On October 4, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced that George Chrysanthopoulos of Little Silver, New Jersey was indicted for paying $350,000 in kickbacks to the New Jersey Department of Transportation and a private port terminal operator as well.  He is believed to have paid the kickbacks and bribes in order to receive construction contracts worth millions of dollars.  

According to the indictment, Chrysanthopoulos paid cash bribes to a private terminal operator in Port Elizabeth between the years of 2002 and 2008 in order to obtain construction contracts for his company, Tarheel Enterprises Inc.  Chrysanthopoulos agreed to pay the employee $20,000 for every $5 million that Tarheel made from the terminal operator.  

The same employee began working with law enforcement and he arranged meetings with Chrysanthopoulos between February 2011 and April 2011.  During the meetings, the employee and Chrysanthopoulos discussed the kickbacks and about $150 million in construction projects.  The following statement was recorded: “We could do the same thing like we did last time, George…like for every $5 million, I get 20 grand, boom…I’ll be happy, man.”  Chrysanthopoulos responded with the following statement: “I know what the parameters are…20 per give.”  

During the same meeting, Chrysanthopoulos gave names of bidders that would be invited to a 2011 project bid.  The FBI reports that Chrysanthopoulos paid about $48,000 in bribes to a NJDOT engineer in order to receive the engineer’s influence for $44 million contract that was eventually awarded to Tarheel.

Chrysanthopoulos faces a combined maximum sentence of 100 years in prison.  He also faces a $250,000 penalty for each count of mail and wire fraud.  Prosecutors are asking that Chrysanthopoulos forfeit $17 million of the proceeds.  

Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey Bartle is prosecuting this case.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

On October 5, 2012, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that 44 people were arrested in eastern Puerto for participation in a drug trafficking and money laundering organization.  The sting was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) under the ICE, the Puerto Rico Police Department, and the DEA.  

The indictment stated that Julio L. De Jesus-Gomez, Tania De Jesus-Gomez and Julia Gomez-Calcaño all tried to launder profits from drug trafficking into Luquillo Boat Glass Inc.  The ICE reports that the three defendants bought real estate and other assets by falsifying the source of money.  Purchases included $75,000 for land, $265,000 for property in Fajardo, and more.  

Tania De Jesus-Gomez and Julia Gomez-Calcaño were also indicted for tampering with a witness.  The ICE reports that the two defendants told a witness how to respond to law enforcement if the authorities asked questions about the purchases.

Angel Melendez, the Acting Special Agent in Charge for HIS San Juan, stated: “This case exemplifies that those involved in money laundering and the importation of narcotics and other contraband into and out of our country will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted.  HSI thanks out local, state and federal law enforcement partners for their significant cooperation in dismantling this narcotics and money laundering organization.”

All 44 defendants face a charge for conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.  Some of the members used private boats and boats from the Puerto Rico Maritime Transportation Authority to smuggle large amounts of cocaine and heroin throughout Puerto Rico.  23 of the defendants face additional charges for carrying firearms in connection with the drug trafficking.  

In total, the ICE reports that three leaders, one manager, six drug point owners, four enforcers, one supplier, ten runners, two drug processors, and twenty-four distributors have been charged.  

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

On October 2, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced that two former supervisors part of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) pleaded guilty to bribery charges in a scheme to bribe highly ranked officials and receive much desired construction contracts.  Luis Adorno, who was the inspections supervisor for the HPD, and Michael Provenzano, who was the former HPD director of construction services, pleaded guilty.  

WHAT IS A SEX OFFENDER LIST?

A SEX OFFENDER LIST, also more commonly known as the Sex Offender Registry, is a list of all sex offenders in a community.  It is required in all States in the Union and is also in existence in Canada and The United Kingdom.  In many States in the Union information about registered sex offenders in the community are made public and can be found in newspapers, public notices and through internet websites.  Other States, however, do not permit public knowledge and complete SEX OFFENDERR LISTS are only available to law enforcement.

WHO HAS TO REGISTER?

