CASE RESULTS
- U.S.v AG (2024) (White Collar Wire Fraud-Middle District of Tennessee-Judge Trauger.) Client owned a California software company that engaged in business with the TVA and Rutherford County Schools to install energy saving software. The government claimed client and his company used deceptive business practices and failed to follow the rules of the TVA incentive program resulting in a loss of approximately $350,000. After being hired I tried to negotiate a non-prosecution agreement. Instead the government Indicted my client and his son and had them arrested. Several years of investigation allowed me to eventually convince the government they had significant weaknesses in their case.With my client's approval I negotiated a plea agreement where the Indictment would be dismissed, my client would be charged with misdemeanor theft and all charges against his son would be dismissed. Client was sentenced to probation and $50,000 restitution.
- U.S. vs. Dr. AW (2021-2024) (Post Conviction 2255 writ -Middle District of Tennessee-Judge Crenshaw). The client, a doctor, had pled guilty to drug trafficking charges and was seeking post conviction relief to get his plea set aside. Client had already served his sentence and was on supervised release when I took over as his lawyer. He was clean and sober and working to help others in the community. I advised him I could fight the technical issues surrounding his 2255 writ but that I doubted he would ever get his conviction set aside. I convinced him to let me petition for early termination of his supervised release which was granted. I subsequently encouraged and helped him to get his medical license back. I lost our technical arguments on the 2255 in the district court but created an issue which is now up on appeal in the Sixth Circuit. Although I knew his legal position on the 2255 was weak by encouraging him to move forward and get his medical license back was a significant achievement to restore his self respect.
- U.S. V. SP ( 2024)( PPP Fraud-U.S. District Court Nashville-Judge Richardson.) This case involved fraud and money laundering charges . Client obtained a half a million dollars in PPP loans by filing a false application with the lender. I negotiated a plea agreement that allowed me to argue for any sentence at the sentencing hearing with a guideline cap of 36 months. After a well prepared sentencing hearing the Court sentenced my client to 90 days with only one year of supervised release.
- U.S. V. CL (2024)(Computer Fraud-U.S. District Court Nashville- Judge Campbell.) Client was indicted for allegedly hacking into a former employer's server and causing approximately $750,000 damage. The justice department had one of their assistants from Washington co-counsel the case for the government. After extensive investigation my instincts were telling me the alleged victim was not being honest about the financial loss. My client had no prior record but he was facing a prison sentence and significant amount of restitution if found guilty. I kept bothering the AUSA about the questionable loss amount and to her credit she had FBI agents reinterview witnesses in the case. Eventually I was able to negotiate a plea to a lesser offense charged by an Information rather than indictment plus a sentencing recommendation of probation. Restitution was reduced to $65,000, considerably less than the alleged original claim.
- U.S.v. AJ, (2022)(Computer Fraud-U.S. District Court Nashville-Judge Campbell.) The client was charged with computer fraud and abuse for allegedly stealing intellectual property from Taylor Swift's iCloud account. This was a very interesting case. Several years prior to my client being charged he had been warned by the FBI not to hack into the accounts of a number of popular artists. However, he was very gifted with his computer skills and he couldn't resist obtaining information about Taylor Swift's music prior to its release. He did not sell the information but upon sharing some of it with a friend, it resulted in the public gaining information prior to the release of one of Taylor's long awaited albums. Needless to say, Taylor and her representatives were pissed. My client suffered from Asperger's disease which results in obsessive behavior. I negotiated a surrender and release and eventually a plea agreement charging him by Information rather than indictment. The government was seeking a guideline sentence of 18-24 months. Judge Campbell agreed with my sentencing presentation that my client deserved probation. My client was terrified about going to prison so he was a very happy young man after the sentencing hearing.
- STATE VS.R.S. (2021) ( Williamson County) Client had mental health issues and he was arrested in Williamson County at a time he was off his meds and manifesting obsessive behavior. His family called me from Florida and although I rarely handle state cases I felt compelled to represent this young man. I was able to negotiate a dismissal with an ADA I had known for quite some time. It was very rewarding to help this young man and his parents. "Thanks so much for taking care of..... He is precious to us and his unfortunate decision to go off his meds could have led to disaster. We are so thankful you stepped in to resolve the issue... your sage advise and legal skills "saved the day" and gave us some peace of mind."
