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Cases
Driving offenses
DUI/DWI
People v. Day
Client was charged with his 2nd DUI. Our attorneys
filed motions to suppress evidence and to rescind
the 3 year statutory summary suspension of our
client’s driver’s license on the basis of certain
legal technicalities. The trial judge granted
both motions and the State was disallowed from
using any evidence including video taped field
sobriety tests and the breath test results. The
judge also ordered that our client’s driver’s
license suspension be lifted.
Result
- All charges dismissed.
People v. Dugeon
Client was charged with his second DUI. After
a long fought battle, the jury came back with
a surprising verdict of guilty. JLG attorneys
did not stop there. We filed motions for judgement
not withstanding the jury verdict and we excitingly
were able to convince the judge who presided over
the jury trial to overturn the jury verdict.
Result
– DUI dismissed outright and court supervision
(non conviction) for the charge of illegal transportation
of alcohol.
People v. Astroth
Our client was charged with DUI and Illegal Transportation
of Alcohol. Since this was not his first DUI offense,
the stakes were high b/c a conviction would result
in the loss of his license for 3 years and his
employment required him to have a driver’s license..
Case was set for a Jury Trial. Jury selection
was completed and opening arguments were made.
Strangely enough, during the next break and before
any witnesses were called the prosecutor approached
our Attorney and offered to dismiss the DUI charge.
It must have been a heck of an opening statement.
Result
– DUI dismissed outright and court supervision
(non conviction) for the charge of illegal transportation
of alcohol.
People vs. Golar
Client had 4 prior DUI/DWI charges and 2 prior driving
after his license was revoked. Client was
charged with a new charge for driving w/o a license
and the State was seeking 180 days in jail.
Although State law required a jail sentence,
JLG attorneys were able to obtain a sentence where
no jail was served.
Result:
Client was given the opportunity to complete
public service work instead of serving
a jail sentence.
People vs. Spellman
Client was found parked in a convenient store parking
lot, sleeping behind the wheel of his car
with a half full beer can in his cup holder.
Client was awakened by two police officers,
then they requested a field sobriety test.
Unfortunately, the client did not perform
the test very well and was also videotaped
unable to answer questions correctly.
After JLG was retained, it was discovered
that this was the client's 5th DUI arrest which
in the State of Illinois was a felony that
meant the client would have to spend mandatory time
in jail.
Result:
Charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, small
fine and probation.
People
vs. Forren
Client was charged with 1 count of DUI, 1 count
of BAC over .08 and 1 count of operating
an uninsured vehicle. This being his 2nd conviction
would see his license revoked for at least
1 year. Client had been found by the
police sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked
car with the keys in the passenger seat next
to him. Client failed the field sobriety tests
and refused the breathalyzer at the scene.
Later at the police station, client provided
a breath sample of .121. JLG attorneys analyzed
the situation and were able to get a new
charge of reckless driving added to the charges,
which is a lower offense than DUI and does
not result in revocation of driving privileges.
Result:
Client's plea was reckless driving with all remaining
counts dismissed, with no loss of driving privileges.
People
vs. M. E.C.
JLG
client was charged with his 4th Driving While
Intoxicated offense.
Result:
JLG attorneys were able to obtain a disposition
where our client was not required to spend any
time in jail.
People vs. Penn
Client was charged with his 2nd DUI after police
found him and his vehicle in a roadside
ditch. Police administered the Field Sobriety
Tests and arrested our client. JLG attorneys
first obtained a driving permit and then set the
case for trial.
Result:
Client acquited of all charges at trial.
Driving privileges restored.
People vs. S. Brand
Client was charged with a 3rd Driving Under the
Influence of Alcohol offense with an almost
certainty of jail time.
Result:
Although the prosecutor argued for a 3-year sentence
in the Department of Corrections, our attorneys
were able to obtain a disposition where our client
was allowed to serve a minimal jail sentence which
included being released to go to work during his
regular work hours.
People vs. Casson
JLG represented a pro football running back against
multiple charges of driving while license
revoked.
