Connecticut Criminal Defense Law Blog

Back in November, Robert Watson-the former Rhode Island State Representative who was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of marijuana last April-was reportedly set for trial on charges of DUI and drug possession.

It has been reported that Watson was recently arrested again on marijuana possession charges. The incident reportedly occurred late on Saturday night in South Kingstown. According to police, snow plow operator reported that Watson was driving erratically and had a flat tire. When police pulled him over, they apparently found a pipe used to smoke marijuana, as well as a substance suspected to be marijuana.

A Stamford apartment was raided by the police Narcotics and Organized Crime squad earlier this month - the second raid on the residence in a mere six weeks.

Police executed a search warrant on the apartment in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 1. Inside, they found approximately four ounces of marijuana, scales, packaging materials and approximately $1,000 in cash.

Last Wednesday, state marshal Alan Freedman of Norwalk was stopped on a motor vehicle violation found with over a quarter-pound of marijuana and packaging materials in his vehicle. Police found Freedman to be in possession of over four ounces of marijuana.

The 58-year-old Freedman was charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to sell, illegal distribution and possession with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school.

Last May, we wrote about a Venezuelan accountant who was convicted of involvement in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. The man had helped Connecticut-based hedge fund advisor Francisco Illaramendi cover up a five-year long pyramid scheme involving millions of dollars. As we noted, he was charged with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

Now, a real estate manager has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for his involvement in the Illaramendi fraud scheme. According to sources, he also attempted to cover up evidence of the scheme.

Last November, we wrote about a 31-year-old Connecticut man convicted of a 2007 home invasion and murder which left a mother and her two daughters dead. The man's accomplice was sentenced to death in 2010 for raping and strangling the mother and killing her daughters by setting the home on fire.

At the time we wrote that post, the man's defense attorney had called forth a psychiatrist to give testimony to his opinion that the man suffered from a long untreated mood disorder and severe depression. At that time, we expressed the hope that the court would come back with a more lenient sentence in light of the man's traumatic past. That is not reportedly what happened, however.

The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously ruled on Monday that police must obtain a warrant before placing a GPS tracking device on the vehicle of a suspect. The decision is considered the first major decision to clarify constitutional privacy rights in the digital age.

The ruling upheld the decision of an appeals court which overturned the conviction of a nightclub owner charged with drug possession. Police obtained that conviction with evidence gathered by means of a GPS tracking device which was placed on the man's car.

On Wednesday, a 48-year-old Naugatuck man pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The charges stem from his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme spanning a decade and costing lenders $7 million. Sentencing is yet to occur, but the man faces up to 40 years in prison.

In an interesting larceny case, a Westport man was recently charged with defrauding a Fairfield resident in a transaction involved what was supposed to be dirt from the original Yankee Stadium. The Westport man is accused of requesting that the alleged victim invest money in various marketing gift items, including key chains said to contain dirt from the ballpark.

The alleged victim, according to sources, provided the man with 35,000 for a 20 percent share in the investment deal between 2008 and 2009, but the deal never panned out. Police have charged the man with first-degree larceny and third-degree forgery.