- U.S. vs. S.H. ( 2019-2021) ( Firearm Manufacturing/ License Violations-U.S. District Court Nashville-Judge Campbell.) Client unlawfully conspired to purchase receivers, have them assembled and then sold them at gun shows without requiring proper background checks. He contacted me prior to being indicted and that allowed me to mitigate a lot of the damage. We negotiated a plea to lesser offenses and a below the guideline sentence of one year probation.
- U.S. VS. D.C. (2019-2021) (Racketeering /Homicide- U.S. District Court Nashville-Judge Trauger.) Client unintentionally shot and killed an innocent victim in a high profile drive by gang shooting. When I entered the case as his fourth attorney he had pled guilty and was facing a mandatory life sentence. There were a lot of complicated sentencing guideline issues to be resolved. I negotiated with the Government to file a motion waiving the mandatory life sentence but they were still asking for 25 years imprisonment. I presented a significant amount of mitigating evidence at the contested sentencing hearing which led to the Court imposing only a 13 year sentence.
- U.S.vs. NA (2018-2021) (Heroin Conspiracy-U.S. District Court Nashville) My client was charged with driving co-defendants around Tennessee and Ohio to deliver heroin. Due to his age and limited role the government spent several years trying to negotiate a plea agreement that would recommend probation but would require a felony conviction. I kept pressing for a diversion which is rare in federal cases and the government declined my request. By exercising patience I finally got the call from the government advising they were dismissing the prosecution and allowing my happy client to move on with his future.
- State vs. AW (2019-2020) (embezzlement and identity theft-Williamson County- Judge Johnson.) Client was being represented by another attorney in Williamson County who advised the best plea offer she would get would send her to jail, give her a felony conviction, and have her pay over $30,000 in restitution.. I was able to negotiate a diversion with no jail time, no conviction, and less than $500 in restitution. Update 8/1/24: Petition for Early Termination of Probation was granted.
- U.S. vs. BA (2018-2020) (Embezzlement and Money Laundering-Nashville) Client was being investigated by FBI for possible involvement in fraud and money laundering scheme. Two years negotiating with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI resulted in a non prosecution agreement with no restitution.
- State vs. CB ( 2017-2019)(Drug Trafficking-Robertson County) This case involved the largest marijuana seizure in Robertson County history. Client was originally held on $200,000 bond which I was able to get reduced to $10,000. After negotiating for two years I was finally able to secure a plea agreement for 8 years probation.
- STATE VS.TEG ( 2019-2020) (Sumner County- Methamphetamine Possession With Intent- Judge Gay). Client was an out of state resident who was arrested with others in a drug investigation in Sumner County. After lengthy negotiations the District Attorney's Office agreed to retire the charges.
- WILLIAMSON COUNTY-JUVENILE (2019) Client was charged with others for delinquency in conjunction with the accidental death of their close friend. This was a high profile investigation. After meeting with the Assistant District Attorney and presenting my argument why client should not be charged, the charge was dismissed.
- U.S VS. JB- ( 2015-2018) ( Federal Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering- Nashville-Judge Trauger.) This was one of the largest drug and money seizures in Middle Tennessee. The Client was facing life in prison and deportation. After battling and negotiating with the Government for three years we reached a plea agreement that resulted in my client receiving a sentence that was 65% below the bottom of his guideline range.
- U.S. vs. DA- November 2018 ( Federal Drug Trafficking-Nashville-Judge Trauger.) Client was arrested in 2015 for trafficking in large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin. He was facing a statutory mandatory minimum and 851 enhancement of 20 years. After several years of negotiations and preparing for trial I was able to get get the Government to agree to a 5 year sentence. Considering my client was facing a mandatory 20 years and the two co-defendants received 10 year sentences, the results in this case were extraordinary.
- U.S. vs. SFP- April 2018 ( Federal Transporting of Illegal Aliens-Nashville-Judge Trauger.)-Client was facing prison and deportation. She was found NOT GUILTY at trial.
- U.S. vs. KHL-2018 (Federal Harboring a Fugitive-Nashville-Judge Aspen.)-Client was facing 5 years in prison for being an accessory after the fact of a very serious robbery/homicide. After an extensive sentencing presentation client received a 30 day sentence followed by 5 months of house arrest.
- U.S. vs. NA-2018 ( Federal Immigration Fraud-Miami)-client had confessed to marriage fraud and was facing a federal prison sentence followed by involuntary deportation. With the assistance of my associates Michael Matters and David Berger we were able to obtain a time served sentence for the criminal case and we then negotiated a reasonable bond with Immigration so client could have several months to get his affairs in order and then voluntarily depart for his native country.
