Mr. Garcia-Zacarias worked on numerous horse farms in the United States and was operating a Ford pickup truck owned by Valerie Renihan, a horse trainer who has claimed that Garcia-Zacarias did not have permission to operate the vehicle and stole the keys. However, neighbors near the Tonetta Lake Road house in Southeast where Garcia-Zacarias and several other men lived claimed that they would all frequently drive the vehicle. Clearly, if the Putnam County District Attorney's Office had solid proof against Renihan, she would have been charged in this tragic case as well.

In sentencing Mr. Garcia-Zacarias to the maximum jail time under New York's Penal Law, Judge James Rooney of the Putnam County Court stated to the defendant: " Do not look to me for forgiveness...God may grant you mercy, but this Court will not." After Garcia-Zacarias serves his prison term, he faces immediate removal (deportation) to his native Guatemala.

This incident calls to mind the case in New York of ex New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is now serving a 2 year jail sentence after he pled guilty to unlicensed possession of a firearm last year. Had Burress not pled guilty, he was looking at the possibility of a mandatory sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison if convicted of the crime of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

It would appear that the Wizards and the NBA have a significant public relations problem when their star player, who led the league in scoring a few years ago, is facing felony jail time and appeared to be unrepentant when first charged with the crime, leading to Stern's decision to suspend him indefinitely

Prosecutors utilized testimony from high profile witnesses and friends of Ms. Astor including Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger to establish that Marshall had manipulated his mother to change her will and had stolen priceless artwork from her walls. The defense contended that Marshall had an unrestricted complete power of attorney permitting his actions, and argued that Astor was mentally competent when she made the changes to her will. Apparently, the Manhattan jury did not accept those arguments.

Marshall got the minimum allowable sentence under sentencing guidelines. He was unsuccessful in trying to get the judge to drop the part of his conviction which required jail time, despite his lawyers' arguments that any jail time would amount to a death sentence due to his poor health.

The defense was that the sexual relations were consensual and that Mr. Arroyo did not drug the victim. The problem with this defense was that the victim is a lesbian and testified that she never would have consented to sexual relations with any man. Further, the jury was provided a security video from Doyle's Pub which apparently showed Mr. Arroyo moving his hand over the woman's drink, stirring the drink, and then handing it to her. During deliberations, the jury asked to see the video several additional times; this video obviously played a large part in the conviction.

Mr. Arroyo is incarcerated in the Westchester County Jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 20, 2010 and faces a maximum jail term of 25 years on the rape charges.

Pileggi waived his right to a felony hearing, and his attorney has indicated that Mr. Pileggi may testify at the grand jury, which is always a risky decision, and an opportunity that many defendants forego, in the hope that the prosecution will fail to convince the grand jury to indict.

New York Second degree manslaughter is a Class C Felony under the New York State Penal Law, and carries with it a potential jail term of up to 15 years. Pileggi is free on $50,000 bail, and has resigned from his position with the Eastchester Police Department, where he was employed for 2 years.

Apparently, a New York City lawyer has filed a notice of claim against the Eastchester Police Department and Mr. Pileggi, alleging wrongful death, which is the first step in commencing a civil lawsuit.

Under the plea deal, the 54 year old Kerik is likely to serve between 27 and 33 months in prison. He will be sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Steven C. Robinson on February 18, 2010.

Contact the White Plains criminal defense lawyers at the Law Office of Mark A. Siesel online or toll free at 888-761-7633 for a free consultation if you are charged with a New York felony, misdemeanor, violation or traffic infraction.

Mr. Siegel was found to have 1,500 bottles of anabolic steroids and $100,000 in cash. For the highest charge of New York assault with a deadly weapon, Siegel faces up to twenty years in prison. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he could receive a sentence of just over 5 years in prison. Siegel is being held without bail and will be sentenced on January 14, 2010.

Prior to the plea deal, Mr. Burress testified before a grand jury, during which he admitted to possessing and firing the pistol. In most cases, defendants are advised to not testify before a grand jury, as it provides the prosecutor with an opportunity to obtain damaging admissions prior to trial.

After his sentencing on September 22nd, Mr. Burress will reportedly be sent to Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, a maximum security prison, to determine where he should be incarcerated. With good behavior, Burress can reduce his sentence by three and a half months.

The New York criminal weapon charges stem from an incident on November 29, 2008 at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan. Mr. Burress accidentally fired his .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic pistol, which had been tucked into the waistband of his jeans, narrowly missing a club employee, and shooting himself in the thigh. Burress had a gun permit in Florida, but that permit expired 7 months earlier, and he did not have a permit in New York.

Apparently, there had been negotiations between the New York County District Attorney's office and Mr. Burress' attorney regarding the amount of jail time Mr. Burress would have to serve in a plea deal, but negotiations broke down when Robert Morgenthau, the New York D.A. insisted on more than one year in jail. If Mr. Burress is convicted on the criminal possession charges, New York law mandates a minimum three and a half year prison term.

Pursuant to Section 265 of the New York Penal Law, the illegal weapons charges could land Burress in prison for up to 3 1/2 years, and apparently, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau is insisting on jail time for the ex-star. Burress has been out on $100,000 bail since last December, and there was widespread speculation that Burress would work out a plea deal in which he would not have to serve any jail time. However, since the DA's office is pushing for a jail sentence, Burress decided to take his chances and testify before the grand jury, which will decide whether to indict Mr. Burress on the charges.

