Milwaukee Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

When is a drug not a drug? Perhaps before the federal government bans it. Not so long ago, so-called "synthetic drugs" with nicknames such as Spice, K2 and bath salts were being sold out of smoke shops, gas stations and other locations. Although they were designed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA (aka Ecstasy), they were still legal.

But by the middle of last July, the chemicals in these substances were banned in Wisconsin and other states after numerous overdose deaths were reported. Possession of these synthetics is now just as much of a drug crime as getting caught with their "real" counterparts.

Many people are under the assumption that if a crime is committed in another country, they can't be prosecuted for it by the United States government. But that's simply not true. In fact, those found guilty of such an offense can face penalties in both the U.S. and the country where it was committed.

An example of this is the case of a 72-year-old Fond du Lac man who pleaded guilty this week to a sex crime committed in Belize. He was accused of molesting a girl in the Central American nation in July 2006. And for several years afterward, he may have believed he was safe from prosecution.

In previous posts we've discussed the damaging effects of criminal charges on a person's career, particularly those in positions of public authority. Facing those charges can be even more difficult when your employer is pressed to make a public statement to the media about your case.

Recently a Milwaukee County sheriff's sergeant was arrested on federal charges of child pornography. Once a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department who appeared frequently on television for news conferences, the sergeant himself was the subject of a statement the sheriff recently made to the media, saying he's "disgusted with the nature of the allegations against the deputy" as they were explained to him.

A proposal that would require police in Wisconsin to collect DNA samples for anyone arrested of a serious sex crime or other offense is getting some pushback from the American Civil Liberties Union and others concerned about the rights of suspects.

It's not clear exactly what offenses would fall under the new plan, which Gov. Scott Walker plans to revive despite the controversy surrounding it. So far he's said only that it would include "some felonies and serious sex-related offenses."

If you've ever had a root canal, you know the agony that can trigger a need for pain medication. In fact, there are plenty of physical woes that disappear with a prescription for Vicodin or similar painkiller. There's just one problem: These medications can be so addictive that doctors now have to beware of dispensing the drugs to abusers.

Prescription drug abuse is a growing crime across the nation. In Wisconsin, such medicines are involved in 70 percent of the overdose deaths in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties, according to a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That number far exceeds the number of overdoses on illegal drugs.

Of the many different scenarios that can lead someone to be charged with a sex crime, one of the most frustrating for defendants is a sexual relationship that appears to be consensual. But it's important to remember that even if your actions are reciprocated, you could be breaking the law.

A good example of this is an inappropriate relationship between a student and a teacher. Last week a 29-year-old Germantown, Wisconsin, high school teacher was charged with three counts of felony sexual assault. The charges stem from accusations that he had repeated sexual contact with a 17-year-old student.

Many law enforcement officials who handle sex crimes say that online solicitation of minors is a growing epidemic. But it's difficult to say whether the rise in arrests for these Internet crimes is due to an increase in so-called predators or the investigations conducted to find them. The efforts police make to catch suspects in the act often require them to make plans in person. Some undercover detectives even make suggestions of illegal activity that the suspects might not have engaged in otherwise.

Earlier this month a 44-year-old Milwaukee man was accused of traveling to nearby Waukesha, Wisconsin, to have sex with a 15-year-old girl. The girl was actually an undercover detective. According to a criminal complaint, the man contacted the detective through an Internet messaging service. After learning the age of the "girl," the man began asking her for pictures.

Often when we think of white collar crimes, we imagine elaborate schemes that are months or even years in the making. But sometimes charges arise out of crimes of opportunity, and the person accused may not have given much thought to his or her actions or their consequences.

A man accused of pulling an impromptu scam on a woman who accidentally dialed his phone number has been charged with fraud. At the end of last month the 82-year-old woman from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, intended to call a plumber she had used before, but forgot to add the toll-free prefix for the number and called a 22-year-old Milwaukee man instead.