Result:
Although the prosecutor fought for jail
time, JLG attorneys were able to quash several
warrants and were able to obtain a disposition
where the client was not required to serve
any jail time.
People
vs. Wynn
Client was charged with his 6th driving without
a license charge and 9th driving without
insurance charge. Client was facing a minimum
mandatory jail sentence of 120 days in
jail. JLG attorneys were able to convince the
judge to allow our client to perform community
service work instead of serving a jail term.
Result:
Jail term avoided.
People vs. Herron
Client was charged with his 6th driving without
a license charge and 9th driving without
insurance charge. Client was facing a minimum
mandatory jail sentence of 120 days in
jail. JLG attorneys were able to convince the
judge to allow our client to perform community
service work instead of serving a jail term.
Result:
Jail term avoided.
People vs. H. Dannewitz
JLG
client was charged with possession of cocaine
and various major traffic offenses in 3 separate
counties.
Result:
Our attorneys were able to obtain a disposition
which allowed our client to serve a minimal
10-day jail sentence which was honored as a concurrent
sentence on all 3 counties.
People vs. Blakesly
The client was charged with improper use of a
driver's license, a misdemeanor. Most defendants
are concerned about imprisonment above all else,
while others are concerned that large fines
could put them in financial distress. In a case
such as this, one might worry about suspension
or revocation of driving privileges. The
charges in this case were not severe, but that
was not the concern of this defendant.
Their fear was having their dreams shattered forever
because of one unfortunate incident. The
role of Johnson Law Group was two fold: to obtain
the lowest possible punishment and to keep
the charges off our clients' record so
that they have a chance to achieve their aspirations.
Result:
Achieved!
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Theft/Robbery/Fraud
Crimes
People vs. J.G.
This case began with the threat of charges being
brought against our client. The client
had admitted to five separate credit card agencies
and one internet loan company that he had
used another individual's identity for the purpose
of financial gain.
Result:
After 8 months of extensive negotiation, JLG's
investigators and attorneys were able to convince
all lenders not to pursue charges. JLG was
able to convince the lender's to open lines
of credit in the client's name and transfer all
outstanding debt over to the client's accounts.
United States vs. P.H.
The Federal Government charged our client with
8 counts of mail fraud which alleged that
he converted in excess of $3 million dollars of
client investment monies from a Hedge fund
for his own personal use.
Result:
Through early intervention and aggressive negotiations,
JLG attorneys were able to avoid indictments on
the much more serious federal charges of money
laundering and conspiracy. As a result,
our client's prison term was seriously reduced.
This case had national attention and was
featured in CBS Market Watch and Forbes magazine.
Theft
People vs. S.D.
JLG attorney and investigators worked together
as a team with the client, a medical professional
who was charged with eight counts of Felony Theft. With a felony conviction, the client's
career would end immediately. After
fourteen months of an extensive investigation by JLG
staff, the client agreed to waive a trial
in exchange for a plea bargain.
Result:
7 felony counts dismissed, and agreed to
plea to a Class A misdemeanor with No Conviction
to be entered after completing Court Supervision.
The client was able to stay employed in
the medical career field and actually went to
a higher paying job.
People vs. Cadona
Client was accused of stealing a wallet while
holding a knife to a victims throat. After
intervening in the police investigation, JLG attorneys/investigators
and case managers were able to convince
the government to not file any charges.
Result:
No charges were ever filed.
People vs. Uddin
Client was charged with Retail Theft after giving
a full confession and videotaped placing
items from the shelves into his pockets and leaving
the story.
Result:
JLG Attorney was able to convince the State
to dismiss the charges of Retail Theft and the
clients record expunged.
People vs. Heil
Client was charged with a receiving stolen property,
buying/selling property with Removed or Altered
Serial number and Theft. JLG Attorney and
investigator tracked down the original owner of
the trailer and showed that our client was completely
unaware that the trailer he purchased was stolen
and in fact showing he was also a victim.
Result:
JLG attorneys convinced the prosecution to drop
all charges and now defendant is in civil court
to recover financial damages for the loss of trailer
and attorneys fees.