The laws differ from State to State but generally someone who must register and be put on a SEX OFFENDER LIST is an individual that has been convicted of sex offense.  This includes sexual assault, rape, molestation, kidnapping a child; and the production, proliferation or viewing of child pornography.  There are lists of other sex offenses that will subject someone to being placed on a sex offender list.  Check with the State Division of Criminal Justice in that specific jurisdiction to find out who must register.

THREE LEVELS OF SEX OFFENDER STATUS

Generally there are three (3) levels of sex offender status, only two (2) of which are available to the public.  These levels are based on the risk of being a repeat offender.  These range from low risk (level 1) to high risk (level 3).  Level 1 sex offenders must register as a sex offender for 20 consecutive years.  If a sex offender is designated level 2 or 3 then they must register for life.

WHAT INFORMATION IS PROVIDED?

As with all laws delegated to the States, the requirements do vary.  At a minimum convicted sex offenders are required to include their name, address, school or place of employment and are often restricted from residing within a certain distance of a school, nursing home, etc. 

HOW CAN I FIND REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN MY COMMUNITY?

The federal government maintains a National Sex Offender Public Website which enables all U.S. citizens to access and discover registered sex offenders in their community.  In addition to this many states and local communities maintain their own websites that divulge this information including names, addresses, photographs, descriptions, etc.  The public policy is to insure that families and children are protected from registered sex offenders.

This policy is not without its critics.  Many people assert that this form of registry only helps families of victims and those outraged by sexual crimes to plot revenge against sex offenders.  For detailed information about where sex offenders may be located in your area you may visit the FBI's Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW) at www.nsopw.gov. 

San Antonio, TX—For Demetrio Duarte, defending people accused of crimes has been a career for over 25 years.  Duarte told laws.com in a recent interview that his upbringing made him realize how badly criminal defenders are needed.

“Being a young Hispanic male in the 1960s and 1970s in South Texas, I witnessed a lack of legal representation in my community,” he recalls.  “This led to a growing desire to defend people of all communities, but in particular, those in my community who were in severe need of help.”

(More on News at LAWS.com, Contact Alberto for interviews “support@laws.com”)

After going to the University of Texas Law School in Austin, Duarte took a job at the Bexar County District Attorney's Office, which he says “gave me the mentorship I needed” to get started in criminal law.  He later struck out on his own, starting a solo practice.

Today, Demetrio Duarte, Jr. & Associates, P.C. represents clients in a wide variety of legal situations.  Trying to decide which cases to take is a matter of careful consideration for Duarte.  “I would say that 95 percent of the people who walk into a criminal defense attorney's office are guilty of something, and they all need help because of a mistake they have made,” he says.  “Helping people who want to be helped and who admit that they have issues are always easier to assist than those who demand a guarantee of a favorable result from me.”

This last type of client is often worth avoiding, according to Duarte.  “Typically, those who seek a guarantee of a favorable result and are demanding have to do with organized crime, and those are cases I try to avoid.  I prefer to work with clients who have realistic expectations.”

Doing criminal defense work in 2013 may be harder than ever, according to Duarte.  “Over the years, I have seen such an erosion of Miranda rights and civil liberties in favor of the government and the police, and less and less in favor of the protection of the individual.  Standing up for individuals' rights has become extremely difficult for defense attorneys today because of this.”

New types of evidence can also lead to more convictions, Duarte says.  “It's harder to try cases in court nowadays, because of the amount of technology that we have today that we didn't before.  Now, we have DNA, videotapes, cell phone cameras, and street corners with video surveillance—this makes it more difficult to try cases.”  As a result, plea bargains are up and trial numbers are down versus just a decade ago.

Duarte believes that new attorneys, regardless of where they went to law school or what practice area they want to specialize in, should find a mentor.  “There are many attorneys who are willing to help a student out, if only they ask.  There is no need to start trying cases without the assistance of an attorney with experience who can guide you in the beginning of your career,” he says, noting that he mentors several young attorneys today.  “Leave your pride aside and ask for help when you first start practicing law.”

Demetrio Duarte, Jr. & Associates, P.C. operates as a team. Each player on the team focuses on moving all issues forward toward a goal in. The attorneys in the law firm are committed to treating client matters as if they were their own. To learn more about his practice click here.