Criminal Defense Attorney in U.S. Federal & Florida and Illinois Courts

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New Chicago Unit Investigating Healthcare Fraud Violations

A new federal investigative unit will prosecute defendants for a variety of crimes related to health care fraud in Illinois. The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois recently announced that the new unit will pursue many different types of alleged health care fraud perpetrators, including medical providers who falsify records to justify…

Preliminary Hearing in Federal Court

For defendants facing federal charges, it is important to understand what to expect in a preliminary hearing. After your attorney has entered a not-guilty plea, the preliminary hearing typically occurs. In the preliminary hearings, the prosecutor will attempt to demonstrate the existence of sufficient evidence to charge you. If you’ve been charged with a crime…

Female Genital Mutilation Charges

A grand jury investigation into female genital mutilation has expanded to three more states — including Illinois — as federal agents identify additional Doctor suspects. The new targets of the investigation reportedly live in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Female genital mutilation is defined as the intentional injury or alteration to female genitals for…

Map of Chicago Homicides 2006 – 2016

Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney Michael J. Petro provides a useful map for analyzing murders in Chicago neighborhoods in 2016. In the chart below, Mike analyzes how Chicago neighborhood gun crime correlates with murders committed in the City of Chicago. Summer is a bittersweet time for Chicago. The city celebrates the beautiful lakefront, the Taste of…

Received a Subpoena to Testify: What Should You Do?

If you’re ever find yourself in trouble with the police or FBI, you may receive a subpoena  for business records or to testify. Typically, a Judge or Magistrate issues a subpoena after a request by a prosecutor. After the subpoena has been issued, it can be served in person or, in some cases, via email…

Business Records Subpoena: What You Should Do?

Grand Jury Subpoena Attorney You need a Grand Jury Subpoena Attorney Michael J. Petro immediately to help you through this difficult process. If you own your own business, you may receive a subpoena for business records at any time. You need a Grand Jury Subpoena Attorney Michael J. Petro immediately to help you through this…

Motion to Suppress Evidence in Chicago

A criminal defense attorney can make a motion to suppress evidence from a trial for several reasons. In most cases, the attorney may believe that the evidence was collected illegally by police or that it violates a defendant’s rights in some way. If you’ve been charged with a crime, your attorney may submit a motion…

Eyewitness Identification Expert Testimony at Trial Leads to Not Guilty

Eyewitness Identification Expert Dr. Geoffrey R. Loftus is a Professor at the University of Washington in  Seattle.  For 50 years, Dr. Loftus has been studying human perception and memory.  On January 24, 2017, Dr. Loftus flew to Chicago to testify as an eyewitness identification expert in a trial at the 26th Street court house in Chicago.  Chicago criminal lawyer Michael J….

IP Address Linked to a Residence Is Enough to Search

Jesse Featherly challenges the denial of his motion to quash the search warrant that led to the discovery of child pornography on his computer. Featherly was living in a trailer park in Wisconsin when an agent in Oklahoma discovered that Featherly’s Internet-service account was being used to share files containing child pornography. An Agent applied for a…