Illegal Weapons Possession

January 28, 2009

Boston Federal Judge chastises United States Attorney For Misconduct

The chief judge of the Boston ‘s local United States District Court is threatening to sanction a federal prosecutor for what he characterized as the latest “egregious failure” of the United States Attorney’s office to disclose evidence that could have helped clear a defendant. Undisclosed, the result could lead to a wrongful conviction.

Chief District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf said in a sharply worded memorandum that Assistant US Attorney Suzanne Sullivan failed to disclose that a Boston police officer’s testimony at a pretrial hearing contradicted what the officer had repeatedly told the prosecutor beforehand. The defendant, a Mattapan man arrested on gun charges in July 2007, is still awaiting trial.

Wolf said the truth about the circumstances of the arrest came to light only when he reviewed Sullivan’s notes of her interviews of the police officer, Rance Cooley. The judge wants Sullivan and her boss, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, who are not related, to file affidavits by February 5th explaining why he should not sanction her, the US attorney’s office, or both.

“The egregious failure of the government to disclose plainly material exculpatory evidence in this case extends a dismal history of intentional and inadvertent violations of the government’s duties to disclose in cases assigned to this court,” Wolf, a high-ranking prosecutor in the office in the 1980s, wrote in his 42-page ruling.

He listed at least nine major cases he presided over during the last two decades in which prosecutors working for Michael Sullivan and his predecessors allegedly withheld important evidence. In several instances, the jurist, 62, wrote, the misconduct led to mistrials and convictions that were overturned.
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January 26, 2009

Youtube Video And Victim’s Appearence Help Defendant And His Lawyer To Decide Against Boston-Area Trial

by Altman & Altman

Last March, Pittsfield Police encountered a scene which one might expect in the city of Boston, but not way out in Pittsfield. But crime does not really respect such boundaries. In this case, law enforcement met unsuccessful shooter, Sammy S., 30, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”). The resulting charges? Attempted Murder. Last Wednesday, standing beside his attorney, the Defendant pleaded guilty rather than face what would have been a fairly interesting trial.

The change in defense strategy could have been encouraged by the fact that the reluctant complainant actually did show up to testify and that his testimony was going to be supported by an amateur video taken shortly after the shooting.

You see, the Defendant’s target, (hereinafter, the “Victim”) is still alive because the Defendant, who shot him multiple times at close range, failed to properly chamber a round when he took aim at the Victim’ head, according to a veteran Pittsfield police detective. Thus, when the Defendant actually put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger…nothing happened.

“[The Defendant] didn’t jack the round,” police say, applying the common parlance used to describe the process of firing a handgun. The Defendant allegedly then corrected the problem, but “the moment” had been lost. He proceeded to fire four shots at the Victim, but hit him in the torso and elbow. The Victim survived. The Defendant ended up arrested.

For some reason, though, the Victim initially refused to testify against the Defendant, which greatly frustrated police. However, they eventually persuaded him to cooperate, although the police still describe him as “reluctant” .

The shooting became a brief Internet sensation when a video of it surfaced on www.Youtube.com – the popular online video site – showing the wounded and bleeding victim being driven to the hospital by friends.
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January 22, 2009

Homicides, Assaults, Rape And Carnage In Shooting Spree One Hour South Of Boston

by Altman & Altman

Kieth L, 22, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”), described by the Boston Herald as a “mama’s boy” is in big trouble today. He is scheduled to stand before a judge in Brockton Court. At this very moment, his attorney is wondering what he can say to get his client out on bail.

He may as well not even try. His client is not going anywhere.

The Defendant is charged with the most serious of charges, stemming out of an extremely violent scene in Brockton yesterday. He is alleged to have been raping a handcuffed Cape Verdean woman when the woman’s sister walked in. He is said to have shot the “intruder” to death and shooting the rape victim several times as she ran for help.

An elderly homeless man who may have witnessed the carnage in the middle of Clinton Street was also gunned down,, while two hero Brockton cops who captured the rampaging gunman cheated death by inches
A neighbor who lives across the street from the sisters said the surviving sibling still had handcuffs dangling from one wrist when he ran outside to assist them after hearing gunshots.
“I looked outside and saw one of the girls running, blood all over her,” he said. “I grabbed her and sat her down and told her to hang on while I ran to her sister, who I could see a distance away. But I could see her sister was already dead.”
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January 16, 2009

Boston Shooting Defendants’ Attorneys Are Successful At Getting Lower Sentences And The Fury Of The Police Department

by Altman & Altman

It began in early January, 2008, when three Boston men were brought to court, introduced to defense lawyers and advised of charges against them. The charges included shooting at a Brockton police officer during a chase from Brockton into Quincy.

As is usually the case, the police had won the chase and Salomao T. (hereinafter, “Defendant 1”), Faustino R. (hereinafter, “Defendant 2”) and Antonio D. (hereinafter, “Defendant 3”) were arrested.

