Pennsylvania Jury Verdicts, Settlements and Court Decisions
<h2> <center> United States of America v. Joseph Garrett Buckland </h2> </center>
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos. Joseph Garrett Buckland, 44, and others conspired to pool their money to commission the creation of animal crush videos—that is, videos that show actual obscene conduct in which living non-human mammals, in this case, monkeys, were purposely crush... More...
$ (04-02-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United Sates of America v. George Moses </h2> </center>
Scranton, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, and bank fraud. George Moses, age 45, of Wilkes-Barre, submitted applications for unemployment compensation, pandemic unemployment compensation, economic injury disaster loan, and paycheck protection program loan benefits falsely representing that he had qualifying income from the oper... More...
$ (04-02-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Arthur Thompson </h2> </center>
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm. On December 20, 2022, two Philadelphia police officers saw Arthur Thompson, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commit a traffic violation and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Thompson stopped his car, got out, tossed a loaded firearm, and ran away from the officers. Af... More...
$ (04-02-2026 - PA)<H2> <CENTER> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Michael Joseph Breitenbach </h2> </center>
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with fraud of taking money from insurers intended for his clients. Michael Joseph Breitenbach, 53, the owner of Patriot Public Adjusting, LLC, is accused of misappropriating over $82,000 in insurance claims and defrauding elderly homeowners in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.... More...
$ (03-28-2026 - pa)<h2> <center> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Secario Goodwin </h2> </center>
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with violating his probation. the Commonwealth filed the instant probation violation petition. The petition alleged four . . .violations: 1. Failure to report to the Monroe County Probation Department on March 27, 2024, as directed by his Probation Officer. 2. Failure to comply with all municipal, county,... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Alexander David Webster </h2> </center>
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with burglary, strangulation, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, simple assault, harassment, and terroristic threat.... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Teddy Torres </h2> </center>
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with aggravate menacing. Teddy Torrest accused of lifting his shirt to show an employee his handgun and making a statement indicating it would be easy to take the employee hostage.... More...
$ (03-23-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Nicholas Pecko </h2> </center>
Scranton, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with bank fraud and theft of mail by a postal employee. Nicholas Pecko, age 33, of Vandling, Pennsylvania, allegedly stole two checks totaling $6,581.59 that were sent through the mail, intended to be delivered by the United States Postal Office. The indictment further alleges that Pecko executed a bank fraud sche... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Brett Michael Dadig </h2> </center>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charge with cyberstalking and making interstate threats. From May through November 2025, the Brett Michael Dadig, 31, traveled in interstate commerce to multiple states and used facilities of interstate commerce (such as his phone and the internet) with the intent to harass and intimidate numerous female victims, in man... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Christopher Knight </h2? </center>
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with deprivation of civil rights under color of law and falsification of records. On January 8, 2023, Christopher Knight, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, blasted his first victim with pepper spray while the victim was lying face down on the ground with his hands behind his back. Knight then continued to spr... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Christopher Furman </h2> </center>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with embezzlement. Christopher Furman, 53, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.... More...
$ (03-20-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Jerome Brown, a/k/a Jerome F. Brown <h2> </center>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with drug trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm after law enforcement raided his car, home, and storage unit as part of a drug-trafficking investigation near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A plea agreement is a negotiated contract between the Government and a defendant. Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Cri... More...
$ (03-13-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Santos Castro-Mota </h2> </center>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with drug trafficking. Santos Castro-Mota, 46, a Dominican Republic national, ran a drug trafficking operation out of the State Correctional Institution Phoenix (Collegeville, Pennsylvania). A joint investigation by federal, state, and local law enforcement operating under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking A... More...
$ (03-13-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Phillis Fugah </h2> </center>
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with car jacking and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Phillis Fugah, 25, of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, and a male accomplice approached a Honda Pilot parked on the 7100 block of West Chester Pike, where a man sat in the vehicle with his two young children while waiting for his wife. The accomplic... More...
$ (03-13-2026 - PA)<h2> <center> United States of America v. Julian Thompson </h2> </center>
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with failure to surrender. The Court was advised that, on November 21, 2024, Julian Thompson, 33, was sentenced in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 10 years of imprisonment on his convictions for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of a firearm and ammunition by... More...
$ (03-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Justin Heimbach
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with six counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Justin Heimbach, 34, of Bath, Pennsylvania, operated a construction company called TeamKJ Construction, and engaged in a scheme that caused fraudulent PUA applications to be filed in the names of individuals allegedly no longer employed by TeamKJ as ... More...
$ (03-03-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Nasir Warlow
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with one count of carjacking and one count of using and carrying firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. At approximately 5:08 a.m., the victim parked his silver 2017 Nissan Sentra on the 6700 block of Woodland Avenue when Nasir Warlow and two accomplices, all wearing masks and dressed in black,... More...
$ (03-03-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Luis Rosa-Hernandez
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing and manufacturing firearms without a license and possess machine guns.... More...
$ (03-03-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Aaron Hertel and Michael Brown
Erie, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit wire and health care fraud. Aaron Hertel, 47, of North East, Pennsylvania, and Michael Brown, 49, of Erie, Pennsylvania led, managed, and supervised a conspiracy involving numerous employees at Hertel & Brown Physical and Aquatic Therapy that involved the use of unlicensed technicians to trea... More...
