Tag Archives: Michigan Criminal Defense Lawyers

Mohammad Abdollahi, 24, has lived in the United States for most of his life. However, due to a technical error made by a former attorney, his family was denied citizenship and lost their status. Despite this, Abdollahi continued to live in the United States, actively working to create legislation that provides an opportunity for citizenship to undocumented residents who lived in America for most of their lives. After leading a sit-in protesting anti-immigration legislation, Abdollahi was taken into custody and now faces deportation and execution, should he return to Iran.

Web-surfers and online product reviewers: be warned, posting your opinions online can be dangerous and costly. Such is the example of Western Michigan University student Justin Kurtz who was recently sued for slander and libel after expressing an unfavorable review of a local towing company in an online social forum.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced today to head back to jail, serving anywhere from 1.5 to 5 years behind bars. He was convicted of violating the terms of his probation in April, after he failed to report his tax returns, as well as truthful information regarding his abilities to pay his restitution stemming from his infamous 2008 cover-up scandal.

Even seemingly harmless pranks can land the jokesters in serious trouble, particularly if any city owned property is taken. In a recent case, two teenagers were arrested after taking a Whiteford Township school bus for a joy ride, stealing it out of the personal driveway of a local bus driver.

Last week, six workers at a Grand Rapids business were arrested following a two-month investigation into potential immigration violations. Searches and raids such as these have been increasing in larger numbers following immigration bills passed across the country. Although well-intentioned, an increase in security can also inflict unnecessary searches on innocent people.

Even when a person is is a card-holding medical marijuana user, it is still possible for them to be arrested and charged with drug violations, almost certainly resulting in jail time. However, in a possibly precedent-setting decision, the County Circuit Court judge sentenced a card-holding offender to probation instead of time behind bars, citing his lack of criminal history and debilitating medical conditions.

If involved in a motor vehicle accident, it is important for all parties to stop at the scene and wait for law enforcement officials to arrive. This is particularly true for the at-fault motorist, and if anyone in the struck vehicle sustains personal injury or death. As seen by the example of Adam Hooper, failing to pull over at an accident site can instantly increase the severity of charges against you, and result in a sizable jail sentence.

In recent news, two separate instances of fraud have been reported involving food and convienience store owners trying to exploit the federally-run food-stamp program. In both cases, the suspects are accused of illegally obatining hundreds of thousands of dollars in their scheme, allowing customers to exchange food-stamps for cash and other items.

Being convicted of criminal charges in Michigan will permanently change a person’s life. Even upon release from jail, many ex-convicts find it increasingly difficult to reintegrate successfully into society. This is particularly true as many job applications ask criminal background questions, that if answered truthfully, almost automatically guarantee that a released offender will not be hired. However, a grassroots campaign has been organized in Kalamazoo, petitioning the Board of Commissioners to remove these interrogative questions to give ex-cons an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.

Although the State of Michigan has laws allowing use of marijuana for medical purposes, the manufacture, possession, or distribution of other illicit narcotics is still prohibited. Such an example is seen in a recent case where Michigan police officers arrested a man during a search of his residence, suspecting he was running a drug house.