Where an immigration attorney raised multiple challenges to her conviction for refusing to comply with directions from an immigration judge and a courtroom bailiff to cease distracting conduct during an immigration proceeding, the record demonstrated her conduct was sufficiently disruptive. ...

Tagged with: 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Criminal

Where a search of appellant’s jail cell revealed his notes, which included threats to a woman he was charged with sexually assaulting and two investigators, this was sufficient evidence to sustain three convictions of obstructing justice. Overview Appellant was arrested ...

Tagged with: Criminal Va. Court of Appeals – Unpublished

One aspect of the 2020 Virginia criminal justice reform agenda may already have been achieved, even as reform legislation was parked for a year. Virginia prosecutors responding to a call for revision of the state’s formula for allocating staff positions ...

Tagged with: Criminal criminal justice reform Legislation

Where appellant was convicted in two different counties for felony eluding, there was no double jeopardy violation. Even though the convictions arose from the same incident, the motorists endangered were not the same in the two counties. Background In Chesterfield ...

Tagged with: Criminal Va. Court of Appeals – Unpublished

Where the defendant mail carrier was in possession of mail consisting largely of holiday cards that often contain gift cards or cash more than two months after it should have been delivered, and provided no reason why she held on ...

Tagged with: Criminal U.S. District Court - Eastern District

Upon consideration of the record, briefs, and argument of counsel, the Court is of the opinion that there is no error in the judgment of the Court of Appeals. Howard Allen Groffel (“Groffel”) was convicted in a bench trial in ...

Tagged with: Criminal Va. Supreme Court

Where appellant took some of his murder victims’ possessions, there was sufficient evidence for the trial court to find that appellant had the dual motives of killing and robbing the two victims. His robbery convictions are affirmed, as are his ...

Tagged with: Criminal Va. Court of Appeals – Unpublished

A ruling that setting cash bail would violate due process for an indigent DWI defendant could add weight to the legislative effort to reform the cash bail system in Virginia. Fairfax County Circuit Judge David Bernhard said imposing a $2,500 ...

Tagged with: Criminal Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard

Where defendant moved to quash a murder indictment because of the commonwealth’s untimely disclosure of exculpatory evidence, the court will deny the motion but will give the jury an adverse inference instruction regarding the evidence. Overview Defendant Gonzalez was indicted ...

Tagged with: Criminal Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Thomas P. Mann Virginia Circuit Courts

The general district court’s imposition of a $2,500 cash or surety bond as a condition of defendant’s release after being arrested for driving while intoxicated was an unconstitutional application of Virginia’s statutory bail bond scheme. As a matter of discretion, ...

Tagged with: Criminal Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard Virginia Circuit Courts