Burglary/Robbery
People vs. Schmillen
Client was charged with attempted residential burglary.
The victim caught our client in the process of committing
the crime and was able to positively ID him from
a lineup after police caught him hiding nearby.
These damning facts were escalated by the fact that
our client was already on Probation for a prior
Burglary and was therefore facing a lengthy prison
sentence. JLG attorneys were able to present significant
mitigating factors to the prosecutor.
Result:
Client was sentenced to 4 months of boot camp
= military type training instead of lengthy prison
sentence.
People vs. Hall
Our client was accused of aiding 2 individuals beat
and rob a pizza delivery boy after beating him with
a tire iron. Our attorneys were able to convince
the detectives not to file charges agaisnt our client
despite his participation.
Result:
No charges were ever brought.
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Murder
/ Homicide
People vs. J.P.
Our client was charged with Murder and Aggravated
Vehicular Hijacking. The government accused
our client of hijacking an elderly man's vehicle
and killing him in the process. The charges
arose from an investigation that spanned a 7 year
period. The government alleged that our client
was returning from a drug run for methamphetamine
when his car broke down. The government alleged
that our client forcibly hijacked an elderly man's
car in order to complete the drug run. During
the commission of the offense, prosecutors alleged
that our client smothered the victim and dumped
his body in a corn field. After approximately
1 year of aggressive defense work, JLG attorneys
and investigators were able to get the murder charge
dismissed. Result:
Murder charge dismissed.
People vs. M.B.
JLG attorneys were faced with a difficult fact pattern
when prosecutors charged our client with walking
into a diner and shooting another man who supposedly
had had an affair with his wife. The difficulties
were enhanced because our client committed the act
in the presence of multiple friends and family members
and was known as an active arms dealer. After
months of negotiations our attorneys were able to
convince the State to aggree to a minimum possible
sentence.
Result:
Minimum sentence by statute was imposed.
People v. D.W.
Our attorneys have been fighting with the government
in order to require the State to order DNA testing
on numerous implements found on or about a murder
scene. Prior to retaining JLG, our client
was convicted at trial of murdering his father at
his father's place of business, The Grand Tap Bar,
by bludgeoning and battering him with knives and
utilities until he was dead.
Result:
The trial court ruled in our favor and has ordered
DNA testing and we are awaiting the results in
hopes of setting our client free.
Additionally, our attorneys have provided representation
in multiple death-penalty cases.
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Expungements
JLG attorneys have prevailed in numerous cases
where clients have sought to expunge their
criminal record in order to free themselves of
the stigma of having a criminal record
due to a mistake in the past. JLG attorneys have
prevailed in such cases even though the
prosecutor and the state police have vigorously
objected to our client's petitions for
expungement. i.e. People vs. J. Kale, People
vs. P. Janisik.
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Public
Misconduct
Our Firm has represented public officials who
have been charged with criminal offenses. We represented
a senior juvenile detention officer when he was
charged with felony criminal damage to property.
After lengthy negotiations with the prosecutor
our attorney's were able to provide a result where
all felony charges were dismissed in exchange
for a delayed dismissal through a court supervision
disposition.
People vs. T. Kowaski
JLG Attorney represented an adult correctional
officer who was charged with having sex
with a female inmate while she was in jail custody.
The State sought to make a public example
out of our client and was very adamant about pursuing
a jail sentence for this offense.
Result:
JLG Attorney was able to obtain a disposition
that included "No Jail" time being served.
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Felony Sex Crimes
Criminal
Sexual Assault
People
vs. E.A.
Client had been dating a female that was 1 year
younger since he was 16 years of age.When
our client turned 18, he moved to a different
state to attend college.His girlfriend
was still in high school.After a few months, client
terminated the relationship with his now
17 year old girlfriend, making her and
her family very angry.The girl and her family
put pressure on the State’s attorney to
bring charges against our client for Criminal
Sexual Assault.After being contacted by
law enforcement, client immediately retained the
services of the Johnson Law Group.Client
had already admitted to having a consensual
sexual relationship with the girl which was a
clear violation of the law because of her
age.
