ROCKVILE CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

There must be very dislikable to face the possibility to go to jail and furthermore to be already in jail! That is why I take very serious when I am retained to represent a client facing a criminal charge.

I believe that no criminal charge is a minor charge. There are just criminal charges more serious than others. Even if there is no jail time sentence a criminal conviction, even a misdemeanor may cause awful collateral consequences for anyone like losing your job, preventing you from getting a job, losing a professional license, loosing parental rights, etc.

On the other hand in cases of foreign nationals even permanent residents there are additional risks like being deported and banned from the country for life. There are serious immigration consequences for foreign nationals convicted of some criminal offenses, regardless if they were in fact convicted under the state criminal law. The definition of conviction under the immigration law is very different than criminal laws.

In my legal carrier I have seen how some criminal defense attorneys have ruined the lives of foreign nationals because they do not know the complexity of the immigration laws and how they interact with the criminal laws.

At the initial consultation I am sincere with clients to advice them if there is a reasonable legal possibility to beat the charge(s) or the best option is to negotiate a favorable plea deal with the prosecutor to avoid a harsher conviction. A plea deal may lead to an outcome that results in dropping charge(s), pleading guilty to a lesser offense, probation, a benevolent sentence, etc. If you are a foreign national I will make sure a plea deal will not affect your immigration status or your stay in the country.

An aggressive criminal defense attorney on your side

If you are in custody first thing I will do is to try to obtain release from custody.

I will evaluate all the facts of your case to determine if the evidence the prosecutor has against you is sufficient to prove the charge(s) beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecutor has the burden to prove the charge(s) beyond a reasonable doubt and I will make sure they bear that burden throughout the trial.

I also will determine if the evidence against you was lawfully obtained.

If the police arrested you without a warrant they need to have probable cause otherwise the arrest is illegal and the evidence obtained as a result of such illegal arrest may be suppressed.

In general I will make sure any of your legal or constitutional rights were violated. If any of those rights were violated the charge(s) may be dismissed.

What do you do if the police stop or arrest you?

Be courteous. Do not admit commission of any crime. Remember “everything you say may be used against you in court”. Before answering any question that may incriminate you request immediately to talk to a lawyer. Upon saying that the police cannot interrogate you unless your attorney is present.

If you are an undocumented foreign national do not disclose that you have “no papers”, that you are a foreign national or that you were not born in the United States. Simply do not answer those kind of questions until you consult an attorney.

My criminal/traffic law practice covers the states of Maryland and Virginia.

I represent clients in the following criminal and traffic cases :

• Arson
• Assault
• Bail hearings
• Battery
• Burglary
• Drug crimes
• Drug possession
• Drug trafficking
• Traffic tickets
• MVA hearings
• Embezzlement
• Fraud
• Homicide
• Juvenile crimes
• Murder
• Pornography
• Prescription fraud
• Probation violations
• Sex crimes
• Theft/larceny
• Violent crimes
• Weapons offenses