$ (03-03-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Mahmoud Almasry, a/k/a Mohammad Jiham
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents, as well as aggravated identity theft. Mahmoud Almasry, also known as Mohammad Jiham, 44, fraudulently entered the United States in 2016 by assuming another person's identity and continued using that identity for nearly a decade. Prosecutors allege ... More...
$ (02-27-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Pierre Thomas
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering.... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. John O’Brien
John O’Brien of Masury, Ohio, engaged in a scheme with others to defraud Primary Health Network, a non-profit medical organization headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, through the submission of fraudulent invoices, including from the telecommunications company O’Brien controlled. The four other defendants in the case all previously pleaded guilty, including three leaders of the organization... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Eric Raheem Pierce
Scranton, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm and ammunition. During the course of several controlled drug purchases, Eric Raheem Pierce, age 38, of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, distributed approximately 35 grams of fentanyl before attempting to discard 25 bricks of heroin and another 23 grams of fentanyl on the date of h... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Geoffrey Magistrate
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with money laundering. The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”) Global Illicit Financial Team (“GIFT”) identified David Metcalf announced that Geoffrey Magistrate, 61, a current resident of Limassol, Cyprus, and a prior resident of Pennsylvania, as a corporate service provider ... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Carlos Sacanell
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with insider trading. Carlos Sacanell, 59, of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment in October 2024. In September of last year, he pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud (insider trading) and one count of making a false statement to a federal agency. As detailed in court filings and... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Javon Pope
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with attempting to remove property and take other action to prevent seizure in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2232(a) as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). The Defendant sought to suppress the evidence against him. The Fourth Amendment protects individuals fro... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)Andre Lenell Paden, Appellant
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Plaintiff post conviction relief. On March 19, 2020, while on state parole as the result of a Monroe County conviction, [Paden] was charged with [the instant] burglary and related offenses in Luzerne County. At the time, he was also facing charges for a crime committed in Lackawanna County. In March of 2022, while represented b... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)Sherice Sargent, et al.v . School District of Philadelphia, et al.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, civil rights lawyers represented the Plaintiffs who sued on an Equal Protection challenge to the School District’s 2022 Admissions Policy for four selective high schools. The School District of Philadelphia has three types of high schools: (1) neighborhood schools; (2) citywide schools; and (3) criteria-based schools. Criteria-based schools are selective and requ... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Dameia O. Smith, a/k/a "Omar," a/k/a "D"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with solicitation and attempted murder of a federal witness. More than twenty years ago, a jury convicted Dameia Smith of both solicitation and attempted murder of a federal witness. The jury also convicted him of using or carrying a firearm “during and in relation to” a “crime of violence,” 18 U... More...
$ (02-23-2026 - PA)Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Donyell Soper and National Sanders </j2>
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with murder. Donyell Soper, 15, of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania, and Nathan Sanders, 17, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, accused with killing a 15-yearold boy shot multiple times.... More...
$ (02-17-2026 - PA)Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Terrie Lawson
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with two counts of theft by deception, a count of access device fraud, forgery and tampering with records or identification. Terri Lawson, age 52, of Edgewood, Pennsylvania, accused of misused a credit card when she was manager of one of the district's boroughs.... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Bryce Hill
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute drugs. Bryce Hill, age 28, of Seattle, Washington, was a member of the Phoenix-based Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization—a transnational criminal organization responsible for the distribution of millions of fentanyl pills, hundreds of pounds of methamphe... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Ja’Shon Spencer
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm. Ja’Shon Spencer, 22, possessed a Glock semiautomatic pistol equipped with a machinegun conversion device (MCD) or “Glock switch.” A MCD is a device that converts a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm. Under federal law, both the MCD itself as well as th... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Randolf Simmons
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with 35 total charges relating to trafficking, involuntary servitude, kidnapping, sexual assault and drug-related offenses. Randolf Simmons, 46, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, accused for drug and human trafficking.... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Jorge Alberto Santamaria-Cortes
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with illegal reentry of a removed alien. Alberto Alberto Santamaria-Cortes, age 47, a Mexican national who was residing in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, illegally reentered the United States sometime after he had been deported in July 2014. Santamaria-Cortes was found again in the United States after being arreste... More...
$ (02-13-2026 - PA)Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Yujun Ren
Doylestown, Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer represents the Defendant charged with murder. Yujun Ren accused of killing Yuan Yuan Lu. Lu had told police Ren carried a gun with him everywhere, and she was scared of him. Lu was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head inside her car. Police said Ren has a concealed carry permit and a firearm registered to him in Pennsylvania.... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Chris Byard, Daquan Bishop
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendants charged with first-degree murder and related charges. Chris Byard, 27, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and related charges. Daquan Bishop, 28, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. The arrests were the result of a joint investigation between the Philadelphia Police Department, ... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Kristian Jackson
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with aiding and abetting carjacking.... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Carlian Gonzalez
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm. On September 14, 2023, Carlian Gonzalez, age 36, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, robbed a victim of his cell phone on a sidewalk in North Philadelphia, pointing a gun to his head and demanding he turn over his phone. Shortly after the robbery, the victim stopped police offic... More...
$ (02-12-2026 - PA)United States of America v. Walter Tharrington, aka “Black” and “Roaadblock"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion of a minor.... More...
$ (02-03-2026 - PA)