The cases on this page represent just some of the recent cases that my firm has  handled.  Every case is different, no matter how similar two may seem.  Thus, the exact same results are not to be expected.  Instead, these cases are just to give you an example of what we do for our clients.

Drug Distribution/Possession with Intent

-Joe F. Client was charged with possession with intent to distribute.  I filed a motion to suppress which was denied by the trial court.  On appeal, the Appellate Division found that I was completely right.  In fact, they seemed to go out of their way to address the numerous ways that I should have won the motion.  As a result, the charges against my client were dismissed.

-John C. Client was charged with second degree possession with intent.  Due to his prior record, he was looking at being sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.  After filing several motions, Jef got the prosecutor to go from 10 years, to 7 years, to 3 years to eventually a probation sentence as part of the plea bargain.

-Kirk A.  Client was charged with possession of 22 lbs of marijuana with intent to distribute. The case dragged on for a while.  Although we had a great motion to suppress, the client opted to take a probation sentence to avoid any possible prison time.

-John H.  Client was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute.  Even though Jef lost the motion to suppress, he showed that he as going to fight hard for the client at trial.  Thus, even though he was facing up to 10 years if convicted, Jef secured a 3 year plea deal for him.  At sentencing, Jef was able to keep the client out of prison all together.

Jaclyn S.  Client was charged with selling drugs out of her house and endangering the welfare of a child since her young child was present at the time.  As a result, she was looking at 5 to 10 years in prison.  After working quickly to get some of the charges dismissed, Jef was able to secure a probation sentence for the client.

-Eric H.  Client was charged with distribution  of marijuana.  While the charges were serious, they were even more serious for him since he worked for a heavily regulated industry.  The case took quite a while to handle, but in the end, Jef was able to get the charges dismissed.

-William H.  Client waited until indictment to hire Jef which took some options off the table.  Client applied for PTI but was denied.  The State pushed for jail but Jef fought back hard by filing motions.  It soon became clear that Jef was in it to win so the State dismissed the felony charges in exchange for a plea to a disorderly person’s offense.  The end result was a $450 fine.  No jail time, no probation, no DL suspension.   Just a fine.

-E.A.  Client was charged with possession of khat with intent to distribute.  Most people have never even heard of khat, which is a drug common in Somalia.  Here however, it is very rare.  Thus, this was the first known khat prosecution in New Jersey.  Jef’s research showed that khat was not illegal in New Jersey but the State did not want to hear that.  Jef fought hard and eventually, the court dismissed the case.

-Ismael J.  This was the sequel to the previous case.  Client was also charged with possession of khat.  A year after the previous khat battle, Jef was concerned that the State had a few new tricks to win this time.  Jef once again fought hard and the court in this case dismissed this case as well because, at the time of the offense, khat was legal.  It should be noted that khat is now illegal in New Jersey

Drug Possession

-Kevin C.  Although it took more work than it normally would, Jennifer Marshall was able to get the client’s marijuana case dismissed when the State could not provide the required discovery.

-Erik C.  Possession of marijuana charges dismissed.

-Issac P. Possession of marijuana charges dismissed.

-N.K. Possession of marijuana charges dismissed.

-Ed. D.  Charges of possession of marijuana, possession of CDS in a motor vehicle and a speeding ticket were dismissed.

-Joe T.  Client was charged with felony possession of CDS.  Jef was able to get the felony charges dismissed.  A deal waas then able to work out a deal that kept the client out of jail and avoided license suspension for the remainder of the charges.

-Terry T.  Client had a criminal record so the judge was familiar with him, which is never good.  His previous charges landed him in jail so he was facing prison having already gone through probation.  However, Jef worked hard to get a great result at the outset of the case.  Thus, he was able to keep the  client from going to jail or prison.  In addition, the client kept his driver’s license.

Computer Crime

-G.K. Client was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and attempted sexual assault.  As a result, he was looking at many years in prison.  Not only was he on video typing, among other things, with the person he thought was a young girl, but he also made a statement to the police.  As a result, this was very tough case with few defenses.  Nevertheless, I fought  hard and secured an amazing deal for the client that called for probation with jail time.  Not one to stop fighting, I fought hard to  ask the court to keep my client out of jail.  After reviewing a well written sentencing memo, the court agreed to keep my client out of jail.

-Geoff G.  Client was charged with second degree identity theft for trafficking in personal information. As a result, he was looking at 5 to 10 years in prison.  Jef was able to work out a deal that kept the client out of prison.

Sex Crimes

-G.S. Client was the owner of a popular restaurant.  After he fired a waitress for misconduct, she charged him with several counts of criminal sexual contact.  Jef worked quick to get the felony charges dismissed.  In two court appearances, Jef was able  to get the remaining charges dismissed.

