On December 22nd, a former Anne Arundel County police lieutenant was sentenced to prison after he was charged with exchanging sexually explicit photos and text messages with a sixteen-year-old girl. Forty-seven-year-old James Cifala of Edgewater was convicted on a single count of receiving child pornography.

The contact between Cifala and the then sixteen-year-old was allowable under state law, but prosecutable under federal law. Cifala met the girl in 2007 when she was fourteen-years-old, but told her that they would have to wait until she turned sixteen before having physical sexual relations. During the ensuing two years, Cifala and the victim used pre-paid cell phones and social networking sites to exchange messages, including over 1,300 messages exchanged between mid-August and early September of 2009. According to a plea arrangement in the case, Cifala and the victim had sex "several times" in a vacant house and in Cifala's truck.

At a hearing in US District Court, Cifala's Maryland criminal lawyer spoke of his client's decades of service to the community, calling the decision to engage in a sexual relationship with the teen "disastrously stupid."

"There is another side to him... Look at the good he has done for so many people... that is the side that defines him, not this stupid three-month decision."

While US District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake agreed that the period of time in which the two exchanged photos during the course of their relationship was brief, Cifala's actions, she said, were worthy of a strong sentence:

"I can't overlook that there was a relationship and contact before the victim was sixteen. It was a serious offense and a serious sanction is warranted."

Cifala was sentenced to five years in federal prison, with an additional fifteen years of supervised probation. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

This blog post is published by Price Benowitz LLP. Our attorneys in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia represent clients in DUI, criminal, personal injury, and immigration cases. For more information, please visit our Virginia Criminal Attorney and Washington DC Criminal Defense Lawyer websites.

A volunteer at a charter school has been arrested and charged with sexually molesting a young teenage boy, the second time in the past year the man has been implicated in harassing a minor. In addition to charges related to abusing the fourteen-year-old alleged victim, forty-seven-year-old Mark Citro also stands accused of impersonating a police officer.

According to court documents, Citro, who claims to be a minister and served as a mentor at the Friendship Academy of Engineering and Technology, became close to the victim and arranged sleepovers with the boy under the auspices of enabling the teen to walk to school. Police say Citro forced the boy to watch pornography, touched him inappropriately and performed lewd acts while the boy watched. The boy's mother, who has not been named by press due to the nature of the charges, confronted Citro about the alleged ongoing molestation. When questioned, Citro told the woman that he was an investigator working with both city, state and federal agencies to apprehend child molesters and that the boy had seen him doing research. To support these claims, he showed her badges and firearms.

A subsequent search of Citro's home is said to have turned up a registered handgun, Mace, handcuffs, and "several badges for security and special investigation companies." Police also seized technical equipment to be analyzed. Baltimore City Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi commented to press on the alleged deception:

"He'd dress as a police officer, he had badges, said that he worked with the Baltimore City Police and State Police and the FBI to put child predators behind bars, and it turns out this individual was a child predator himself."

Citro is currently being held on charges of sex abuse of a minor, assault, solicitation of a minor and impersonating a police officer. It is not clear whether he has been assigned or has retained a Maryland solicitation lawyer to face the bevy of charges, and he has not been granted bond. Citro does not have a criminal record, but in April, a Maryland court issued a protective order against him to a different woman and her son amid accusations of inappropriate behavior and breached boundaries. Police say that both that woman and the mother of the victim in the criminal case are blind.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, serving Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyers and DC Criminal Lawyer websites.

A 14-year old boy has been charged with first degree murder and first degree rape in the sexual assault and beating death of a teacher at Prince George's County's Cheltenham Youth Facility. Prosecutors have filed a motion to have the boy, who was 13 at the time of the murder, tried as an adult. If convicted as a juvenile, the boy would be held until he reached the age of 21; if convicted as an adult, he would face a sentence of up to life in prison. At a hearing scheduled for August 27, the teenager's Maryland criminal attorneys will discover whether they are defending their client against juvenile or adult charges.

