Reports say that robberies are on the rise. I suppose that is not a big surprise, given the economic downturn we are dealing with. Some of the attempts do have some entertainment value, though. For example, let’s begin with such an attempt from earlier this very week. We turn to…
Former football great OJ Simpson has been sentenced to up to 33 years in prison-with the possibility of parole after 9 years-for his involvement in an armed dispute at a Las Vegas hotel. On October 3-13 years to the day that the 61-year-old was acquitted of murdering his wife Nicole…
You know, Massachusetts is not the only state with laws against fraud. It does turn out to be local news, though, when the Commonwealth’s favorite, if sometimes controversial, team is used in the scam. Charles P., 38, of Jamestown, Rhode Island (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) is in a bit of Red…
North Attleboro, Massachusetts, had more than its fair share of attempted escapes from law enforcement last week. Two such cases graced the hallowed halls of Attleboro District Court last Friday. One case involved some teenagers who led the police on a high-speed chase into the welcoming arms of Rhode Island.…
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, there are a few families for whom this holiday season has not begun so well. Let’s turn to Hampshire, Massachusetts, for example. On Wednesday, as the rest of us prepared for family gatherings and big dinners, Debra B., 53, of Northampton (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) learned that…
You know, some people just belong in jail. And some people are in jail…working for the jail. Well, at least they were…! Take Gary M., 48, of Berkley, a lieutenant with the Department of Correction in Boston (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) for example. He changed seats in the criminal justice arena…
As we drift ever closer to Thanksgiving, it would appear that some people are ready to name the pre-holiday weeks as Thanks! Taking! In other words, there has been a rash of burglaries throughout the Commonwealth recently. One rather enterprising culprit is believed to have cut a hole into the…
This one isn’t so funny. It involves the type of tragedy that happens all the time, particularly in urban areas. Of course, this one has a couple of twists. This wasn’t the big city…it was Winchester, Massachusetts. In a peaceful dead-end street lined with single and multifamily houses where residents…
You know, sometimes, when it rains…it pours. It’s happened to all of us and, now, it is happening to a particular former Boston firefighter. Albert A., 46, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) had enough problems. First of all, he had lost his job as a firefighter after participating in a bodybuilding contest…
As I travel between our offices in Boston, Cambridge and Salem, I see that the Halloween festivities have begun; each day I notice more and more early revelers prancing around in costume, acting nonchalant and trying to pretend that they always dress that way. They don’t fool me…but I will…