They faced charges including possession of a weapon, assault and the like for the high speed chase and shooting.

The law enforcement community was so happy, the following was posted on January 6, 2008, about the incident at www.masscops.com:

Re: Police Chase out of Brockton, Shots Fired
________________________________________ The short version is the BPD were chasing shooting suspects in a car that fled all the way to Quincy. The bad guys are believed to have shot a few times at the cops as they were being chased. A BPD officer returned fire through his windshield (passenger officer of 2 man cruiser). A couple of cruisers crashed and so did the bad guys. 3 suspects in custody with a gun recovered.

Great Job by all involved!!!!!!!

Well, now a year later, the police are not so thrilled. Neither is the prosecutor. Who are they upset with?

Why, the judge, of course.
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January 15, 2009

Boston Appeals Court Finds Defense Lawyer in Drive-By Shooting Case Ineffective

by Altman & Altman

On Tuesday, the state Appeals Court, located in Boston, granted Adam N. (hereinafter, the “Defendant”)’s appeal and Ordered that he receive a hearing in a drive-by shooting case in which he had been convicted in 2004. The basis of the ruling was that he had been deprived of a fair trial because his attorney was “ineffective”.

The Appeals Court sent the case back to Hampden Superior Court for the hearing. The Defendant’s appellate attorney said she is pleased with the Appeals Court ruling, although she would have preferred an order for a new trial without the hearing.

The case stems from December 20, 2002, when the Defendant is said to have participated in a drive-by shooting of two individuals, Akers and Cope, in downtown Springfield. According to the Court:

“The traffic light turned green. As Akers pulled away from the stop, he and the passenger in the other vehicle simultaneously rolled down their windows. At the same time, Akers reached to his right for the volume control on his car radio, in order to turn it down. He then heard gun shots. Akers saw the face of the front passenger and saw a flash coming from what he thought was a gun in the passenger’s hand; Cope saw flashes, but did not see the passenger’s face. The exchange lasted a few seconds. Both Akers and Cope were struck by bullets in their legs.”

The police were given the description of “three light-skinned black males, all very young looking.” The witnesses were also able to describe the vehicle as “a dark colored car, possibly a Nissan or Honda, with tinted windows”. Later, in the hospital, the shooting victims discussed their recollections and one stated that the shooter “looked like a [Defendant’s last name] that he went to school with that was younger.”
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January 8, 2009

Boston-area Driving Leads To Weapons, Violence, Jail And Defense Lawyers

by Altman & Altman

Driving around Boston and environs during the winter months can be an adventure. We know that the storms are coming…they tell us the storms are coming…yet we seem to be taken by surprise when streets are slippery. Perhaps it is because we are often already angry when we are dealing with traffic issues. From my vast experience of 25 years in criminal justice I have found that even waiting patiently in a traffic jam is quicker than getting angry, acting out, getting arrested, needing a lawyer and still having to wait quietly in traffic when you get out of custody anyway.

Hey – but that’s just me.

Not everybody sees it the same way I do. For example, during the early morning hours yesterday, four people in Springfield demonstrated such an alternate viewpoint. Of course, they got arrested and I am at home writing my daily blog.

The arrests took place after a minor two-vehicle accident turned into a violent confrontation on Chestnut and State streets.

Complete with gunfire.

“When police arrived they observed a Ford Expedition leaving the scene of the shooting,” said Springfield Police Capt. Eugene C. Dexheimer. The operator of the Expedition (hereinafter, ” Defendant Auto A”) would not stop and was spotted by other officers on Route 5 near the Forest Park entrance approaching a Ford Mustang (hereinafter, “Defendant Auto B”), Dexheimer said.

Police determined the incident began as a car accident between the two vehicles, which then led to a physical confrontation.
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January 6, 2009

Boston Area Ex-Cop threatens to kill police and winds up on the side of the aisle with the defense lawyer

by Altman & Altman

Yesterday, it was a former Boston police officer who found himself on the other side of the criminal justice aisle needing a criminal lawyer.

Ex-Boston Police Officer Isaac T., 43, of Arlington (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) ‘s legal problems began in the early morning hours of this past Saturday when he was allegedly observed to be drunk and carrying a BPD badge and a loaded 9 mm handgun when he was arrested at a Dorchester bar.

“Arrested? What would bring him to law enforcement attention?”

Well, he kind of said he would shoot a cop, according to prosecutors. In fact, he apparently said that he was carrying the firearm for the purpose of doing just that, according to MSNBC.

It was Saturday at about 1:30 a.m. at the Dublin House in Dorchester. After hearing the ex-guardian of society’s comments, an anonymous call was made to 911 from the pub to report the overheard threat. The Defendant was described as a man wearing a New York Yankees hat…which is sometimes considered a crime in itself in the area.

And so it was that the police confronted the Defendant outside the bar. Actually, he was hiding in a doorway next door to the nightclub when they confronted him.