The charges are the result of the death of Hannah Wheeling, 65, a general studies teacher at the Cheltenham Facility. Wheeling's body was found outside Murphy Cottage at the juvenile detention center. The suspect was a resident at Murphy Cottage at the time of the murder. The boys living at the Cottage, which sits outside the fence at Cheltenham, have no known history of mental illness or violent offenses, including sexual assault and murder. Additionally, the residents of Murphy Cottage are never supposed to be out of sight of a Cheltenham Facility staff member. Regardless of these precautions, Wheeling was raped and beaten to death at the facility. Her death has sparked an investigation into security measures and safety at the facility.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our DC Federal Criminal Lawyer or Virginia Criminal Lawyer websites.

A Maryland State Trooper who is a 13-year veteran of the state police force has recently been charged with multiple counts of possession and distribution of child pornography. The incidents leading to the charges against Bruce Allen Tucker, 47, took place over a period of several months. The investigation into Tucker's acts began in March, and police discovered that his computer held more than 3,000 images of nude children and children engaged in sex acts. Tucker is accused of both receiving and exchanging child pornography via the computer. According to investigators, all exchanges of obscene material occurred while Tucker was off-duty. The trooper was arrested on July 16 and released on $50,000 bail. It is not clear whether or not Tucker has retained a Maryland criminal attorney to defend him against the charges.

Prior to his arrest, the trooper was serving in the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the state police force. Earlier in his career, Tucker spent eight years working in the Maryland State Police force's executive protection unit, which protects Maryland's governor and lieutenant governor. Tucker was a member of the executive protection unit during the administrations of Governor Robert Ehrlich and Governor Martin O'Malley.

According to spokeswoman Elena Russo, the Maryland State Police has suspended Tucker without pay as a result of his arrest and child pornography charges.

This article is presented by Price Benowitz, LLP, a criminal and DUI defense firm serving Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland DUI Lawyer or DC Criminal Defense Lawyer websites.

Allegations of child abuse are among the most emotionally charged cases a Maryland criminal attorney will see during the span of his or her career. Public outrage and the protection of the child are often pitted against the constitutional rights of a defendant who is supposed to be considered innocent until guilt is proven. The recent sentencing of a Maryland man convicted of child pornography shows that child abuse and child sexual assaults are not taken lightly in the judicial system.

Jason Emory Gilmer, 29, who has been in police custody since his May 2009 arrest, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for two counts of production of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. He is additionally sentenced to lifetime supervision after his release.

According to a plea agreement arranged by his Maryland criminal lawyer, Gilmer was investigated by police after an FBI agent downloaded several pornographic images of children from a file-sharing program on Gilmer's computer. During the investigation, agents seized Gilmer's computer, which was found to contain over 750 images of child pornography, including sexually explicit photos of two girls, aged 12 and 14, over whom he had supervisory custody. The 12-year-old girl is learning disabled, and the 14-year-old is autistic. Documents report that the younger girl told police Gilmer had photographed her naked, and Gilmer admitted to taking sexually explicit pictures of the older girl.

In addition to his convictions for production and distribution of child pornography, Gilmer still faces other state charges.

Gilmer was in custody over a year from the time of his arrest until his sentencing. In cases of child sexual abuse, certain constitutional rights of the accused are balanced against the protection of the child. In many instances, the defendant is denied the right to face his or her accuser, and while a person accused of sex abuse is supposed to be considered innocent unless proven guilty, the opposite is often true in the court of public opinion. Understanding how the criminal justice system is supposed to work in such cases, Maryland criminal lawyers fight to help their clients protect their constitutional rights through the judicial process.

A Prince George's County Public Schools bus driver was arrested on May 21. He was charged with producing child pornography on his cell phone after a convenience store customer found a memory card containing video footage of the Upper Marlboro man engaged in sexual contact with a 7-year-old boy. Scott Alexander Smallwood, 27, had not yet retained a Maryland criminal lawyer four days after his arrest, but admitted that he had "several inappropriate contacts" with the boy and recorded them on his cell phone. He claims he was planning to destroy the memory card that held 10-15 videos of his sexual contact of the boy, but that the card was lost before he could do so.

