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As any regular reader knows, the daily Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog regularly announces membership news of the “Hey, I Bet I Can Make This Situation Worse” Club. Today, to the north of Beantown, we have a new member…who should be national chairman.

When he gets out of custody, that is.

Tyler L., 20, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) had a bad couple of days recently. First, he decided against showing up for a court date for a recent Massachusetts Assault and Battery matter (alleged victim: his mother…making it a domestic violence situation). The next day, he led the police on a 10-mile chase.

He did not do so well in either matter. The police caught him. So did the warrant for not showing up in court.

Now, Judge Mori at Salem District Court has revoked the Defendant’s bail in that pending case and set additional bail of $5,000 on the new charges stemming from Friday’s police pursuit.

The Defendant was driving a red Honda coupe with an equipment violation at about 2 p.m. on March 20 when it caught the attention of Officer Darlene Prinz. The Defendant then allegedly did what any straight-thinking nominee to the HIBICMTSW Club with a warrant out and having a police car behind them.

He blew a stop sign.
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In the United States, a number of arrests involving teenagers and young adults ‘sexting’ have led to media speculation about this new activity that has grown popular among young people. ‘Sexting,” involves sending nude or semi-nude pictures via text message.

While this may appear like a new and harmless way for teenagers especially to express their raging hormones, law enforcement officials and school authorities are taking this new form of texting seriously. Students in at least 12 US states have been charged with possessing and sending child pornography.

In Massachusetts, six Falmouth middle school students, ages 12 to 14, were brought in for questioning over a picture of a partially nude 13-year-old girl that was sent via text message in January. Five of them may face child pornography charges. If convicted of this Massachusetts felony crime, they would have to register as sexual offenders.

In Kansas, seven people, including five minors were arrested for using their cell phones for ‘sexting’ nude photos. In California, Orange County middle school students were suspended after a 14-year-old girl’s nude pictures were sent via text to other students.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, one in five teenagers admits to sending out semi-nudes or nude photos of themselves via text messaging. 39% of teens say they have sent sexually suggestive messages, while 48% say they have received such messages.

In many instances, a ‘sexting’ youth may not even know that he or she is doing anything illegal and is just having fun or trying to fit in. Yet ‘sexting’ is hardly a child’s game, considering that a felony charge for child pornography can have serious, adult-like ramifications.

Report: Boy Won’t Be Charged In ‘Sexting’ Case, WBZ.com, March 7, 2009
Los Alamitos Students Caught ‘Sexting,’ MSNBC.com, March 19, 2009
‘Sexting’ Teens May Face Child Porn Charges, ABC News, February 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:

Sex + Texting = Sexting, Washington Post, December 10, 2008
National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
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We have heard some real horror stories regarding people in the financial industry lately. The name “Bernie Madoff” still brings shivers to many people’s spines. Since the discovery of Madoff’s white collar crimes, other such crimes seem to be coming to light. You have read a number of these in this daily Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog.

But a certain former senior vice president from a white-shoe Boston wealth management firm has gained notoriety in a different way.

He is alleged to be a flasher.

Stephen B., 40, (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) was arrested on March 11th for exposing himself to young women and is also being eyed as the flasher dubbed the “campus flasher” who preyed on Wellesley College students, according to the Boston Herald.

According to law enforcement, the Defendant was spotted by campus police while he was fondling his exposed genitals. He was charged with indecent exposure and open and gross lewdness, said Wellesley Police Deputy Chief Bill Brooks. If convicted, the Defendant will have to register as a sex offender.

The Defendant also is being eyed in connection with other lewd acts that prompted a “campus crime alert” last month, two law enforcement officials said.
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It was not an uncommon news story on Wednesday in Springfield. A Multi-defendant drug bust of heretofore unknown budding defendants. You know the drill…”high-crime area”, “ongoing investigation”, attorneys’ arguing bail and mouthing “not guilty” for their clients to recite when asked by the court.

Sergeant John Delaney of the Springfield Police Department proudly announced the arrests of John C., 27; Karla T., 24; and Robert W,, 37. (hereinafter, collectively the “Three Defendants”) as part of the bust.

The arrests followed an ongoing investigation. After conducting an hour of surveillance, watching drug sales of crack and marijuana, the police arrested two alleged sellers and one alleged buyer. on Carter and Tapia at Union and Orleans Streets, detectives observed the duo routinely making sales of crack and marijuana. After police observed Walter receive a sale, police followed him out of the vicinity and arrested him.
The arrests of the alleged drug dealers went down without incident. The alleged buyer, however, fought back and tried to swallow the evidence.

He lost the battle.
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In case all the reports of white collar crimes and pop icons assaulting each other, do not get the idea that plain everyday crimes like Massachusetts Breaking and Entering, aka the felony of Burglary, do not happen anymore. In fact, Steven M., 47, of Boston (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) is facing the music for a string of break-ins right now.

The Defendant is believed to be responsible for a string of home break-ins throughout the winter. Learning that the Brookline Police Department had issued a warrant for his arrest, he turned himself in last week.

The turning point in the investigation? DNA evidence.

Police got the DNA in December after a detective investigating the recent rash of break-ins saw someone walking down Winchester Street disappear down an alleyway to go behind a Fuller Street apartment complex, the scene of recent break-ins. The officer then observed the Defendant allegedly trying to stuff a flat screen TV into a duffel bag. He ordered the Defendant out of the area and he reportedly fled.

