Representative Cases

Federal Criminal Case – 2 Kilos of Heroin Suppressed, Case Dismissed; Sustained the Victory By Defeating Government’s Appeal

My client was stopped for a traffic violation while driving on an interstate highway in rural Georgia. The officer prolonged the traffic stop and conducted a drug investigation. The officer discovered two kilograms of Heroin in the automobile and my client was arrested and charged in federal court with drug trafficking. I successfully argued to the federal court that the police officer violated my client’s Fourth Amendment rights by unlawfully prolonging the traffic stop. The court issued an order prohibiting the prosecutor from using the two kilograms of Heroin as evidence. The United States Department of Justice in Washington appealed the trial court’s ruling to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower’s court’s decision to suppress the evidence. The federal drug trafficking case against my client was dismissed.

Federal Criminal Case – 25 Serious Felonies Reduced to Misdemeanors

I represented the owner of a food supplements business charged with 25 federal felony counts including, but not limited to drug trafficking conspiracy, distribution of illegal drugs, selling misbranded drugs, smuggling, illegally operating a drug manufacturing facility, and money laundering. The client, a non-U.S. citizen, faced several decades in federal prison, forfeiture and confiscation of at least $25,000,000 and deportation to his native country. After litigating his criminal case two years, I secured for him a plea agreement under which the client pled guilty to four misdemeanors and served no time in prison. The plea agreement required federal prosecutors to drop all of the felony charges, prevented the seizure of any of my client’s assets, and ensured that my client would not be deported.

Georgia Criminal Case – Evidence Suppressed, Criminal Case Dismissed

My client was charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Police officers entered client’s residence, conducted a search, and, upon finding incriminating evidence, arrested my client. Client was facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment. I successfully argued to the court that the police officers’ warrantless entry into my client’s home and his subsequent arrest violated my client’s rights under the Fourth Amendment. The court agreed, granted my motion to suppress all the evidence gathered by the police officers, and the criminal case was dismissed.

Georgia Criminal Case – Case Dismissed Based on Self-Defense

I represented one of young men indicted for murder. The clients shot an armed person at a gas station after an altercation. I represented one of the brothers at an immunity hearing that was held in the Superior Court. I presented evidence and thereafter successfully argued to the court that my client shot the person in self-defense. After the hearing, the court issued a written order in which it agreed with my legal argument and held that my client acted in self-defense. As a result of the hearing and court’s order, the murder charge against my client was dismissed in its entirety.

Professional Licensing – Saved Convicted Pharmacist’s License

I represented a senior pharmacist who faced license revocation by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy after pleading guilty to involvement a drug racketeering conspiracy. We prevailed in a contested hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).  After prevailing before the ALJ, the State of Georgia filed a motion for the Georgia Pharmacy Board to reject the favorable ruling for the client. After a second contested hearing, the Georgia Pharmacy Board voted 5-0 in favor of my client, who was allowed to retain his pharmacist license. In a third contested proceeding, I was able to persuade the DEA to reinstate the client’s DEA Registration Number.

Hague Convention – Successful Appeal of Federal Court Order

I represented an immigrant who came to the United States with her young daughter. Mother and daughter fled to the United States after suffering unspeakable violence and abuse by the child’s father. The child’s father hired a major law firm to file a lawsuit alleging child abduction (parental kidnapping) under the Hague Convention. The case went to trial in federal court, which ordered the mother to return the child to its father in South America. I filed an emergency motion with the federal appeals court to stay (suspend) the trial court’s order, thus preventing the child from being forced to return to the country in South America. Thereafter, the federal appeals court ruled in favor of my client and reversed the decision of the trial court.

Title IX – False Claim of Rape Against Medical Student

My client was a fourth year medical student with a full scholarship. A woman filed a Title IX sexual harassment complaint with the university in which she accused my client of sexual assault and rape. The accuser, a former girlfriend, stated that one year prior to her complaint, she had sexual relations with my client, but was too intoxicated to consent. The stakes could not have been higher. Had the university found in the accuser’s favor, my client would have been expelled from medical school, denied the right to transfer to a different medical school, and would have forever been denied a license as a physician. I litigated the complaint through the administrative process and won.