Result:
State’s attorney had the right to pursue charges
under the law and would have had an extremely
strong case due to the confession, however after
3 months of hard negotiation, JLG was able to
convince the State to not pursue charges.
People vs. Jolley
Client was charged with Aggravated Criminal Sexual
Assault. JLG attorneys complied statements
and massive amounts of discovery in this case
and sifted through it with a fine tooth
comb. As the investigation went on, more
and more inconsistencies began to appear
in the victim's story. JLG's attorneys
conducting one interview with the State's attorney
and the victim brought this case to a close.
The victim admitted that no crime ever took
place.
Result:
Charges dismissed by the State.
People vs. Cintron
Our client was accused of sexually assaulting a
minor female child. JLG attorneys and case
managers intervened in order to ensure that our
client’s rights would be protected.
Result:
No charges were ever filed against our
client.
People vs. A. Bates
JLG
client was charged with having illegal
sexual contact with a minor child. This was a
case that our attorneys had to push to
trial in hopes of obtaining a "not guilty" verdict.
Result:
When the prosecutor saw how prepared our
attorneys were on the day of trial, they dismissed
the case and never re-filed any charges against
our client.
People vs. K. Kargbo
JLG client was an African American college athlete
that was charged with having sex with a
white minor female after she became intoxicated
and passed out at a party.
Result:
Although the victim's family was adamant
about seeing our client spend some time in jail,
our attorney's were able to get the felony charges
dismissed in exchange for a misdemeanor
charge and no jail time was imposed.
People vs. Creamer
JLG client was charged with having sex with his
minor stepdaughter.
Result:
Our attorneys were able to persuade the
prosecutor not to file felony charges in the case.
As a result, our client was able to keep his job
and continue providing financial support for his
family.
People vs. S. Powell
JLG client was charged with a felony offense for
willfully failing to register as a sex offender.
Result:
Although our client was faced a conviction
for his 2nd major felony offense, our attorneys
were able to convince the court to impose a minimal
jail sentence of 10 days.
People vs. R. Heflin
Allegations were made that our client had oral and
vaginal sex with his minor stepdaughter.
Result:
Our attorneys were able to intervene prior
to any charges being filed and our attorneys aggressively
demonstrated the reasons why charges should not
be filed. This resulted in "No Charges" being
filed against our client.
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Child
Pornography
People
vs. Weirnshenck
JLG attorneys successfully obtained an acquittal
(not guilty finding) at trial on behalf of a former
Principal of a prominent Christian School who
was charged with 7 felony counts of child pornography.
The Principal was terminated after he was caught
viewing pornography on the school's computers.
Investigators confiscated the school's computers
and the government's forensic experts were able
to identify 50+ images of child pornography on
the computer's hard drive. Despite the voluminous
evidence presented by the government against the
defendant, JLG attorneys won the case and all
charges were dismissed.
Result:
Found Not Guilty of all charges at trial.
People vs. Bremer
The government charged our client with 13 counts
of possession of child pornography on his personal
computer. Our client was employed as an
Executive and was well known in the community.
JLG attorneys and forensic experts required the
government to provide us with exact mirrored images
of the hard drives that were seized from our clients.
Thereafter, we employed our own forensic experts
and were able to provide the government with enough
conflicting evidence to convince them to dismiss
all felony charges.
Result:
13 counts of Child Pornography were dismissed.
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Arson
People vs. M. Bose
JLG client was accused of burning down his ex-girlfriend's
house. It was alleged that our client torched
the house in order to induce his ex-girlfriend
move back into his home. The evidence at
trial included the eyewitness testimony
of a paperboy who identified our client at the
scene of the blaze at approximately 4:00
a.m. with a bucket of flammable substances. The
case included other eyewitness testimony
and was capped off by a partial admission by our
client.
Result:
Despite the incriminating evidence, our
attorneys were able to convince the jury
into finding our client "Not Guilty" of arson.
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