Brown & Nieto this week filed a federal habeas petition on behalf of Christopher Jones, who was falsely convicted in 2015 by allegedly corrupt Baltimore City Police officer Daniel Hersl. Jones has maintained his innocence since he was first arrested in Baltimore City and charged with drugs and a gun. According to Jones, Officer Hersl…
Category: Federal Criminal Defense
Life Sentence Defeated in Federal Court
The Firm is happy to announce that today we defeated a life sentence in federal court. Eleven years ago, while represented by different counsel, D.E. was sentenced to life imprisonment for a non-violent drug offense. Because he had at least two prior drug convictions, he received a mandatory life sentence, without the possibility of parole….
Syed files Conditional Cross Appeal
Syed today filed his conditional application for leave to cross appeal. Essentially, we are asking the Court of Special Appeals that, if it hears the State’s appeal of Judge Welch’s Order, we also want to appeal. The state wants to appeal the cell tower issue, upon which the new trial was granted, and we would want to…
Reform on Hold?
In the past two years we have heard that Congress is on the brink of passing legislation that would reform our criminal justice system — by shifting away from the practice of warehousing drug offenders in prison, and moving in the direction of rehabilitation. This was one thing, it was reported, upon which Republicans and…
Can Syed’s hearing be broadcast?
We have received many inquiries about whether Adnan Syed’s re-opened post-conviction hearing — currently scheduled for Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 — will be televised or broadcast in any form. Initially we were dismissive of the possibility. Now we’re not so sure. Maryland has a law that prohibits the broadcast of criminal proceedings. The statute,…
Syed’s Motion to Re-Open GRANTED
Syed’s Motion to Re-Open Post-Conviction proceedings was granted today. Syed will be allowed to introduce evidence related to the alibi and the cell tower issue. The hearing date has yet to be determined. Here is the link to Judge Welch’s Order:…
Brian Parker Cleared of Federal Charges
Brian Parker, a client of the Firm, was cleared today of all federal charges against him. Federal prosecutors had alleged that Parker was a leader of a Cherry Hill drug conspiracy. But yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed to drop all charges against him, and a motion to dismiss was granted today by a federal…
Baltimore City Jail: Worse Than Ever
More than two years have passed since federal prosecutors handed down a massive indictment charging gang members and correctional officers with operating a drug conspiracy inside the Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). The story gained national media attention and the U.S. Attorney’s Office trumpeted its success in getting convictions of all but a few of…
Stingray: Next Frontier in Fourth Amendment Law
Read the Firm’s cover story in The Champion magazine about Stingray technology, the latest frontier in Fourth Amendment law: STINGRAY ARTICLE…
Supreme Court Strikes Down Part of Armed Career Criminal Act
Lost in the excitement over the Supreme Court’s blockbuster decisions last week was a significant, albeit technical, case dealing with federal sentencing under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ruling should help a significant number of federal defendants who are serving harsh mandatory sentences. These people may be entitled to substantial sentence reductions. In…