-R.R. Client was charged with promoting prostitution, engaging in prostitution as well as loitering to engage in prostitution.  Jef was able to quickly get the felony charge dismissed.  In just one court appearance, Jef was able to get the remaining charges dismissed in exchange for a fine.

-Erik A.  This was one of those cases that consumed a ton of time and took over a year to work out.  Client was charged with aggravated sexual assault for allegedly molesting his daughter.  If convicted, he was looking at 10 to 20 years in prison.  In the end, we were able to secure a plea deal that only called for probation. 

-Brian L. Client was charged with sexual assault for allegedly molesting his step-daughter.  Jef jumped on the case quickly and worked out a plea deal that kept the client out of prison.

-M.R. Client was charged with lewdness for exposing himself at a rest area.  The State fought hard, but the Judge sided with Jef and the charges were dismissed. 

Child Abuse & Neglect

Steve W.- Client was charged with assaulting his child to the point where she was a bloody mess when the police arrived.  I argued that this was nothing more than corporal punishment that took a wrong turn.  This case took a few months to work out, but in the end, my client had all charges  dismissed.  He didn’t even have to pay court costs. 

Theft Related Charges

-Kim N.  Client was charged with receiving stolen property.  Jef filed a motion to suppress and went to trial (combined hearing).  The State fought hard but in the end, the judge agreed with Jef and granted  the motion to suppress.  As a result, the case was dismissed.   

-Sam C.  Client had a lengthy criminal record that went back decades.  As a result, he was facing 10 years if convicted.  The State’s offer was five years so Jef took the case to trial.  Jef showed the jury that the State could not prove that the client stole all of the items alleged to have been taken.  As a result, the client was convicted of lesser charges.  Instead of doing five or ten years, the client was out of prison within months.

-Mac C.  Client was charged with theft for stealing a wallet at a party.  Jef was able to get the criminal charges dismissed in exchange for a payment of a small fine.

Contempt (Violation of Restraining Order)

-Jason F. Client was alleged to have called the victim in violation of the restraining order.  Jef had actually got the case dismissed first in Newark Municipal Court as it was filed improperly.  After it was refiled, Jef fought against it again.  Jef pressed for the phone records which never turned up.  When Jef got to court for the second court appearance, he met the prosecutor in the elevator who took the case over from another prosecutor.  By the time Jef got to the 9th floor, she agreed to dismiss the case against his client.

-Nelson P.  This client was also alleged to have violated a restraining order by making numerous phone calls.  Jef pressed for the phone records and as a result, the case dragged on for months.  The case was dismissed after  exposing the State’s case for what it was: nothing.

-Paul F.  This was a very personal case as the client was Jef’s friend and he knew that he was 100% innocent.  He was also charged with making phone calls in violation of a restraining order.  The State would not give Jef the phone records so he had to get them. The phone records showed that the victim was lying but the State didn’t care!  The Court objected to the phone records so Jef had to fly in someone from Verizon to introduce and explain them.  The State made a stupid attempt to argue that the client hacked the phone records.  This, of course, went no where and he was found not guilty.

Domestic Violence

-Vicky H.  Client went to court without an attorney and as a result, lost the restraining order hearing.  Jef appealed the FRO and won.

-Paul F.  Client went to court without an attorney and had an FRO entered against him.  Jef filed the appeal and won.

-R.R.  Client’s wife filed an appeal against him for breaking into the marital home.  Jef was able to show the judge that the case was absurd and the TRO was dismissed.

-Tom M.  Client filed a restraining order against his wife so she filed one against him in return.  At trial, Jef fought the case hard and the court granted the restraining order against the wife and dismissed the one against him.

-B.Y.  Client’s girlfriend filed a restraining order against him for an alleged sexual assault.  Jef prepared the client well and as a result, his testimony put the case over the top.  The court found the case too close to call and sided with the client so the TRO was dismissed.

-Gary S. Client’s wife charged him with assault.  In just one court appearance, Jef was able to get the case dismissed.

-Robert S.  Client’s sister charged him with assault.  After two court appearances, Jef was able to get the case dismissed.

-B.G.  Client was charged with assaulting his wife who also obtained a temporary restraining order against him.  Jef was able to first get the restraining order dismissed.  Then, a few months later, Jef got the assault charges dismissed. 

-Mike D.  This case was very personal as Jef was very close with the client.  An ex-girlfriend alleged that the client assaulted her when she actually assaulted the  client’s sister.  While the judge disliked the client, Jef was able to combine the facts and the evidence to formulate a great argument that the court agreed with.  As a result, the court dismissed the TRO.

