The Umansky Law Firm

Multiple drug and prostitution charges were brought against the former police chief of Romulus, Michigan, his wife, and five other police officers by state officials this week. The seven are charged with running a scheme in which forfeited
drug money was allegedly used to pay for marijuana, alcohol, and prostitutes.

According to the Wayne County prosecutor, the charges come after a three-year investigation by Michigan State Police.

The former police chief is facing ten charges, including conducting a criminal enterprise and acquiring or maintaining a criminal enterprise. His wife has been charged with conspiracy criminal enterprise and acquiring or maintaining a criminal enterprise. Each of them faces 20 years in prison if they are convicted.

The other five officers, all detectives, face felony charges ranging from racketeering to misconduct in office. Felony racketeering carries a 20 year prison sentence.

The defendants were ordered to surrender their passports and granted bond. They have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the proceedings.

The State Police
investigation began two years ago when it was discovered the department's narcotics
unit was no paying its informants correctly. Homes and places of business were raided last March.

If you have been charged with a crime in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential case evaluation.

A Chicago-area commodities broker who disappeared in 1979 and was declared dead in 1986, resurfaced in Las Vegas in July – and was promptly arrested and charged with fraud. The man, now 73, pleaded guilty yesterday in court.

According to Nevada
authorities, the man was living under an assumed name and working at the Rampart Casino. He would probably have gone along just fine, but the man whose name he assumed complained to the Social Security office that he never worked in any casinos like his statements said. The suspect allegedly attempted to renew his drivers license in 2008 using the victim's name.

The suspect was originally charged with four felony counts of identity theft and fraud. This is a category E felony, the least serious felony in Nevada, and usually carries probation and a fine. The plea deal reached states as much, but the final conditions will be determined by the Nevada attorney general.

The man's reasons for leaving Chicago in 1979 vary, depending on who you speak to. The suspect says he held a seat on the Chicago Board of Trade, but made a mistake and was forced to sell his seat to pay a debt. He then decided to leave his family, citing unemployment, a marriage with problems, and a desire to start over. However, his wife says the only reason he sold his seat on the Board of Trade was to pay off gambling debts. An investigator said he believed the suspect may have been fleeing the mob.

Whatever the reason, the man is 73-years-old and is not a threat to anyone. Yes, he made a string of serious errors, which he has admitted to. However, probation and a fine are the right call here. Imprisoning this man would serve no one any good, and might even be excessive. Anything between him and his family has no place in court. However, his next court appearance is at the end of January, so his future and freedom are still precarious.

If you have been charged with fraud in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

A Missouri Kindergartner was told to bring an item important to his family for show and tell earlier this month. However, he allegedly brought a crack pipe and an ounce of drugs to show his class. As a result, the child's 32-year-old mother was charged with possession of a controlled substance and one count of first degree child endangerment.

According to the police report, the teacher told police the class was supposed to bring pictures of their family for show and tell. However, the boy produced a pipe and "several baggies of crack rocks." The drugs allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine with an estimated value of around $3700.

Police say the drugs were found in the child's backpack in the hall and that they never came in contact with any of the boy's classmates.

When police searched the house, a police dog found another pipe. The mother was arrested and bond was set for $7500.

Friends of the mother say her life began to spiral after her husband died earlier this year in a car accident and she was left with a large military pension. After the mother posted bail, she was then taken to the hospital for complications from a previous gastrointestinal surgery.

If you have been charged with a drug offense in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umanksy Law Firm today.

Several recent burglaries in Delaney Park may be connected to one 21-year-old Orlando, Florida woman. She is allegedly responsible for one burglary in a string of burglaries, and has been charged for burglary in Dover Shores. She was allegedly caught on camera and video during the burglary. Her car was allegedly the get-away vehicle.

According to Orlando police, the woman was arrested after she was picked up near an intersection and interviewed. Detectives say the woman allegedly stole several electronic items from a home on August 22, including a guitar and amplifiers, a 60-inch TV, an iPad, two iPods, two Playstation 3 game systems, several computer games, two bottles of cologne, and a camera. Detectives tracked the items through their serial numbers after they were pawned at several shops.

The woman has been charged with burglary of a dwelling, dealing in stolen property, violating Florida's pawn act, and grand theft.

Also arrested was an 18-year-old male for pawning some of the electronics.

If you have been charged with burglary in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

Former Major League Baseball player Manny Ramirez was arrested in Miami on Monday for allegedly slapping his wife in the face. He has been charged with one count of domestic violence.

Ramirez's wife called 911 and said, "Hi, my husband just hit me." She claims he hit her so hard her head slammed into the headboard of their bed. She also claimed that Ramirez was not doing anything to her anymore since he knew she was calling the police. She reportedly had a small bruise on the back of her head and some swelling to the left side of her face.

Ramirez allegedly told the Broward sheriff's deputy who came to his residence that he had grabbed his wife and "shrugged" her, which caused her to hit her head on the headboard.

