South Florida Criminal Attorneys Blog

South Florida Woman Facing Federal Bank Robbery Charges

January 21, 2017 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

It was the height of the Holiday shopping season last month, when a middle aged woman wearing sweat pants and a dark colored hat walked into a bank and simply handed a teller a note which read “This is a robbery. Smile & act naturally”. She also told the teller that she was armed and wouldn’t hesitate to use her weapon, “so don’t act like a hero”, even though witnesses to the apparent robbery didn’t see a weapon in the woman’s possession, according to the federal criminal complaint.

After her arrest, which took place three days after the alleged robbery, and after being taken into custody, Sonya Clark, who is fifty two years old and works for a moving company also seemingly confessed to robbing a local branch of a TD bank in Boynton Beach late last year, near her residence. The bank that was hit in Fort Lauderdale was also a TD Bank
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South Florida Man Charged for Arson with Hate Crime Enhancement

December 12, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Last week, in a Charleston, South Carolina District Courthouse a Federal jury heard the startling recorded confession of Dylan Roof who when questioned by FBI Agents simply said in a calm manner that “I went to that church in Charleston and I did it.”

Roof is accused of slaughtering nine African American churchgoers during a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.

Throughout questioning by FBI agents, Roof also admitted that he considered himself to be a white supremacist and was motivated after reading about the Trevon Martin case in Florida as well as ultimately deciding to take revenge because blacks were raping white women.

South Florida Man Arrested Under New Revenge Porn Law

November 16, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

After a rocky three year relationship Michael Hamel, Jr. and his girlfriend parted ways. The breakup was not affable and was ended by the woman, whose name is being withheld.

The relationship grew so troubled that last September, Hamel’s girlfriend and mother of his child had a restraining order filed against him.

After the order was in place, although his girlfriend ceased contact with him, Mr. Hamel took to texting one of her ex’s family members while passing on a threat to her that he would post compromising pictures on the Internet if his ex-girlfriend allowed any new man in his life to get near their child.

Elderly Florida Man Charged with Battery in Political Argument with Spouse

October 21, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

With less than two weeks until the American public will cast their votes for our next President, cases of tempers reaching a fever pitch are being reported by the press as well as the police.

This election has already demonstrated acts of extreme passion resulting in violence at Donald Trump rallies where individuals have been detained by security as well as local police and federal agencies.

Late last year a Black Lives Matter protester was tackled, punched and kicked at a Trump rally in Birmingham, Alabama. But no complaint was made and no charges were filed.

Miami-Dade Road Rage Homicide Suspect to Face no Trial

September 27, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

If you or someone close to you is accused of any type of the many serious types of charges associated with a homicide it is essential to consult with knowledgeable criminal defense attorney who specializes in these types of cases at the earliest possible time before or after charges are filed.

Although innocent until proven guilty, it is conclusive by his own statements to detectives that Andres Diaz shot and killed Ricky Iglesias during an incident of road rage which occurred on a street in Southwest Miami in the twilight hours late last month. The single gunshot wound to Iglesias’ chest ultimately led to his death.

A conviction for a second degree murder charge tried as a first degree felony can lead to a sentence of up to not less than 25 years in prison. The prosecution may also request a lengthier sentence depending on the circumstances, including life in prison.

Miami-Dade Woman Arrested for DUI Manslaughter and Related Charges

August 22, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

If you or someone close to you is charged with any alcohol-related driving violation it’s crucial to retain a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney who specializes in these types of occurrences at the earliest possible moment.

Accepting her fate at the Turner Gilford Knight Correctional Center late last month where she was being held on $80,000 bail, Jessica Araujo of Miami was formally arrested and charged with numerous alcohol related charges including DUI manslaughter.

Other charges that Araujo will now face are vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol; causing serious bodily injury, and possession of cocaine.

Second Convicted Inmate Scheduled for Release in Massive Health Care Fraud

July 26, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Following up on an article posted here last September, the second of five defendants who was convicted of bribery charges that stemmed from a fraud that amounted to millions in duplicitous Medicaid and food stamps payments will be released from a Residential Reentry Management (RRM) field office, a halfway house operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Miami.

Alejandro Lomoso was the last to be sentenced earlier this year and was given the second lightest punishment of the five defendants involved in the fraud by a Federal Judge. He is scheduled to be released from the facility on Sept. 6. His release will be followed by six months of house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Lomoso a former Social Security Administration employee admitted at trial that he accepted roughly $10,000 in bribes from the masterminded of the racket; Irma Davidian.

First of Six Arrested under New Human Trafficking Laws Convicted

June 28, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

In 2014, new laws regarding the crime of human trafficking were passed by the Florida legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.

The criminal aspect of these new laws were tested for the first time earlier last month (May 2016) in a case involving a West Park man accused of operating a prostitution and drug ring.

It took a jury a little more than one hour to convict Gerard Nelson of the crime based on the framework of the “up until now” untested law.

South Florida Synthetic Drug Importation Trial Finally Ends with a Conviction

May 10, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

A one-time law student was convicted of conspiracy to import and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance in association with the role he played in a drug ring that used the Internet to order synthetic chemicals from China and have them transported to a location in Miami under the control of he and his co-conspirators.

This was the first conviction attained by the government after starting the year 2016 with a 0-3 result for similar illegal importation cases that went to a federal jury.

In this particular case, Mario Melton used his family’s freight forwarding company Transfreight International to ship large amounts of MDMA (Molly) into the country. It was the government’s second attempt at trying Melton; the first resulting in a mistrial when a federal jury couldn’t come to a decision after four days of deliberations.

Melton was convicted of assisting two ex-soldiers; Jorge Hernandez and Matthew Anich along with nine others run one of the largest synthetic drug rings in Miami history. All of the other named conspirators have already accepted plea deals for the charges filed against them.

Not all attorneys in Fort Lauderdale have experience in federal cases. When choosing an attorney for the defense of any federal charge it’s crucial that the chosen advocate is well-versed in all aspects of federal criminal law.

Michael Cohen’s experience in the federal system goes back to when he worked for the US Attorney’s Office as an Assistant United States Attorney. Now working in the private sector for close to twenty years, Mr. Cohen is the proper choice to counter all charges filed by the government.

When the federal government hands down an Indictment most cases are resolved by an agreement between the prosecution and the defense. The accused usually waives their right to a trial by jury and a federal judge ordinarily agrees to the terms of the deal.
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Miramar Men Report Home Invasion; Arrested for $100 Million ID Theft Fraud

April 18, 2016 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Many people are arrested by police when suspicions are raised in cases when they’re pulled over for simple traffic stops. This also frequently happens when law enforcement is given access to people’s homes for indeterminate reasons, such as a 911 call for a domestic argument that wasn’t actually serious and may have even been resolved before police arrived.

For example, if a police officer notices a pouch of what appears to be marijuana with a box of rolling paper in plain view, they can possibly make an arrest, even though they were called to the scene for a totally different purpose.

But in many cases, when police notice items that cause them to assume that a more substantial crime may be involved due to what they feel to be evidence witnessed with their own eyes, they may choose to further investigate and hold parties they believe to be involved as they begin and continue the inspective process.

Michael Cohen is a Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Attorney whose practice concentrates on the defense of federal charges. In cases such as these, his help can be invaluable for resulting in the best outcome if charges are filed by the federal government or the State of Florida.

When an arrest takes place by law enforcement when they assume the evidence they stumbled upon by chance may be a fragment of a greater possible crime, in many cases they may be correct.

Such was the case when Miramar Police were investigating an armed home invasion that took place in 2013 at a residence inhabited by three men: Harlan and Frantz Decoste, and Francis Jeudy.