Court Crimes Attorney in Westchester County, New York

Generally speaking, court crimes are violations of proper judicial practices. The category of court crimes includes many relatively small offenses, but also a few extremely serious ones. For example, tampering with a witness in the first degree and intimidating a victim or witness in the first degree are both class B felonies, carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years.

If you have been charged with any variety of court crimes, you should get in touch with an experienced attorney today. The State of New York takes its justice system seriously and will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. The case against you is already being prepared. Talk to an attorney who can help you defend yourself.

Types of Court Crimes

There are many types of court offenses. These include:

• Bribing a witness: This means offering a witness some benefit (not necessarily monetary) on the understanding that this will affect the witness’s testimony or cause the witness to avoid testifying. This is a class D felony, with a maximum sentence of 7 years.

• Bribe receiving by a witness: This is a class D felony, with a maximum sentence of 7 years.

• Tampering with a witness: Witness tampering is an attempt to cause a witness to alter testimony or avoid giving testimony. Depending on the severity of the actions, witness tampering ranges from a class A misdemeanor (up to 1-year maximum sentence) to a class B felony (up to 25-year maximum sentence).

• Employer unlawfully penalizing witness or victim: This is when an employer tries to prevent a subpoenaed person from testifying in court, for business reasons. It is a class B misdemeanor.

• Intimidating a victim or witness: This is when a person uses violence or the threat of violence to prevent a witness or victim from speaking to the court or its representatives. It ranges from a class E felony (4-year maximum) to a class B felony (25-year maximum).

• Bribing a juror: This is the same description of bribing a witness, except this involves influencing a juror. It is also a class D felony.

• Bribe receiving by a juror: This is a class D felony.

• Providing a juror with a gratuity: This happens when a juror is given some type of reward after an action is concluded. This is a class A misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of 1 year.

• Tampering with a juror: When an individual offers some benefit to a juror in exchange for some information about a proceeding, or communication with a juror to influence the outcome of a proceeding. It is either a class B or a class A misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances.

• Misconduct by a juror: This is when a juror agrees to accept payment in return for a certain action that will affect the course of the court action. It is either a violation or a class A misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances.

• Tampering with physical evidence: This includes creating fake physical evidence and suppressing/destroying real physical evidence. This is a class E felony, with a maximum sentence of 4 years.

• Criminal contempt: Included in this category are a range of actions that show disrespect to the authority of the court, ranging from second-degree criminal contempt (a class A misdemeanor) to aggravated criminal contempt (a class D felony).

• Bail jumping: This is when an individual who is out on bail doesn’t appear in court or voluntarily within 30 days of the court date. Depending on the severity of the charges against the bail jumper, this ranges from a class A misdemeanor to a class D felony.

What to Do If You’ve Been Arrested

If you get arrested for a court crime, do not try to talk your way out of it. You may be a smooth talker, but once the officer has decided to arrest you, you will not be able to convince him or her otherwise.

You’re much more likely to say something that further incriminates you than to change the mind of an officer who has already decided to arrest you. Now is not the time to defend yourself. You have the right to remain silent. This is the time to use it.

After the arrest, it’s time for you to work on your defense. Talk to an experienced attorney who can guide you through this process. The state is already working on the case against you. The right attorney can be the difference between a guilty and a not-guilty verdict, or between a light sentence and a heavy sentence. Put your future in the hands of an attorney you can trust.

Contact Michael D. Litman

If you’ve been accused, charged, or arrested for a court offense, you should contact the Law Office of Michael D. Litman, PLLC as soon as possible. Michael Litman, based in White Plains, NY, has over a decade of experience and knowledge defending those charged with court offenses. We serve residents of Westchester County, White Plains, and the New York Metro area.