Miami Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

A South Florida Community recently launched a campaign to decriminalize marijuana possession cases. A local group from Miami Beach held a new conference in front of the town hall to start a petition drive. The local group responsible for the gathering calls itself "The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy". They are seeking to have an amendment added to the ballot in the November election. The proposal they are suggesting would make a simple marijuana possession case a civil infraction rather than a crime. Miami criminal lawyers represent clients on in daily basis in the Miami-Dade courthouse that are charged with simple possession of marijuana.

The current state of the law in Florida considers marijuana possession to be a first degree misdemeanor. Although that does not sound bad, the crime is punishable up to 364 days in the county jail. Someone convicted of simple possession can also be hit with a $1,000 fine. The proposed amendment would not charge marijuana possession as a crime, but rather as a civil infraction which is very much like a speeding or parking ticket. While it is a longshot that this law will be passed, it will certainly not apply to felony amounts of marijuana, The distinction between a misdemeanor and a felony amount is set forth in the statutes. Possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana is a misdemeanor, while possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana is a 3rd degree felony.

The amendment would likewise not apply to marijuana sale and marijuana trafficking cases. Sale of marijuana is a third degree felony. First time offenders charged with this crime can receive pre-trial diversion, credit time served, and in egregious cases, probation. While sale of marijuana is not necessarily a serious offense, the Florida legislature has made marijuana trafficking a serious crime by attaching the possible penalty of a three year minimum mandatory state prison sentence. If an individual is charged with marijuana trafficking, they should seek the assistance of a Miami criminal defense attorney experienced in defending drug trafficking cases. Experienced lawyers are able to fully evaluate trafficking cases, take the appropriate depositions and file motions to suppress which if granted can get a defendant completely off the hook.

The Committee is lobbying for support based on the theory that criminalizing marijuana has led people to drink excess which causes a rise in DUI, DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide cases. It should be noted that individuals can be charged with DUI for being under the influence of marijuana rather than alcohol. The committee also advocates that marijuana is less addictive, less toxic and less likely to lead to violence than alcohol. In order to get this amendment on the November ballot, the Committee must secure 4,240 signatures by the end of August. We will see in November whether the law will change.

Campaign to Decriminalize Pot Comes to Miami Beach, CBS4.com, June 17, 2010.

One of the largest banks in the United States agreed to settle with the federal government by paying $160 million. The payment will resolve a criminal investigation being conducted by federal authorities into Wachovia Bank's failure to set up a an anti-money laundering program required under the Bank Secrecy Act. Allegedly between 2003 and 2008, the bank failed to prevent two cocaine trafficking cartels from laundering money through Mexican exchange houses. Miami criminal defense law firms have seen the number of money laundering prosecutions on the rise as the federal government continues to battle the drug trafficking cartels.

Wells Fargo/Wachovia in exchange for avoiding prosecution paid the hefty settlement and admitted that it failed to monitor $420 billion in money transfers to Latin American exchange houses. The bank acknowledged that its failure to abide by the Bank Secrecy Act allowed the drug cartels to conduct a money laundering scheme that exceeded $110 million. The money allowed the cartels to purchase airplanes to traffic cocaine and marijuana into the United States. Four of planes laden with 20,000 kilograms of cocaine were seized by federal law enforcement authorities. The trafficking problem of course leads to the large number of arrests for cocaine possession in South Florida.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida agreed to defer prosecution against the bank until the large financial institution comes into compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act. Part of the reason the government is deferring prosecution is due to the fact that Wells Fargo took over Wachovia and there is no evidence that they themselves have failed to comply with federal law. Wachovia got themselves into trouble by allow the exchange houses unfettered discretion in transferring large sums of money that were the proceeds of drug trafficking operations into accounts in the United States. The transfers were made by wire and by armored cars delivering large amounts of cash to the bank.

The deferred prosecution agreement is similar to the pre-trial intervention program offered in state court for first time offenders. In state court, depending on the charges, many defendants are offered the program in exchange for a dismissal of the charges down the road. Typically, the program last approximately six months and if the defendant completes all of the conditions set forth by the prosecutor, the charges will be dropped. The benefit of the program is that defendants never enter a plea to the charges which prevents them from having a criminal record. The program is effective for defendants who are not citizens of the United States. Since entering and successfully completing the program results in an dismissal, immigration consequences such as deportation or denials of residency or citizenship can be avoided.

Experienced and effective Miami criminal defense lawyers are aware that under the current state of the law, any plea taken by anyone other than a U.S. citizen can have devastating effects on individuals and families. Unsuspecting defendants who accept pleas to seemingly harmless charges with little or no consequences can later find themselves in immigration custody. However, if an unsuspecting defendant accepted a plea, a skilled post-conviction relief attorney can many times have the plea vacated and the charges dismissed. The success of this procedure depends on the jurisdiction where the plea was entered.

Wachovia to Pay $160 Million to End Money Laundering Probe, Business Week.com, March 18, 2010.

A Miami-Dade County judge took himself off a case which stems from a sexual assault which allegedly occurred at a Miami High School back in 2006. The Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office charged the principal of a Miami-Dade High School for his involvement in the cover up of the sexual assault. The Miami criminal defense lawyer representing Dwight Bernard attempted to gain enrollment into the pre-trial intervention program. Miami prosecutors filed a motion to recuse Circuit Court Judge Julio Jimenez after he urged the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office to offer the defendant the program.

The pre-trial intervention program is offered to first-time offenders. If the defendant complies with all the conditions set forth by the prosecution, the charges will be dropped within a six month time frame. The catch is that only the prosecution, and not the judge can offer the program to a defendant. After the defendant completes the program and the charges are dismissed, the defendant can seek an expungement of his record.

Bernard is currently charged with two counts of official misconduct. Jimenez intervened in the case when the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office extended a plea offer that included probation and to forfeit his school employment. Bernard's criminal lawyer told reporters that his client would not accept a plea because that would require him to lie under oath. Prosecutors from the Miami-Dade County State Attorney's Office filed a motion to recuse citing that Judge Jimenez said that he was concerned that a plea would cause Bernard to have an "undue cloud hanging over his head." Prosecutors also alleged that Judge Jimenez said that a "not guilty verdict was likely."

With this ammunition in hand, prosecutors filed a motion to recuse setting forth their belief that the State of Florida could not receive a fair trial or sentencing in the event Bernard was convicted after a jury trial. Jimenez defended his actions by stating the following, "I was trying to resolve the case in the best interests of the minor child, the defendant...the football team of the high school, and the community." He also claimed that he was asked to send the letter and then stabbed in the back. The case is a prime example of why many of the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court judges will not become involved in plea negotiations. It is the actions of the state attorney's office that makes every Miami criminal defense attorney's job more difficult in resolving cases for their clients.

Judge in Northwestern Principal Case Recuses Himself, The Miami Herald, September 25, 2009.