The lost memory card that led to Smallwood's arrest was found by a customer at a local 7-Eleven on March 15. The customer took the memory card home to see if he could identify its owner. After seeing the videos of an adult male engaged in what appeared to be sexual acts with a child, the man immediately called Prince George's County police. The police, in conjunction with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Office, launched an investigation to identify the boy.

When the boy was found, he told investigators that Smallwood was his "night bus driver," who took him to church, gave him candy, and had "sleepovers" with him. While it is not immediately clear whether or not Smallwood knew the boy from his Prince George's County Public Schools routes, a County schools spokesman says that Smallwood had six schools on his route, including one elementary school.

With video evidence of the alleged sexual abuse and with Smallwood's admission of inappropriate sexual contact with the child, the job of his Maryland criminal defense lawyer would be to protect Smallwood's rights by ensuring that the proper procedures were maintained during the investigation and subsequent arrest and to serve as his advocate in the judicial system.

An accusation of sexual assault is a serious charge that can carry severe legal ramifications if one is convicted. Dedicated Maryland criminal lawyers are educated and experienced in handling charges of this nature, having worked on many sexual offense cases throughout their legal careers. An example of a sexual offense case in the news recently involves a door-to-door salesman accused of sexually assaulting a customer in her home.

According to Anne Arundel County Police, a 29 year-old female was in her home when a door-to-door salesman approached her house and asked to use her bathroom. After she allowed him to enter her residence, he allegedly sexually assaulted her and left. Shortly after the woman reported the incident, law enforcement officials arrested a man who was selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door and who matching the physical description of the suspect.

The man taken into custody, Jarvis Spain, 21, was later identified by the victim as the alleged attacker. Detectives believe that Spain used his company credentials to gain admittance to the homes of women whom he sexually assaulted. Spain is currently held at the county jail on charges of perverted practices, fourth-degree sex offenses, and second-degree assault. The investigation is ongoing.

An accusation of a Maryland sexual offense can carry severe social and legal consequences. If convicted, a person's job and personal freedom may be at risk. It is advised that one enlist the services of a hard-working and experienced Maryland criminal defense lawyer should he/she be accused of an offense of this magnitude. A knowledgeable, diligent, and practiced legal team will have first-hand knowledge in dealing with charges of this nature.
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Being accused of sexual crimes can change a person's life forever, especially for city-employees charged in the city in which they work. If convicted, the suspect's job is almost certainly in jeopardy, along with many personal freedoms and liberties they enjoy. An experienced Maryland criminal lawyer is likely to see examples of this regularly, much like a recent incident where a jury acquitted a former Maryland State Trooper of three counts of sexual assault against a woman he pulled over for a DUI.

Almost a year after being stopped for for a suspected Maryland DUI, the driver reported to law enforcement officials that state trooper Marlon Iglesias, 43, touched her inappropriately. Allegedly, after arresting her on Interstate 270, the woman, 28, was put in the front seat of the police cruiser. The woman alleges that after Iglesias arrested her on Interstate 270, he touched her thigh and attempting to kiss her upon their arrival at the police station. Practically on her word alone, prosecutors charged the former state police officer with Maryland sex crimes.

During the trial however, the Maryland criminal defense lawyer brought to alerted the jury to the accuser's record of dishonesty in the courtroom. This caused immense debate amongst the jurors, finally coming back with their decision hours later. Although they did not believe Iglesias seriously sexually assaulted the woman, they do consider that something inappropriate happened. The jury acquitted him of the Maryland sex offenses, but Iglesias did receive a misdemeanor conviction for inappropriate misconduct while on duty. If the verdict on the sex assault charge had been guilty, Iglesias would have not only received punishment from the courts, but almost certainly from the police department as well--even potentially facing expulsion from the police force, directly affecting his livelihood.

Facing accusations of sexual assault is a difficult and stressful process for anyone to experience, regardless of occupation. The example of Marlon Iglesias highlights how important it is to have an experienced and hard-working Maryland criminal defense attorney to come to your rescue. Acting quickly in retaining counsel can ensure the highest quality legal advice and legal representation, helping to keep you at home and work, not behind bars.

