2012

In New York, a discussion of limits on medical malpractice awards

by Stephen Bilkis

Currently in the state of New York, there is an interesting dynamic happening in the medical field regarding awards given to victims of medical malpractice.

Many representatives of hospitals are arguing in favor of “caps” for financial compensation awarded to victims of alleged medical malpractice, in response to malpractice lawsuits. A New York Criminal Lawyer notes that one of the main reasons for their argument is the correlation between high malpractice awards and high costs of medical care to the average patient. The hospitals and doctors that are fighting for these malpractice award caps are also directly correlated to the increased need for “defensive medicine”, which includes certain medical procedures and tests which might normally be deemed unnecessary, were it not for the extra care given to patients out of fear of malpractice accusations.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, as observed by a New York Criminal lawyer, are consumer advocacy groups and attorneys, who claim that award caps for medical malpractice are detrimental to the interests of patients. They continue with a positive reason for keeping caps off of malpractice award suits by stating that when it comes to long-term care, cap-less awards act as an important element for the well-being of the patients. Furthermore, they maintain that hospitals do not usually pay such malpractice awards out of their own pocket; in fact, the insurance provider usually takes care of such claims, although insurance premiums have steadily increased in recent years.