Criminal Defense
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Armed Criminal Action in Missouri: Penalties and Defenses
Armed criminal action is a separate Missouri felony charged alongside another felony whenever the State alleges a weapon or dangerous instrument was used. It carries a minimum prison term, runs consecutively to the other sentence, and bars probation and parole for the first three years. This guide explains armed criminal action under RSMo 571.015, the…
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Missouri’s 120-Day Program and Shock Probation, Explained
Missouri’s 120-day programs let a judge send a person to the Department of Corrections for a short period, then release them on probation instead of having them serve the full prison sentence. They are often called “shock” or “treatment” 120s, and they can be an important middle ground between probation and prison. This guide explains…
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Federal Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud Charges in Missouri
Wire fraud and mail fraud are the federal government’s most widely used fraud charges. Almost any scheme to obtain money or property by deception can be charged under them, because almost every scheme involves an email, a text, a phone call, a bank transfer, or a mailing. This guide covers what the government must prove…
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18 U.S.C. 924(c): Guns, Drug Trafficking, and Consecutive Mandatory Minimums
A gun found alongside drugs can turn a federal drug case into something far more serious. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), using or carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime or crime of violence, or possessing one in furtherance of it, carries a mandatory minimum of at least five years that must run consecutively…
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Burglary Charges in Missouri: First Degree, Second Degree, and Vehicles
Burglary in Missouri does not require breaking anything, and it does not require stealing anything. It requires entering or staying somewhere unlawfully with the purpose of committing a crime inside. That makes it a charge that often turns on intent, and one where the line between burglary and trespass matters a great deal. This guide…
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Resisting Arrest in Missouri: When It Is a Felony
Resisting arrest is one of the most common add-on charges in Missouri. It often appears alongside a DWI, a drug charge, or an assault, and it can turn a misdemeanor case into a felony case depending on why the person was being arrested and how they resisted. This guide covers the offense of resisting or…
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Federal Public Defender, CJA Lawyer, or Private Attorney in Missouri?
Anyone charged with a federal crime who cannot afford a lawyer has the right to appointed counsel. In Missouri’s federal courts, that lawyer will be either an assistant Federal Public Defender or a private lawyer appointed from the court’s Criminal Justice Act panel. This guide explains how appointed counsel works in the Eastern and Western…
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Federal Proffers and Cooperation in Missouri: How They Work and What They Risk
In federal cases, cooperating with the government is one of the few ways to get a sentence below a mandatory minimum. It usually starts with a proffer, a meeting where the person tells prosecutors and agents what they know. A proffer can help a great deal, and it can also go badly wrong. This guide…
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Federal vs. State Charges in Missouri: What Is the Difference?
The same conduct, a gun found during a traffic stop, a drug sale, a fraud scheme, can be charged in Missouri state court or in federal court, and sometimes both. The two systems have different investigators, prosecutors, procedures, and sentencing rules, and the differences can change the outcome by years. This guide explains how federal…
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How the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Work
Almost every federal sentence starts with the United States Sentencing Guidelines. The guidelines turn the offense and the person’s criminal history into two numbers, an offense level and a criminal history category, and those two numbers produce a recommended range in months. This guide explains how that calculation works, why the guidelines are advisory but…