An accusation of rape has the potential to greatly alter one's life. It is recommended that one consult with an experienced Maryland criminal lawyer who has dealt with accusations of this magnitude should he/she ever face charges relating to this matter. Often times, a client is one of multiple defendants and/or is charged with several counts of different offenses within one case. Such an example can be seen in recent news, as law enforcement officials arrested seven Maryland men in connection with an alleged gang rape and false imprisonment case.

In this particular case, a woman allegedly accepted a ride home from a man after dancing and talking with him at a pool hall. According to state documents, instead of driving to her place of residence in Alexandria, the man allegedly took her to a house in Waldorf, Maryland around 2:00 a.m. What followed was a series of events, resulting in several men allegedly raping the woman in the house's basement. According to the woman, the men made hand gestures resembling gang signs. After about three hours, the woman fled the scene and took up refuge with a neighbor. Although another woman was present in the house while the alleged rape was taking place, she stated that she did not intervene out of fear that the same fate would await her.

Investigators have reason to believe that up to ten men were involved in the incident and that it may have been gang-related. Detectives are looking into whether the alleged sexual offense was pre-meditated. Maryland police arrested seven men in connection with this case. They believe that three suspects may have fled, seeking refuge outside of Maryland. For their involvement, each suspect in custody faces charges of first-degree Maryland rape, conspiracy to commit a first-degree sexual offense, and false imprisonment.

Regardless of the number of persons involved, facing charges of rape and false imprisonment is a difficult and overwhelming process for one to endure. As seen in the previous example, law enforcement officials take sexual offense accusations very seriously and will not hesitate to pursue and charge persons suspected of sex crimes. A conviction on such charges can result in significant jail time. Therefore, it is essential to contact a hard-working and aggressive Maryland criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible to ensure the highest quality defense in all legal proceedings regarding charges of this nature. Doing so immediately is the first step towards achieving the best possible outcome to sexual offense charges and in protecting one's personal liberties and freedoms.

The legal career of an experienced Maryland criminal lawyer revolves around representing individuals who have been accused of a variety of criminal charges. Often those accused of "street violations" are caught by law enforcement officials that go undercover in an effort to gather information and evidence about the crime. The circumstances are similar in a recent case where four Maryland women were arrested for sex crimes after an undercover police officer discovered them to be a part of a large prostitution ring.

Last Friday, the Salisbury Police Department's Safe Streets Team executed a sting operation to discover more evidence regarding a growing prostitution ring in the area. A Maryland State Policeman went undercover, acting as a "john" in an effort to make contact with the prostitutes and earn their trust. After gathering enough information, the undercover cop and the prostitute would make arrangements to meet at a pre-disclosed location. When they got there, the suspects would be arrested on Maryland prostitution charges.

In total, four Salisbury women were arrested and charged with prostitution. Pending a bond hearing, the women were all released into the custody of Central Booking.

Facing criminal charges can be a difficult and scary process. Conviction of Maryland prostitution charges can have permanent life-changing consequences, including fines and/or jail time. To prevent your personal liberties and freedoms from being taken away from you, it is essential to contact a hard-working and trustworthy Maryland sex offenses lawyer for assistance. Doing so as soon as possible can not only provide the best legal advice and legal representation, but also help ensure the most positive outcome for your case.

As the legal career of a dedicated Maryland criminal lawyer is based around representing individuals who have been accused of criminal charges, it is important to update the public on any new laws or regulations put into place that could potentially affect them. One of the hot-button issues in the Maryland House of Representatives this session were sex offender laws, influenced by case of 11 year-old Salisbury resident Sarah Foxwell who was found dead last December. Convicted for her crime was Thomas Leggs, 30, a registered Maryland sex offender, who was indicted on Maryland murder charges, thus restarting criticism of state sex crime laws.

This past week, the House of Representatives approved new legislation directed at individuals who have been accused of Maryland sex offense charges. The first, House Bill 936, would mandate the approval and enforcement of stricter laws for sex crimes, in compliance with the Adam Walsh Act, a federal law.