But he left the duffel bag behind.
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Boston waits, along with the rest of the world, for the next episode of the latest show biz soap opera. In case you have not heard…it involves Chris Brown and Rihanna, two well-known stars in the music world. The next episode is expected to air in April, when Mr. Brown is scheduled to be arraigned on charges of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. The complainant? His girlfriend and fellow star, Rihanna,

The plot twist?

Rihanna seems to be on the side of her battling beau.

On a previous episode, the judge was ready to order Brown to stay away from Rihanna, as is customary in Domestic Violence cases. But the objection came from Rihanna, who asked the judge not to prohibit such contact while he faces these felony charges.

The judge granted her request, but ordered that Brown not abuse or intimidate her in the meantime. According to her attorney, that was “more than sufficient”.

Whatever that means…!
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Massachusetts white collar crimes are often investigated without the target of that investigation having any idea that they have come under scrutiny. There are a number of business-related crimes that are prosecuted all the time. Often, it is that Attorney General’s Office, rather than the District Attorney’s Office that performs these investigations and resulting prosecutions. Last Wednesday, one such prosecution came to an end. It involved an alleged embezzlement in Boston’s neighbor, Stoneham.

The matter was not simply prosecuted in the local district court, however. The AG’s Office indicted Patrice M., 51, of Somerville (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) and pursued the matter in Middlesex Superior Court.

The Defendant pleaded guilty to various crimes including False Entries in Corporate Books, Forgery, and Larceny over $250 by Continuous Scheme. The allegations of theft were brought by the Defendant’s former employer, for whom she had worked as the company’s senior accountant.

The Attorney General’s Office began its investigation after the matter was referred by the Defendant’s former employer. Investigators determined that while working as the senior accountant for the Stoneham-based non-profit organization, the Defendant stole $126,000 between June, 2001, through October, 2004. This was apparently done by stealing company checks and making them payable to herself, either by forging the signatures of authorized company officers or using a signature stamp, and then depositing the checks into her personal bank account. She then made false entries on the company’s financial records to conceal the theft.
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Two years after the death of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith, Howard K Stern, her boyfriend and attorney, and two of her doctors have been charged with conspiring to supply her with controlled substances from July 2004 through January 2007.

The two doctors are Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor. The two of them and Stern allegedly prescribed, dispensed, or gave a controlled substance to Smith, who was a drug addict. They are accused of conspiring to and providing the former model-turned reality star with thousands of prescription pills prior to her death.

Smith died from an accidental prescription drug overdose in February 2007. She was just 39. 11 prescription drugs were found in her hotel room at that time. Some of the medications were prescribed to Smith using aliases, while other drugs were prescribed to Stern.

Stern and Kapoor were both arrested last week and released on $20,000 bond. Eroshevich is expected to turn herself in. Her criminal defense lawyer says that Eroshevich only provided prescription drugs to Smith under other names to protect the star’s privacy.

Stern faces six criminal felony counts while the doctors have been charged with seven.

Smith’s drug overdose death came just months after her son Daniel, 20, died after taking a deadly mix of drugs and while Stern and Larry Birkhead, another former Smith boyfriend, waged media and legal battles over which of them was the biological father of Dannielynn, Smith’s baby girl. DNA tests eventually confirmed that Birkhead was the father.

Following Stern’s arrest, his attorney issued a statement calling all the accusations against him false. She expressed confidence that the drug charges against him would be dropped and she cautioned the media to allow Stern to be presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty in a court of law.

Lawyer, MDs Charged in Anna Nicole Smith Case, The Washington Post, March 14, 2009
Howard K Stern’s Attorney Issues a Statement, ET Online, March 13, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Anna Nicole Smith collapses, dies at 39, MSNBC, February 9, 2007
Birkhead named baby’s dad; Stern won’t fight for custody, CNN.com, April 10, 2007 Continue reading

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Unless you were in media-deprived seclusion yesterday, you have already heard that Bernie Madoff went to court and never went back home. While Bernie adjusts to his new multi-million dollar residence (paid for, like his penthouse apartment, by others), The Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog now reviews the star swindler’s performance as his “15 minutes of fame” seems to near its end.

Don’t misunderstand me…the results of his white collar crime will be with us much longer than said 15 minutes.

What once was considered a well-respected investment professional now had to wear a bulletproof vest to court.

Bernie pleaded guilty yesterday. He has not yet been sentenced. However, in play was the issue of whether or not he would be allowed to stay home pending sentencing. Apparently, he would not have the prosecutors to help him with that issue as everyone says that no deal has been struck between the federal prosecutors and the defense.

So how to try to stay home and get as gentle treatment from the System as possible? Well, if your “golden tongue” helped you outsmart the world for many years, why not go with what works?

So, Bernie made a speech.
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Not too far from Boston is the town of Natick. Natick had a couple of problems this past Tuesday evening. One of those problems got away. The other one, Aretha B., 33 of Worcester (hereinafter, the “Defendant”) did not. She was arrested, given a free trip to the local courthouse, the services of an attorney and a new court date.

The incident happenned at Neiman Marcus.

According to a security officer, he saw the pair( the Defendant and an as-yet unidentified gentleman) walking around the store. At some point, said gentleman took an expensive belt off the rack, handed it to the Defendant, who hid it in her jacket.

They left the store, and the guard confronted them.

According to police spokesman Lt. Brian Grassey, the lovely couple struggled with the security officer, the gentleman trying to free the Defendant from the grip of the officer. Apparently, there is a security video which depicts the struggle.

The store security officer was nonetheless able to grab the Defendant and bring her back to the police officer. The video shows her accomplice walking off.
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