Kidnapping is Not Just a Federal Crime
Kidnapping is famously a federal crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation always shows up when a suspected kidnapping takes place, starting with the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh’s toddler son in 1932, even though kidnapping at that point was not a federal crime. Congress passed a law that same year making kidnapping a federal matter, and […]
Criminal Mischief Has a Deceptive Name
Criminal mischief sounds like something that teenagers get into before they know better. It may be against the law, but mostly harmless, and certainly no big deal. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that the least serious of charges possible under the Texas criminal mischief statute is a minor crime, […]
Attempted Murder Charges? You Still Have Options
In Texas, as in the rest of the United States, attempting to commit a crime is itself a crime. The attempt is not as serious as actually committing the crime, but it still can put you in a world of trouble. For instance, attempted shoplifting is a crime, but it will be even less serious […]
Criminally Negligent Homicide Ruins Lives
Texas has many degrees of homicide, even though the state does not refer to the crimes in that fashion. There are four levels of homicide charges in Texas. They range in punishment from a state jail felony all the way up to the potential for life in prison or even the death penalty. None of […]
If You are Facing Federal Charges, You Need a Lawyer
Federal criminal charges cover a lot more area than they used to. In the early days of the republic, there were few federal criminal charges. After the ratification of the Constitution, Congress passed a law creating a total of 17 federal crimes. These included treason, forgery of federal documents, and murder within a federal facility, […]
Some Charges Mean You Should Call a Lawyer Right Away
There are criminal charges, and then there are criminal charges. For some charges, you might wonder whether you really need to get a lawyer. Those tend to be misdemeanor charges. Even then, you usually would be dealing with lower level misdemeanor charges. Once you get into felony territory, you should not even question whether you […]
Drinking and Driving Can Land You in Jail
Some people think that having a few drinks with friends is really no reason not to drive home. Many people, at least every now and then, drink and then drive and assume that nothing really bad will happen. Most of the time, they are right, and they make it home safely. But for some people, […]
Driving Intoxicated With a Child in the Car
Far too many people overestimate their ability to successfully navigate a vehicle from a place when they have been drinking or taking drugs to their home. Some of these people will get caught and face the legal consequences of their actions. As bad as those consequences are in Texas, even for a first-offense conviction for […]
Any Kind of Sexual Assault is a Serious Charge
The sentence almost does not matter when it comes to sexual assault charges. If you are convicted of sexual assault, you will be on the state’s sex offender registry, likely for the rest of your life. Given that being on the sex offender registry can have all manner of negative impacts on your ability to […]
Wire Fraud is a Federal Crime
While Texas has a fraud statute, it does not cover wire fraud. No state has a wire fraud statute – the crime is strictly under federal jurisdiction. Wire fraud crimes are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sometimes with assistance from the Secret Service, and the charges that are brought against those suspected of […]