Big Win At A Felony Hearing

Today Westchester criminal defense lawyer, Michael Joseph had a big win in a felony theft case in the White Plains City Court Court. It was alleged that our client was involved in a scheme whereby individuals purchased goods at Nordstroms with a stolen credit card.

Our client originally was charged with several felonies including Class C felonies for possession of stolen property and grand larceny. After an aggressive criminal defense and questioning of the government’s witnesses, our white plains criminal defense lawyer was able to successfully establish that there was simply no evidence that our client ever possessed the stolen credit card. Following the hearing, the Court dismissed the most serious charges and all of the charges except for a low grade, Class E felony of grand larceny. These dismissals drastically reduced the potential sentence that could be imposed if our client is ultimately convicted, which we doubt will happen.

A defendant charged with a felony is entitled to a felony hearing, which requires the government to establish reasonable cause that the defendant committed a felony. The felony hearing often can be used to get a peak in the government’s case before the witnesses have been prepped and expose weaknesses in a criminal case early on. If a felony criminal case is going to be litigated, the felony hearing is an incredibly valuable tool.