Michael B. Cohen

South Florida Man Sentenced to Lesser Charges on Appeal in First-Degree Murder Case

September 8, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Larry Modena and William Dabbs were friends. Their lives intersected on many different levels. In addition to sharing their private lives they also worked together at Modena’s contracting and construction company, Atlantic Coast Builders. Their relationship seemed nothing out of the ordinary until a fateful day in October 2011 in Boynton Beach when Dabbs shot his friend to his death as they argued in a Home Depot parking lot where both of their cars were parked side by side. Dabbs shot Modena five times before he fled the scene.

When police were dispatched to the location of the shooting, they pursued Dabbs who was operating his work van leading them on a high-speed chase that at one point had Dabbs turn and point his .38 caliber pistol at one of the officers. The officer returned fire, but neither were injured as Modena lay dying in his car.

After Dabbs was taken into custody without further incident he was ultimately charged with first-degree murder, fleeing and eluding law enforcement and armed aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.

South Florida Mother Charged with Murder of Son She Claimed was Abducted

August 2, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

The Amber Alert sounded in the early morning of May 22 trilling cell phones and the emergency broadcast system on local television networks, as well as sending the alert to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Network, a division of the US Department of Justice.

The Amber Alert was posted after the mother of Alejandro Ripley urgently called police emergency telling the 911 operator that her son had been abducted in South Miami. She frantically if not incoherently told police dispatch that two men of whom appeared to be of Afro-American descent cut off her car bringing it to a stop at the intersection of SW 158th Avenue and Kendall Drive.

The alert that went out through the airwaves stated that her son Alejandro is 4’11”, 120 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. The child also suffers from a condition of severe autism and for all intents and purposes is non-verbal.

United States v. Alexandra Slovkovic (Motion for Compassionate Release)

May 17, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

This post is a continuation of a breaking news story found under Case Results on my Website relating to my Motion on behalf of Alexandra Slovkovic’s Request for Compassionate Release.

At approximately the same time I entered the Motion on behalf of my client Alexandra Slovkovic, Correctional officers at the federal women’s prison in Tallahassee filed a complaint in reference to the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The officers filed what’s known as an “Imminent Danger Report” with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USOSHA). The USOSHA is the federal agency that oversees and enforces workplace safety. Simply stated the mid-April complaint specified that the actions and non-action taken by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) are increasing the capacity for the spread of the potentially deadly contagion.

At the time the complaint was recorded one Correctional officer had tested positive for the coronavirus and three other employees were quarantined. Additionally, one inmate had been awaiting test results as of the time the complaint was documented.

South Florida Woman Appeal for Bail Deferred

May 9, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Originally charged with second-degree murder which carries a potential life sentence if found guilty, a Coral Springs woman had the charges against her downgraded to second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors said they reviewed the evidence and the law.

The suspect, Yvonne Serrano was arrested late last November after calling 911 when she said she discovered the body of Daniela Tabares in her driveway with one foot still in her car at 6:00 in the morning. At the time police arrived at her home Serrano told them she was leaving for the gym when she stumbled upon the dead woman’s car and body that was found with a gunshot wound to the center of her forehead. At the time police noted that Mrs. Serrano wasn’t dressed for a gym outing.

During initial questioning by police Serrano told them that she remembered going to a local bar with her friends the previous night, blacked out and woke up in her bed. At the time she could not detail to detectives how she got home from the outing the night before.

South Florida Woman Receives Sentence of Probation for Guilty Plea on Embezzlement Charges

February 29, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

“A gambling problem can negatively affect an individual’s home life, financial status, career, education, social relationships, and physical and emotional health.”

These words can be found on the helpline page of The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling’s website.

Their mission statement demonstrates that they’re “committed to increasing public awareness about problem and compulsive gambling.”

Florida Man Tricked Teen Girls into Prostitution by Offering Help for Victims, Conclusion

January 26, 2020 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Last month’s blog post settled with the FBI’s arrests of William Foster, Ashleigh Holloway and Hanah Chan.

Foster had been charged with an array of sex trafficking charges while Holloway and Chan had soon after surrendered to federal authorities and now face similar charges.

Foster’s complete indictment which was unsealed on December 9 of this past year charge him with sex trafficking of a minor, conspiracy to sex traffic a minor and transporting with the intent to engage in prostitution. Holloway and Chan who were alleged to be Foster’s two main recruiters were charged under the same indictment with sex trafficking by fraud, coercion or force. Additionally Chan was charged with transporting an individual for prostitution.

Cutting Edge DNA Website Limited by User Backlash

June 30, 2019 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

At the end of last November, an article was posted on this blog that related to the use of genealogy websites by police to find and catch criminals utilizing DNA submitted by users, many from cold cases that were at one time considered unsolvable.

The article told the story of the arrest of Benjamin Lee Holmes who allegedly murdered a University of Central Florida student named Christine Franke in October, 2001.

The case had gone cold for close to eighteen years.

Pompano Beach Woman Arrested for Supplying Illegal Prescriptions

May 25, 2019 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Michael B. Cohen, Esq is a Criminal Defense Attorney specializing in federal crimes as well as the defense of state charges such as drug cases, fraud, and all associated criminal matters. He maintains two offices in South Florida and a separate office located in the New York Metropolitan area.

You can follow his twitter feed to read similar diversified blog posts. His South Florida website can be found at https://www.southflalaw.com and his New York City site can be accessed at: http://www.nyfederalattorney.com

Many experts have stated that the current opioid crisis that has galloped rapidly throughout the United States can be attributed to pharmaceutical companies convincing the medical populace as a whole, that patients would not develop an addiction to the opioid pain relievers they manufactured. This resulted in what many believe is the starting point when healthcare providers began to prescribe them at higher rates.

Threatening Political Voicemails Leads to Arrests

April 21, 2019 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Our country is divided; with our politics reaching a level of intense polarization which most likely hasn’t been seen since the American Civil War.

One day after the release of the Mueller report, that’s primary focus was to deliberate on Russia’s seemingly successful interference of the 2016 presidential election; and if any American persons aided and abetted in the process, a South Florida man was arrested for leaving threatening voicemails on multiple Congresspersons’ voicemails.

This article is not political, but will point out how the apparent impenetrable divide in our country has caused certain people to become overly-passionate when it comes to their personal opinions about their political leanings. So much so, they arrive at a point where they believe they need to take action personal action.

Thirty Six Year Old Murder Case Reversed on New DNA Evidence and Confession

March 25, 2019 | Michael B. Cohen, P.A.

Michael B. Cohen, Esq is a Criminal Defense Attorney specializing in federal crimes as well as the defense of Homicides and all related cases. His offices are located in New York City as well as retaining two offices in South Florida

You can follow his twitter feed to read similar recent blog articles of importance, highlighting cases of interest which occur in the New York Metropolitan area as well as the Dade, Broward, Palm Beach County areas of South Florida.

Ronald Henry Stewart is a rapist. Of that there’s no doubt as he was previously convicted for multiple charges of rape. However, Ronald Henry Stewart is not a murderer. In the summer of 1983 after being charged with the rape/murder of 20-year-old Regina Harrison Stewart he pleaded no contest. A jury subsequently convicted him of all counts of these crimes. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of the young West Palm Beach college student.