- U.S. vs. D.R (2014-2017)-(Heroin Conspiracy Federal- Middle District of Tennessee- Judge Trauger.) Client was a twenty-five year old defendant in a large federal heroin conspiracy when I began representing him. Although he was not a significant player in the conspiracy the client qualified as a "career offender" and his sentencing guideline range was 22-25 years. Other defendants in the case had signed off on plea agreements ranging from approximately 15-30 years.Through the use of medical experts and private investigators as well as rallying tremendous family support I was able to present significant mitigating information to the Court at sentencing. As a result the Court imposed a sentence of 5 years, which was approximately 75% off of his recommended guideline range. That type of guideline reduction sentence is very rarely seen in federal court, particularly when the government opposes it.
- Williamson County- State vs. MW (2017)-Aggravated Assault-Judge Martin
Client was convicted by a Williamson County jury of aggravated assault. He came to me to represent him for his sentencing hearing and for any post conviction motions or appeals. His prior counsel had unnecessarily put him in a very difficult situation where he was facing a lengthy prison sentence and he lacked credibility with the Court. Going to prison would have been an extreme hardship for him and his family. I was able to rehabilitate his image with the Court and after a lengthy sentencing presentation I convinced the Judge to impose a sentence of probation.
- Federal-Middle District of Tennessee-Marijuana Trafficking- U.S. vs JN (2015-2016). Client was under investigation for importing a large quantity of Marijuana from California to Tennessee. I was able to negotiate a scenario with the US Attorney's Office and the DEA Task Force whereby my client was never arrested or formally charged. Not only was he spared a prison sentence but he was able to keep his professional licenses and his long standing job. When I first took the case I was hoping at the very best to get the client a rare federal diversion but getting a no prosecution was even better. The process took several years and had a lot of bumps in the road but we got it done.
- Williamson County-Promoting Prostitution-State vs. CP (2015-2016) (Judge Johnson.) My client hired me prior to sentencing after she had been convicted in a jury trial of felony promoting of prostitution. As a result of her conviction she was required to register as a sex offender. After lengthy litigation I was able to get her conviction set aside and to have her removed from the dreaded sex offender registry.
- Rutherford County- Multiple Counts of Sexual Assault- State vs. CC ( 2012-2015).
My client had spent almost 2 years in custody for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor when I was retained to substitute as counsel. The allegations in this case were very ugly and fortunately they were completely false. I was able to coordinate my efforts with counsel for the other two defendants and the talented AIS investigative team to uncover exculpatory evidence that eventually convinced the district attorney's office to offer a retirement of the charges and a release of all defendants. My grateful client went from facing 50 years in prison and deportation to returning to his family and the community.
U.S. vs. S.K. ( 2013-2015)-Federal Court-Western District-Jackson
- My Nashville client was indicted in the Western District of Tennessee after being heard on multiple wiretaps discussing synthetics and analogues with the number one defendant in the biggest multi-defendant analogue/synthetic case in that district. The Government had also seized gold coins worth thousands of dollars when they searched his residence. As a result of my good relationship with the DEA in the Middle District of Tennessee I was able to get my client immediately released so he could voluntarily surrender in Jackson (where he was given pre-trial release). Eventually I was able to negotiate a plea from felony conspiracy to a misprision and at sentencing I convinced the Judge to sentence my client to probation. He received 2 years of probation with the special condition he serve 6 months of that on home confinement. I also was able to secure the return of all of the gold coins.
- U.S. vs. Dwight Major- Federal Court- North Carolina-Post Conviction litigation (2241 habeas writ and mandamus) ( 2012-2015)
Client DM was extradited to the Unites States to face drug trafficking charges after spending 8 years in a Bahamian prison fighting extradition. I did not represent him in South Florida when he negotiated a plea agreement for a nine-year sentence. The district court judge recommended credit time served for the time spent awaiting extradition in the Bahamas. Client was due for release in 2011 when the BOP denied his credit for time spent awaiting extradition in the Bahamas. Client's family contacted me to assist client in his battle against the BOP for unlawfully detaining him. In a long and bitter uphill legal battle that saw a Chief Federal District Court Judge in North Carolina deny the 2241 writ and subsequently get reversed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals; the BOP finally succumbed to a writ of mandamus and released the client. Client was able to return to the Bahamas to spend time with his ailing father before he passed away.