The second piece of legislation sent to the Senate for approval is House Bill 1046, which would require a judge to authorize a pre-trial release of an accused individual who is a registered sex offender, instead of a District Court-level commissioner. This bill was particularly important in the Foxwell case, as Leggs was currently released on bail when he supposedly kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and killed the young girl. In September, Leggs was arrested in Ocean City after breaking into a woman's apartment and exposing himself to her. However, he was released on a small bond, because the court was unaware of his criminal history.

While these two bills quickly passed through the House, there are a number of other pieces of legislation that remain in the appropriate chambers for deliberation, that are directly aimed at enforcing stricter Maryland sex offense laws. An example of these is the Sex Offender Omnibus Act of 2010, covering a wide range of sex crime issues. If passed, this bill would require stronger compliance with registration programs and longer mandatory jail terms for convicted offenders. Additionally, a judge will be able to decide whether a person convicted of sex offenses should be released following the completion of his or her sentence, or if they should remain incarcerated indefinitely.

Facing any type of criminal charges is a scary and overwhelming process for anyone to go through. As seen by the new bills that recently passed the Maryland House of Representatives, conviction of sex crimes can have life-altering consequences, including the loss of driving privileges, fines, and/or jail time. To protect your personal liberties and freedoms, it essential to contact an experienced and hard-working Maryland sex offense lawyer. Doing so immediately can not only provide the best legal advice and legal representation, but also the most successful outcome for your case.

As the legal career of a Maryland criminal lawyer is based around representing people who have been accused of a variety of criminal charges, it is important to keep the public updated on any changes in state criminal law or policy. A recent bill announced on Thursday is looking to change state policy regarding sex offenses. Currently, Maryland's criminal code mandates that sodomy, as well as "unnatural or perverted sexual practices" is illegal and carries up to ten years in prison--even if the sexual act was between two consenting adults.

Even though these laws aren't usually enforced in incidents of private contact between consenting adults, Delegate Frank Conaway Jr. from Baltimore intends on changing the language of the code. Currently, the Maryland criminal code categorizes sodomy as a felony offense, while "unnatural or perverted sexual practices" are misdemeanors carrying fines up to $1,000 and possible jail time. Conaway wants to make changes as there is no specific language that makes an exception to this rule for married couples, nor does it address the age and relationship between the parties--even though courts address these same issues when a person is accused of Maryland sex offense charges.

Maryland's Court of Appeals ruled in 1990 that these laws can't be applied to consensual sexual acts between two adults of opposite sexes. Additionally, a Baltimore Circuit Court ruled in 1998 that the laws couldn't be used against contact between consenting adults of the same sex. The Office of the Public Defender submitted a written statement in favor of Conaway's bill explaining, "It would only change the statute to make it conform to the current state of the law as pronounced through the Maryland courts."

Facing accusations of sexual crimes is an overwhelming and scary process, especially if the contact in question occurred between two consenting adults. Conviction of sex offenses and other criminal charges can have life-changing consequences, including fines and/or jail time. For the best protection of your personal liberties and freedoms, it is essential to contact a hard-working and trustworthy Maryland criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Doing so can help secure the most successful outcome possible for your case.

Throughout the legal career of a hard-working Maryland criminal lawyer, it is common to represent a number of individuals who have been accused of criminal charges, including sex crimes. The more organized of these sex offenses is pandering, or acting as a "pimp." Often the women involved in prostitution rings are tied to the panderer as a business relationship--it is rare that the "pimp" is related or married to a woman he manages as a prostitute. However, in a recent case, a man was arrested for forcing his wife work as a prostitute all across the United States.

Clinton Danner, 32, was arrested on pandering charges after his wife told law enforcement officials that he forced her to work as a prostitute. He forced her to begin selling her body for sex over four years ago when she was pregnant with their child. Since that time, the three have traveled the country, while Danner's wife performed forced sexual acts. He would set up tricks for his wife primarily through the internet, placing advertisements on Craigslist.com. She told investigators that Danner threatened to take their daughter away or hurt her.

Danner's wife finally contacted law enforcement officials after Danner informed her that he was driving to her hotel room to confront her about how little money she was making. He was promptly arrested on arrival for felony pandering charges. These were not the only violations that Danner has been accused of--he was previously convicted for drug possession and lottery fraud in other states. Currently, he is being held on $150,000 bond and is prohibited from contact with his wife or daughter.

