DALLAS CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAW OFFICE

When people are arrested for drug possession in Texas there are a wide range of possible penalties, depending on several factors. For example, in some states, people caught with more than 5 ounces of heroin can face prison sentences of as long as 10 years, because prosecutors often add what is known as an ‘intent to distribute’ charge to possession, which carries heavier penalties. In D...

When a person is arrested on drug charges in Dallas, there can be a wide range of penalties based on the offenses that person violated. For example, drug distribution or intent to distribute is going to have a stiffer penalty than simple possession for personal use. However, things can change significantly if a person is arrested for federal drug charges as opposed to state drug charges. ...

One of the most common types of white-collar crimes in Dallas is fraud. On the most basic level, most people understand that fraud has something to do with deceiving another person for some type of monetary gain. When a person is arrested for fraud, he or she may not think that this is a serious charge, but in fact, fraud is a serious criminal offense with penalties that include hefty fin...

White-collar crime charges in Dallas are very serious, even though they don’t capture the public’s attention with the same intensity as violent crime. One of the reasons white-collar crimes get less attention is because they involve money, rather than violence, bodily injury, or death. The truth is, however, that many individuals are victims of white-collar crime, which impacts people on a ...

There have been recent reports about a 16-year-old boy who died after US Customs and Border Protection agents told him to drink from a bottle containing liquid methamphetamine. The boy was crossing the border from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego, when agents inspected his backpack and found two bottles of liquid they believed to be liquid methamphetamine. The boy told the agents it was apple j...

If you love dogs like I do, you know that, when dogs first meet a person or another dog, the first thing they do is to smell the new acquaintance.  Some breeds of dog have remarkably good senses of smell.  For that reason, law enforcement has used trained dogs for many years to detect illegal drugs by smelling for them.  This is called a "dog sniff," says Dallas drug defense attorney John H...

They have both involved the federal crime of computer hacking under Title 18 US Code section 1930.  The Federal Crime of Computer Hacking:  From the 2016 Presidential Election to Major League Baseball United States intelligence agencies say they have proof that a group of Russian computer hackers, known as Fancy Bear, who was working with Russian intelligence, accessed computers of the ...

You have probably heard someone on television say that they plan to take their case "all the way to the Supreme Court." This has become a cliché that means that the person is determined, rather than a true indication of a legal strategy, says John Helms, top Dallas criminal appeals attorney. Most people who say it probably have very little idea what is involved in "taking" their case to the...

I often have clients or family members tell me that the arresting police officer did not read the arrested person their rights. They want to know whether the failure to read someone their rights means that the person’s case should be dismissed. Unfortunately, the answer is, “no.” says Dallas criminal defense lawyer John Helms. The fact that the police do not inform an arrested person of the...

Almost everyone has heard the phrase “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  It is the standard that the government’s proof must meet in order for a jury to find a defendant guilty of a crime, explains John Helms, Dallas criminal lawyer.  It is also an elusive concept that is sometimes difficult for jurors to grasp. I also believe that some prosecutors try to convince jurors that it is a lower standa...