Ramirez bonded out on $2500 and was ordered to stay 500 feet from his wife.

Ramirez retired from the Tampa Bay Rays after facing a 100 game suspension for his second positive performance enhancing drug test in two years. He also played with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.

If you have been charged with domestic violence in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

A group calling itself the Goddess Temple has seen 20 members arrested for allegedly offering sex services online in return for "religious healing" in Arizona. Undercover officers are looking for an additional 17 members of the group in Phoenix and Sedona, Arizona.

According to police reports, an investigation started six months ago. Detectives say they uncovered evidence of both male and female members of the group, called "practitioners," performed sexual acts for "donations" and under the guise of offering religious services. The temple offered sex-ed and sex toy classes, as well as sessions designed as "heal sexual blockages" for hundreds of dollars.

One of those arrested was Goddess Temple founder, Tracy Elise. She was involved in a similar investigation in Seattle in 2009, in which a suspected brothel was shut down.

Elise has been charged with prostitution, pandering, operating a house of prostitution, and illegal control of an enterprise. Others arrested face charges of prostitution, conspiracy, and offering a massage without a license.

Police find this case especially "disheartening" because the group allegedly tried to cover up their crimes in the guise of religious freedom.

If you have been charged with prostitution or solicitation in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for a free and confidential consultation today.

This might not seem like such a large story if there weren't so many groups involved. Burbank, California-based Democratic campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee, has been charged with federal mail fraud for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her long list of clients.

So far, the only name attached to the criminal count is that of Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana). However, other big name federal, state, and local clients on Durkee's roster include the Democratic parties of several counties, such as Orange, and cities, such as Los Angeles and Long Beach.

According to the FBI, Durkee allegedly admitted to misappropriating the funds while being interviewed. She allegedly used funds from her clients' accounts and filed false campaign reports to cover up her theft. The mail fraud count stems from filing false campaign reports.

Durkee allegedly took trips to Disneyland and other places, paid her mortgage, paid for her mother's assisted living, and paid for other business expenses with the funds.

According to the complaint, in October 2010, Durkee allegedly made two separate transactions totaling nearly $680,000 from Solorio for Assembly in 2010 to a Durkee & Associates business account without her client's permission or knowledge. The withdrawals were not noted on disclosure forms filed with California.

Durkee has pleaded not guilty. The US attorney's office in Sacramento has said the fraud case may expand to include the accounts of other clients of Durkee, but it is unknown how many individuals or groups that might be. Some of the alleged victims have no idea how much they have lost, and some are worried about making payroll.

If you have been charged with fraud, theft, or shoplifting in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today for an initial free and confidential case consultation.

Here is a perfect example of how getting caught stealing can ruin more than your day. The fill-in drummer for My Chemical Romance was fired after he allegedly stole from the band after a show in Washington last night. He allegedly confessed to police.

Michael Pedicone was the second drummer for the alt rock band from New Jersey. He began playing with the band in late 2010.

In a blog post, the band's guitarist, Frank Iero says the band is "heartbroken and sick to [their] stomachs," but will not say what Pedicone stole. He was allegedly caught red-handed. Iero says the band has no intention of pressing charges and that My Chemical Romance simply wants Pedicone out of their lives. Iero also says, "The people who play in this band are a family, and family should not take advantage of each other like he did."

Pedicone apologized through Twitter and says the situation is "more complicated than it sounds." He admits he made a mistake and was an error in judgment based on another issue he is going through.

Sadly for Pedicone, his name will be associated with theft and he may have trouble working with other musicians. It may in fact be easier for the average person who has been charged with theft to move on than it is for someone who is semi-famous.

Although you will have to make amends somehow, and may also have lots of explaining to do to your family, friends, and associates, a charge of theft does not have to ruin your reputation or employment. Unfortunately, it looks like Pedicone may have ruined both of these in one fell swoop. Hopefully, he can move past this situation in a short amount of time.

If you have been charged with theft, fraud, or shoplifting in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.

Rap artist T.I. will serve the rest of his prison time in a half-way house in his hometown of Atlanta. T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, was serving time for a probation violation. This stemmed from a drug offense last October after he was found in possession of ecstasy pills. He was originally going to serve through September.

Luckily for T.I. he already has a book deal and a TV reality show waiting in the wings for him. He has already had a reality show on MTV that followed him around as he spoke about his mistakes, and imploring kids to avoid making the same ones he has.

The reality show was part of a plea agreement made as part of his probation, which stipulated 1000 hours of community service. While he did spend his time talking to schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs and gang violence, this was when he was found to be in possession of ecstasy.

T.I. was serving probation after a seven month prison stint for trying to buy unregistered guns and silencers from undercover federal agents.

Although T.I. has the fame and money as a recording artist, a book deal for a novel he wrote, and a reality TV show in the future, he can be sent back to prison for another mistake, just like anyone else can.

If you are facing a drug charge or a probation violation and are in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm today.