According to the Miami Herald, an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force operation has led to the arrest of seven people with connections to a white supremacist and known domestic terrorist organization, as described by Florida law enforcement. The arrested suspects are being charged with felony conspiracy and hate crimes.
Each of the seven arrested suspects are being charged with the following specific charges:
- Paramilitary training;
- Attempt to shoot into an occupied dwelling; and
- Evidence of prejudices while committing the offense.
It is illegal, and a felony, to participate in paramilitary training in Florida for the purposes of using such training for a civil disorder within the U.S., and the evidence of prejudices falls under the scope of the state’s hate crime law.
The investigation that led to these arrests is part of a widespread effort to put a stop to hate crimes in the community. The suspects have ties to an organization called American Front, which is identified as a hate group by both the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, despite its official purpose being the “religious and cultural preservation of the European peoples” which is “organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes.”
Hate crime and conspiracy are serious charges in Florida and can carry harsh penalties upon conviction. To avoid excessive penalties and/or an unjust conviction, it is imperative that you hire the right Florida criminal defense attorney. At Musca Law, we make it our personal mission to defend your legal rights and protect your future. To speak to one of our lawyers, call us today for a confidential consultation at (800) 687-2252.
Florida Governor Rick Scott recently vetoed crime bill HB 177 claiming that justice is not served when a criminal is released before they serve their full court-imposed prison sentence and that Florida’s crime rate is at a 40-year-low thanks, in part, to the state’s sentencing laws, according to a news article on NewsChief.com. His decision to veto the bill, which was passed by the Legislature, has been met with some criticism as the bill would have only affected non-violent offenders.
HB 177 would have created a program that would allow and support non-violent felony offenders, who have served 50 percent of their prison sentence, to re-enter the world as peaceful and productive members of society. This early release would be conditional on the felons meeting certain criteria and fulfilling certain requirements, including:
- Requiring that the offender complete substance abuse treatment and rehabilitative program(s);
- Requiring notice to state attorneys and courts;
- Authorizing the state attorney to object to the release;
- Directing a court to screen and choose eligible offenders;
- Requiring that offenders enroll in adult education (in specified circumstances); and
- Requiring the assessment of career education and vocational skills.
This program would have established a strict structure for felons who were considered to have a good chance to succeed and rejoin society, and thus prevent recidivism. But now there is no way to know if the program would have worked.
You can’t rely on politicians to enact favorable laws to benefit your future. If you have been accused of a crime in Florida, your best chance of getting your charges reduced or dismissed is by retaining the services of an aggressive Florida criminal defense lawyer. At Musca Law, we are committed to protecting the legal rights of every one of our clients, regardless of the crime committed. To find out how we can help you, contact us today at (800) 687-2252 for a confidential consultation.
The killing of Trayvon Martin, a black Florida teen, which occurred on February 26th in the town of Sanford, has sparked not only national attention from the public and the media, but also the federal government. According to The Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) may bring a hate crime charge against the suspect, George Zimmerman, who is the neighborhood watch captain who shot and killed Martin. Whether or not a federal hate crime charge is brought depends on the results of the investigation and whether or not the state of Florida presses charges. If the suspect is charged with a hate crime at the state level, the U.S. DOJ may or may not press federal charges.
Martin’s family and supporters are crying out for the arrest of Zimmerman and contend that the incident occurred because Martin was black. For the incident to qualify as a hate crime, however, there must be enough evidence proving that the killing was motivated by racial bias and was not just a fight that spun out of control. The public only knows of one such piece of evidence as of yet, which is a recording of one of Zimmerman’s 9-1-1 calls where he seems to be muttering a racial slur. According to a Drexel University law professor, if what Zimmerman muttered was in fact a racial epithet, then the incident was obviously a hate crime. Others, however, believe the recording to be too unclear to establish without a doubt that the suspect did utter a racial slur.
Even if the recording was clear, many experts say that additional evidence is necessary to prove that Zimmerman harbored racial prejudice and pursued and attacked Martin for that reason alone. This may be difficult to prove as the suspect’s suspicions of Martin could have been based on the fact that the complex which he patrolled had been burglarized by young black males. Furthermore, several black residents of Sanford only have positive things to say about Zimmerman.
If you have been accused of a hate crime or any other criminal offense in Florida, you have the right to legal representation. Contact the experienced Florida criminal defense lawyers in Florida at Musca Law today at (800) 687-2252 to learn more about how we can protect your legal rights.
Casey Anthony was found not guilty of the murder of her two-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony in 2011; however, since then, she has faced more legal troubles. According to The Huffington Post, she will face defamation charges in the first week of January 2013. She is being sued by Zenaida Gonzalez, whose reputation was ruined by Casey Anthony.
At the time of her daughter’s disappearance in 2008, Casey Anthony claimed that her daughter was abducted by a nanny named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, also known as Zanny. As the 2011 murder trial progressed, she revealed that the story of the abduction was completely fabricated and that her daughter had drowned in the family’s swimming pool. Although the “kidnapper” never existed, the fact that the made-up nanny had the same name as the plaintiff was enough to create substantial hardships for her.
Casey Anthony was sentenced to four years in jail for lying to authorities about the circumstances of her daughter’s disappearance/death, though acquitted of all murder charges. According to Examiner.com, the Florida Department of Children and Family (DCF) had determined that Caylee Anthony died as the result of neglect by Casey Anthony; however, this report was not released until after the non-guilty verdict was already read. Casey Anthony is currently serving one year of probation in Florida for check fraud.
Crimes involving children are the most fervently prosecuted and the most heavily punished, but with an aggressive criminal defense attorney on your side, you can rest assured that your legal rights will be protected and that you will not be unlawfully convicted.
If you have been arrested for a crime in Florida, the Orange County criminal defense attorneys at Musca Law can build an effective defense on your behalf. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us today for a confidential consultation at (800) 687-2252.