-Fernando M.  Client was facing a restraining order for breaking into the home of an ex-girlfriend.  While Jef argued the facts, a fine reading of the law actually won the day as the court found that the client did not actually commit any crime. As a result, the TRO was dismissed.

-Charlie Y.  Client’s wife accused him of harassing her over a period of time.  Jef was able to get the TRO dismissed.

-Lewis W.  Client, a soldier in the army, was facing domestic violence charges that could have threatened his career.  The charges were dismissed at the first court appearance.

-Anthony O. Client ran a franchise where any conviction would lead to a loss of his business.  He was accused of literally kicking his girlfriend out of his house.  She was very motivated to see him convicted, as was the State.  The criminal charges dismissed in exchange for a $200 fine.

ISP

-N.C. Client was facing a three year prison sentence for selling drugs.  I did not represent the client before the conviction, but he wasn’t happy with that attorney, so he  hired me to help get him out on ISP.  I worked with the ISP officials and his family to set everything up the right way.  At the hearing, I fought hard to get him released even though the judges felt that a release could allow him to see a short prison sentence as just a cost of doing business.  At the conclusion of the hearing, the court released him and he was able to walk out of the court to the waiting arms of his family.

-I.R.  This was tough because the client had a criminal record.  As a result, Jef was concerned that the ISP judges may think that the client is not a good candidate for the program.  Jef worked hard to prove otherwise and as a result, they actually thought that he was the perfect candidate for ISP.

Burglary

-T.T. Client was charged with theft and burglary in connection with the theft of computers from several schools.  The investigation led police to my client even though the name they were given by the co-defendant was  a little different.  With no other evidence, I filed a motion to dismiss the indictment.  As usual, the State opposed the motion.  However, the court sided with me and dismissed the case.

-Fernando M. 

This was a tough case. Jef’s client was a 7’2 Hispanic man so you cannot confuse him with anyone else. He was charged with burglary of his ex-girlfriend’s house and theft of thousands of dollars of her property. A neighbor testified that he saw my client in the driveway of the home at the time of the burglary. Jef’s client also lied to his ex by telling her that he was in Florida at the time. He also sent her a text message on the same day asking her if anyone would be home during the time of the burglary. Jef’s client did not have a solid alibi for the time of the burglary either. Thus, the State seemed to have a slam dunk case. Nevertheless, Jef fought hard for the client and methodically exposed all of the holes in the State’s case. Jef estimated that it only took the jury 20 minutes to reach their not guilty verdict. The incredible speed of that verdict told Jef that the jury had no question about the client’s innocence which was amazing to me given the strength of the State’s case on paper. Jef doubts that he will be able to get a faster verdict than that in the future as it takes time to take a vote and fill out the form. Thus, Jef considers this an instant verdict.

Robbery

-T.F. Client was charged with first degree, armed robbery.  Since he gave a statement, the case against him seemed strong.  He was looking at 10 to 20 years in prison without early release.  Nevertheless, I fought hard for him and secured him a plea and sentence which resulted in probation with no jail time.  This is an amazing deal to say the least, especially given the evidence in the case.

-Martin M.  Client was charged with first degree armed robbery, in addition to other charges.  Because the client hired me early on, I had a lot of options available to me.  I was able to secure a pre-indictment plea offer to a disorderly person’s offense.  So, the client was facing felony charges that could  have put him in prison for 10 to 20 years, yet I got him a deal that only required him to pay fines without having a felony criminal record.

-Joe L.  Client was charged with three counts of first degree armed robbery.  With his lengthy criminal record that spanned decades, he was looking at life in prison.  Although it took quite some time, I was able to get the robbery charges dismissed in exchange for a plea to unrelated drug charges.  His sentence was time served.

-James M.  Client was charged with first degree robbery.  The case dragged on for a while until the co-defendant accepted a plea for a 7 year sentence.  At this point, someone else looking at this case may have said that things looked bad for the client.   This plea set into motion an entirely new trial strategy that started with the filing of several motions.  Within a few months, the plea offer that was also 7  years changed to probation; which the client accepted.

-Ricardo D.  Jef’s client was facing charges of first degree robbery for being the get away driver for two robberies. He confessed before he hired Jef.  Thus,  the State clearly had good case. The case took over a year and a half to finish up. The plea offer was 3 years in prison without 85%. Getting that plea offer was very difficult. Getting the Court to go along with it would have been a great accomplishment in and of itself. So, Jef was happy that he was able to get that on the table.  The court sentenced the client to a probationary term so that he did not have to spend one day in jail/prison.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

-Abdul K.  This was a tough case because the injuries to the child were complex but the family did not have any money for serious litigation.  Thus, I had to move quick to get the  best possible result.  Not only did I move quick, but I earned praise from the prosecutor for doing so.  I worked out a deal for a 3 flat, which I thought was an amazing deal.  The updated medical records seriously called into question the extent of the damage that the client may have caused.  As a result, the client was sentenced to time served; just 37 days.  Just amazing.