They frisked him and found the 9 mm Beretta handgun. Apparently a loyal member of the “Hey, I’ll Bet I Can Make This Situation Worse” Club, the Defendant is said to have engaged in a “violent struggle” with two officers, the prosecutor later told the court in a bail hearing.

The Defendant, it would appear, did not win that struggle.
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January 5, 2009

Metro Boston Fugitive Sought For Assault Survives To Face A Judge And Hire A Lawyer

by Altman & Altman

Boston-area police were worried that they were going to have another death on their hands. Hosea R., 33, of Newton (hereinafter, the “Defendant”), was being sought after beating a woman in her West Roxbury home early Saturday. As he eluded police, they worried he might end up needing a coroner instead of a lawyer as they feared he would try to commit “suicide by cop”.

“Suicide by cop” is a term often used in cases where a suspect engages with and fights against the police in order to avoid capture. The theory is that the suspect would actually rather be killed than be taken into custody and so they force the police into choosing between letting the suspect go or shooting him dead. It is more common when the alleged crime is a violent felony.

I will leave the choice most often taken to your imagination for now. However, thankfully, the Defendant was finally taken into custody and nobody died.

The allegations against the Defendant stem from the an incident reportedly taking place at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, the 27th of December. According to the police, the Defendant and a female friend had gone out for a night of dancing at a Randolph nightclub. Apparently, things went awry somehow and he allegedly began to punch and kick his female friend when they got to her place. By the time police arrived, the Defendant was gone. The assault victim was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The Defendant is said to have called his mother in Newton after the beating. She drove to meet him in a Dedham mall parking lot. In the meantime, the Dedham police received a phone call from “someone related to the suspect” who said that the Defendant was acting strange and talked of hurting himself. The relative further stated that the suspect said he was not afraid if the police attempted to hurt him.

And so it was that mother and son came to meet in Dedham…until they had company. When the police arrived, the Defendant fled and alluded them.
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December 31, 2008

Investigations Continue Into Robberies And Murder – Boston Police Give One Suspect Video Fame, The Other Cuffs And A Lawyer

by Altman & Altman

As 2008 comes to a close, the Boston Police Department are still pursuing suspects, wherever they might be. Two such investigations have focused a spotlight on those sought in attempts to give them a warm place to stay for the holidays and a lawyer to talk to for company.

One of these investigations is actually the combination of what was once several different investigations. It involves several robberies which have recently occurred in the South End and Back Bay areas, including a Starbucks on Brookline Avenue about a block from Fenway Park.

The police has now released to the public the surveillance video of the suspect. Starbucks, for its part, is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the store’s Dec. 29 robbery. To view the video, or give information you may have about the star of said video, simply follow the first link below referencing the website.

The Starbucks robbery began like a scene out of Woody Allen’s “Take The Money And Run”. Police say that around 8:20 p.m. on Monday a man slipped a Starbucks employee a note that read, “Give me the money and no one gets shot.” Thinking the note was a written coffee order, the employee read the message aloud to a second employee, who then, perhaps dumfounded, handed the robber money from the register.

The robber then grabbed the note and cash and fled on foot up Brookline Avenue toward Kenmore Square.

Boston police believe the same robber may be responsible for several other business robberies in South End and Back Bay. Those incidents happened on Dec. 18, Dec. 21, Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 in the area of Newbury Street.

In those robberies, the suspect passed a threatening note indicating he had a gun.

Apparently, these notes were understood by the recipients with no problem.
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December 30, 2008

Defendant’s Lawyer Argues That Boston Area Client Who Killed Boyfriend Is The Victim

by Altman & Altman

Slightly north of Boston, this week began with another romantic entanglement that spilled into the halls of justice. This time, it was substantially more tragic than our tale in yesterday’s daily blog. This time, somebody died. The prosecutor says that the killer is a criminal. Her defense lawyer, however, says she is the true victim, a victim of domestic violence.

Kimberly S, 30, of Somerville (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) was arraigned yesterday for murder. She is charged with plunging a kitchen knife into the chest of her boyfriend this past weekend. However, she claims that the killing of Amaldo A., 42, (hereinafter, the “Deceased”) was done in self-defense.

The Defendant, who claims to be a longtime victim of domestic abuse told police that she killed her boyfriend in the midst of another argument, according to a defense attorney and a police report filed today in court.

“Yes, I stabbed him, but he attacked me first,” the Defendant told police, according to the report.

In Somerville District Court, she pleaded not guilty to a murder charge and was held without bail. Defense attorney Maria Curtatone pointed to what she described as bruises on her client’s neck, chin, and forehead as evidence of chronic abuse.

Assistant Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan acknowledged that the couple had a history of domestic violence at their Greenville Street apartment. Neighbors said, however, that the Defendant was often the aggressor, Ryan said in court . The prosecutor also indicated that the smaller-in-stature Amado was too “embarrassed” to report the abuse.
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