Notable speeders include rapper DMX, who was clocked at 104 mph on I-684, only to be exceeded by his wife, who was stopped doing 106 mph two years later. Records show that 11,210 drivers were convicted of New York speeding tickets on 684 in 2006 and 2007, more than any other highway in the Westchester, Putnam or Rockland counties. There were 104,259 drivers convicted of speeding during this two year period in the Lower Hudson Valley, with the average speeder going approximately 20 mph over the limit, but 452 drivers exceeding 100 mph.

A speeding conviction of 1-10 mph over the limit will get you 3 points on your license; 11-20 over nets you 4 points; 21-30 over will get you 6 points; 31-40 over results in 8 points, and 40 over or above means your driver's license is automatically suspended with 11 points being assessed by the DMV.

Of note, the top five roads and jurisdictions for 2006-2007 speeding convictions in the region were I-684 in Bedford with 4,976; the Palisades Parkway in Clarkstown with 2,631; I-87 in Greenburgh with 2,285; I-84 in Kent, with 2,267; and I-684 in North Castle with 2,231. The study found that the State police has the most speeding convictions in the region between 2006 and 2007. The top five departments in obtaining convictions were: The State police in Somers with 8,847; the State police in Haverstraw with 7,406; the White Plains Police Department with 6,642; the State Police in New Rochelle with 5,978; and the Westchester County Police with 5,163.

As a warning to our readers, although it is frequently possible for our New York traffic ticket lawyers to get speeding tickets reduced, and in many instances, get a reduction to a violation with the possibility of no points, be careful in Orange County, especially in places such as Walkill, where Town Justice Raymond Shoemaker, who was a state trooper earlier in his career, has sentenced drivers to up to 15 days in jail for driving 90 mph, 25 mph over the limit. The judge noted that there were several serious car accidents in his jurisdiction over the last 4 or 5 years, and stated: "It appears that it's mostly young, inexperienced drivers who are involved. How best do you think these kids are going to learn? Just to get a reduced speed, a fine, and a surcharge and away they go? If you're going to go that kind of speed, maybe they need a little reminder how serious what they have done is." This ought to send a chill down the spine of speeders in Judge Shoemaker's neck of the woods!

After his release from jail, Stallworth must complete two years of house arrest, (which will allow him to continue his NFL career) and be on probation for eight years. In addition to the 30 day jail sentence, Stallworth must undergo drug and alcohol testing, will have a lifetime suspension of his driver's license, and must perform 1,000 hours of community service. Had Stallworth gone to trial on the charges and lost, he faced up to 15 years in jail. Apparently, after five years, Mr. Stallworth may have an opportunity to obtain a conditional license to drive to and from work if he successfully complies with all conditions of his sentence and has no other charges. Reportedly, Mr. Stallworth has also worked out a financial settlement with the Reyes family.

Contact the Criminal Defense lawyers at the White Plains, New York Law Office Of Mark A. Siesel online or toll free at 888-761-7633 for a free consultation if you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in New York

The Ford truck is owned by Valerie Ann Renihan, a northern Westchester horse trainer, who has claimed through her attorney that Mr. Garcia-Zacarias stole the keys and did not have permission to drive the vehicle. However, the lawyer did acknowledge that Mr. Garcia-Zacarias, who listed his occupation on a bail form as "horse farm", had done work for Ms. Renihan in the past.

This case has stirred debate over the twin problems of illegal immigration and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, especially in light of calls over the last several years to provide a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally and must operate a vehicle to go to work. Prior to his fall from grace, Governor Elliot Spitzer had offered a proposal for various types of licenses in New York State, which recognized the fact that many undocumented workers are driving vehicles and should be properly trained to do so. However, those proposals died out when Spitzer was forced to resign early last year.

Representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) contend that the issue is not undocumented laborers operating motor vehicles, but rather the need for stricter enforcement and penalties for New York DWI's in that this tragedy could just have easily been caused by a United States citizen or legal resident as an undocumented worker.

Mr. Garcia-Zacarias is being held without bail at the Putnam County jail. He will be represented by Putnam County Legal Aid, according to chief attorney Patrick Brophy. The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer against Garcia-Zacarias, and in all likelihood, he will face removal (deportation) proceedings at the completion of any criminal sentence against him if he is convicted, or immediately if the charges are not proven.

Palmieri is accused of helping former state correction officer Leo Coletti file false injury claims of over $40,000 to the State Insurance Fund between 2004 and 2006. Specifically, it is alleged that Dr. Palmieri prepared and filed false medical reports which claimed that Coletti was unable to work subsequent to September of 2000, when Coletti became Palmieri's patient. However, according to prosecutors, Coletti in actuality had a thriving general contracting and home renovation business during this time, and was renovating Palmieri's office and home while collecting Workers Compensation benefits.

Mr. Coletti pled guilty to grand larceny and tax fraud in 2006, and was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay back taxes and reimburse the Workers' Compensation Board. Prosecutors alleged that Coletti collected more than $110,000 in benefits and compensation while earning close to a million dollars in his home improvement business during the same period. It is unclear why it took three years after Coletti's guilty plea to charge Dr. Palmieri.

Dr. Palmieri was released without bail and is due back in Court on June 26, 2009.

The girl reported the rape to her guidance counselor early last month, and school officials contacted police. The victim stated that she had been fondled and then raped in a school bathroom. There is no indication that the teen had a criminal record, but this is still under investigation.

The alleged assailant was held at the Woodfield Cottage Juvenile Detention Center in Valhalla until May 29, 2009, when he was released on $50,000 bond. The case is presently being prosecuted in criminal court, but as the suspect may be charged as a juvenile offender, it may be transferred to the Westchester Family Court.