-David J.  Unlike Abdul K, this case took years to litigate.  The child was an infant and it was only due to modern medicine that the child even survived.  The injuries were so bad that the child will essentially be mentally handicapped for life.  Not exactly a great case for trial.  However, at sentencing, the Judge was so moved by our sentencing brief and character letters that the client was sentenced to three and a half years.

Firearms

-Anthony R.  Client was charged with two counts of second degree possession of an assault rifle.  If convicted, the client was looking at up to 20 years in prison.  The prosecutor seemed hell bent on convicting him.  While it took about six months, Jef worked with the makers of the rifles to prove that they were legal.  Eventually, the State dismissed the charges without Jef having to ever go to court.

-Frank E.  Client was charged with third degree possession of a BB gun.  A few years ago, this wasn’t that big of a deal.  Now however, it carries prison time, even for first offenders.  Not only did Jef keep the client out of prison, but the charges were dismissed after the client completed a diversion program.

-Ricky M.  Client was charged with second degree possession  of a handgun without a permit, possession of dum-dum bullets and resisting arrest.  The State wanted to put him in prison so Jef had to take the case to trial.  At trial, Jef convinced the jury that the client picked up a gun without any criminal intent to use it.  Thus, the jury acquitted him of the dum-dum bullets and resisting arrest charges.  However, they hung on the possession of a handgun charge.  After trial, Jef worked out a plea deal for probation.

Arson

-F.P.  Client was charged with a number of arson-related offenses for allegedly setting an abandoned lumber yard on fire.  There were a number of people involved and everyone, except Jef’s client confessed.  The Detective on the case threatened Jef that if his client did not confess, he would charge him with everything and try to put him away for a long time.  Jef does not give in to bullies so he got ready for a war.  Of course, once the case got around to the prosecutor, the tone changed.  Since she saw the war that was about t0 happen, she dismissed the case.

-Jaren P.  Client was facing second degree arson charges in two different counties.  As a result, he was looking at five to ten years in prison for each case.  The cases took years to resolve.  In the end, the client received probation so that he did not have to spend one day in prison. 

Miscellaneous

-Tyrell B.  Client was charged with assault, burglary and a violation of probation.  The client’s family did not have a lot of money, but they knew he was facing prison time so they sacrified a lot (to them) to hire me.  His previous attorney didn’t get everything done and time was running out so I had to act quickly.  I took statements from witnesses and explained to the prosecutor that the law favored a dismissal of the charges.  In a few weeks, the burglary charge was dismissed, the VOP was dismissed and the assault charge was remanded back down to municipal court.  As a result, I got him out of jail.  The assault charges were dismissed a few months later.

-S.S.  Client was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in connection with a ransom demand after a drug deal gone bad.  The case involved numerous co-defendants and my client was the alleged get away driver.  After many months of negotiations, everyone pled out except  my client.  He was the only defendant whose charges were dismissed.

-Derek F. Client was charged with fourth degree riot.  From the outset, it was clear that there was no evidence against him.  However, the State did not see it that way and they forced me to file a motion to dismiss the indictment.  Although the motion was vigorously opposed by the State, the court clearly found in my client’s favor.  As a result, the charges were dismissed.

-Tyler R. Client was charged with trespassing.  Jef was able to get the charge dismissed in exchange for payment of a small fine.

-Marie P.  Client was charged with harassment stemming for a long-standing dispute with her neighbors.  Jef fought hard for the client and was able to get the charge dismissed. 

-Courtney D.  Client was charged with trespassing.  Jef was able to get the charge dismissed in exchange for payment of a small fine.

-Robert N.  Client had a different attorney for trial and was convicted of endangering the welfare of  a child.  The State argued at sentencing that the client had to go to prison.  The attorney did not look into this so he did not contest it.  Jef was able to successfully get him out of prison. 

-A.D. Client was charged with second degree identity theft for having a false birth certificate.  As a result, he was looking at 5 to 10 years in prison.  Jef worked out a great deal where the client did not have to do any prison time. 

-L.L. Client had a warrant for his arrest because he was the victim of identity theft.  Someone else used his name when they got in trouble and the State was looking for the client instead of the real person.  Jef quickly got the issue resolved so that the warrant was lifted and the situation would not repeat itself.