Facing criminal charges can be an overwhelming and difficult process for anyone to go through. Conviction of sex offenses or pandering can result life-changing consequences, including the loss of driving privileges, fines, and/or jail time. To best protect your personal liberties and freedoms, it is essential to seek help immediately. Contacting an experienced Maryland sex offense lawyer can provide not only the best legal advice and legal representation, but also help ensure the most successful outcome for your case.

Each day, as an experienced Maryland criminal lawyer, people who have been accused of a variety of criminal charges, including sex offenses, are represented. Often times, these individuals are repeat offenders who are accused of sexually assaulting multiple people. Such is the recent case of a Maryland man who was arrested stemming from a number of sexual abuse cases around the University of Maryland campus and Anne Arundel Community College.

Last week, Howard County Police Officers arrested Dori Costa, 43, on Maryland sexual assault charges on two separate college campuses. As a student sat in her parked car, Costa approached her with a map book and cell phone, asking for directions. When she complied, he reached inside the vehicle. After placing the map book on the student's lap, he proceeded to sexually assault her, and then fled the scene. At the same community college, there were two additional reports of sexual crimes, with details similar to the aforementioned incident.

Detectives have been carrying out an undercover investigation of the sexual assault accusations last week. Investigators sent out an alert to all police agencies in the area, prompting a detective with the University of Maryland to respond. He gave the community college a suspect's picture and report regarding a similar sexual assault complaint in College Park. According to Capt. David Waltemeyer of the community college police, law enforcement officials knew instantly who was to blame. "One of their supervisors read it and said we have a guy for you," he said.

After obtaining a warrant, Costa was arrested for second-degree assault, and fourth-degree sex offense. He currently is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on $100,000 bond.

Facing accusations of sexual crimes can be a difficult and complex process for anyone to go through. Conviction of criminal charges can have life-changing consequences including the loss of driving privileges, fines, or jail time. Therefore, it is essential to contact a hard-working and trustworthy Maryland sexual assault lawyer as soon as possible. Doing so can help provide not only the best legal advice and legal representation, but also help ensure a successful outcome for your case.

Throughout the legal career of an experienced Maryland criminal lawyer, it is common to represent individuals who have been accused with a variety of criminal charges, including sex offenses. Sometimes, individuals suspected of sexual crimes are hard to track down, as they often leave little evidence as to their identity behind--especially if their DNA is not registered as a criminal offender. This is similar to the case of a serial rapist who have evaded East Coast law enforcement officials, including the Maryland State Police for over thirteen years.

Known as the "East Coast Rapist", police officers have many pieces of information on him--African American man in his mid-30s, medium size-build who studies his victims every move. He notices their tendencies, and figures out when they are the most vulnerable before attacking them, usually armed. Most victims have been unable to give a full description of him, as he is skilled at hiding his face by attacking in the dark, wearing a mask, or covering the victims eyes. Police officers also have the DNA of the man accused of Maryland sexual assault charges--but still have yet to be able to find him. Stranger rapes are among the most difficult to solve, as the attacker has no connection to the victim and little evidence is left at the scene.

His sexual assault attacks began in the late 1990s in Prince George's County, Maryland. Since, he's traveled throughout the East Coast and back leaving a trial of DNA evidence attesting that he's raped twelve women, and been involved in a total of seventeen attacks. However, detectives do not rule out the possibility that more women may have been sexually assaulted by this man. Experts maintain that he is on the move regularly because he is always on the lookout for the next victim, and have reason to believe that he is incredibly familiar with the specific areas he travels to.

Facing charges of sexual assault is a difficult and overwhelming process for anyone to go through, and can tempt some to flee the scene. This will only increase the charges against you. Conviction of sexual crimes can have life-changing consequences, including the loss of driving privileges, fines, and/or jail time. Seeking a hard-working and aggressive Maryland criminal attorney can not only provide the best legal advice and legal representation, but also ensure the most successful outcome for your case.