Criminal Defense

“Investment Bank Top Exec in Shoplift Bust at Whole Foods” – What Shoplifting by Multi Millionaires Teaches us about Shoplifting Cases?

Published on: July 15, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

Stamford-Police-Station-300x225 A recent article in the New York Post described the story of a top executive at a billion dollar investment bank, Jordan Lupu, 42, co-head of global prime brokerage at BMO (Bank of Montreal) Capital Markets who was arrested for shoplifting $210 of grocery items from a Whole Foods store in Manhattan. I guess this story made headlines in New York tabloid media because so many people were shocked that multi millionaire with a $3,000,000 home in Manhattan and a $1,400,000 home in Westchester (a wealthy suburb of New York City) would risk everything to try and steal $210 worth of merchandise which he could clearly afford to pay for.

The alleged facts (according to the reporting of the New York Post)

Lupu was pushing a double stroller through the Whole Foods with his two minor children, while shopping he placed a total of 31 items valued at $210 underneath the stroller and then according to security officers at Whole Foods he then attempted to leave the store without paying for the items.

Understanding the Legal Risks of Underage Drinking and Teen Parties in Your Home

Published on: July 4, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

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Picking up today’s local newspaper I saw another high profile arrest of a New Canaan family who had hosted a High School graduation party in which an under aged teen guest had fallen backwards after drinking and sustained a head injury. In this case the incident involved Jim Vos the CEO of a huge hedge fund advisory fund firm Aksia. Vos was arrested after a party celebrating his daughter’s graduation from the ulta posh private school St. George’s in Newport Rhode Island where yearly tuition runs over $65,000. Police responding to the injury report found extensive evidence of the consumption of alcohol by minors including empty beer and liquor bottles and “multiple areas on the patio and the lawn covered in vomit.” One thing that Vos did properly in this incident was when the New Canaan police arrived to investigate he “remained uncooperative” telling the investigating police officers that he was going to refuse to answer any questions. This is always my advice for anyone under Police investigation. Remain silent unless your lawyer is present.

This is the second case in which a teen was injured at an under aged drinking party in a New Canaan home this summer. In both cases, the parents were arrested along with the children who had hosted the party. What lessons can we learn from these incidents and how can you protect yourself from being arrested or facing a civil lawsuit from a teen gathering at your home?

The Dilemma Facing Today’s Parents

Connecticut Domestic Violence Cases and the Dreaded Referral to AIC Services – How to Handle the Situation

Published on: June 30, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

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Lately, I have had a lot of really upset clients walking into my office who got caught up in relatively minor domestic violence matters in which no violence or physical injuries were reported, yet the clients were ordered by the Court to engage in fairly invasive “AIC” treatment for both anger management and substance abuse treatment. These clients are really enraged that these “AIC” programs are interfering with their work, take place during the middle of the day and seem totally unnecessary. It is a very common situation. These last few weeks I have been drafting a lot of motions to terminate “AIC.”

It seems that the majority of domestic violence cases are now being referred for treatment during the pendency of the cases for therapy through “AIC.” The purpose of this article is to examine what is the reason for these referrals to “AIC”; how they can actually help your case in some situations; and finally how your Stamford / Norwalk domestic violence crimes defense attorney can make a motion to modify the conditions of your release to get you out of “AIC” totally or perhaps into a more accommodating program with a private therapist.

1. What is “AIC?”

“Bachelor in Paradise” Date Rape Caught on Tape; What we Can Learn About Defending Against Date Rape / Campus Rape Cases in Connecticut

Published on: June 23, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

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I wanted to have a discussion about the dangers of “date rape” allegations and how they can totally destroy your life. This recent incident in which a live TV set was the scene of a “date rape” allegation shows us just how difficult it can be to draw the line between a mutually agreed upon sexual encounter on the one hand and a “date rape” in which one party was “too intoxicated” to be able to consent to sexual activity on the other hand. It is important to realize just how fine that line is, how hard it can be to prove whether someone was overly intoxicated or not and finally realize how serious the consequences for a conviction of a “date rape” crime can be.

A. THE SHOW

I. The Facts During a recent taping of the 4th season of the very popular scripted virtual reality show “Bachelor in Paradise” being taped in Mexico two of the participants in the show Corrine Olympios and Demario Jackson got involved in some very heavy PDA and began to engage in a make out session in a Jacuzzi.

A Guide to ICE Detainers and How They Can Impact Your Connecticut Criminal Case

Published on: June 13, 2017 | by The Law Offices of Allan F. Friedman

Attorney Allan F. Friedman
The purpose of this Guide is to explain how ICE detainers work and how they impact the rights and cases of those charged with criminal cases in Connecticut.

WHAT IS AN ICE DETAINER?

ICE detainers are issued every day in Connecticut yet many lawyers and even Police officers do not understand exactly how they are supposed to function and how they work. This leads to a lot of confusion. An ICE detainer is a legal document issued by INS or DHS officer and served upon a jail or police station to request that the jail or police detain and hold the individual who are in law enforcement custody or jail who they feel may be possibly subject to deportation. It is a REQUEST to hold that person. The Police Department or Jail does not have to honor the request, but in Connecticut they do.