crossing state lines

Federal law on possession of a controlled substance

December 22, 2010
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Possession of a controlled substance is a federal criminal offense under Title 21, United States Code, Section 844. Although most controlled substance offenses are prosecuted under state law, possession can become a federal charge in many circumstances. For example, it is a federal offense where either the defendant or the drug crossed state lines, or [...]

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Possession of a firearm by convicted felon: federal offense

December 15, 2010
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A charge in federal court for possessing  a firearm as a convicted felon carries extremely severe penalties. It does not matter that the firearm was unloaded. Nor does it matter that the weapon was never discharged. In fact, the firearm itself may not be operable. Nonetheless, a person can be found guilty of this crime [...]

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Mail fraud charges under federal law

December 11, 2010
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Of all the federal charges filed by the United States Attorney, probably the most frequently used charge in white collar criminal cases would be mail fraud. The mail fraud statute is Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341. The reason for its prevalence in white collar prosecutions is that it applies to almost any scheme [...]

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Federal court jurisdiction over criminal conduct

December 2, 2010
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Many people believe that crossing state lines is what determines whether conduct can result in federal criminal charges. However, the issue of federal jurisdiction is more complicated than that. Activity that occurs in one state can be subject to federal prosecution. Understanding federal criminal jurisdiction requires a look back at history. The United States is [...]

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