Blog News

In U.S. v. $34,000, a Jamaican citizen residing in New York City was driving through the Birmingham area of Alabama when he was stopped by a state trooper.  A search of his vehicle ensued which resulted in officers seizing $34,000 in cash.  Although the stop and search appeared on the surface to be lawful, and the driver of the car provided no plausible explanation for the source of the money, Attorney Dudley asserted that the detention was likely motivated by racial profiling.  To resolve the matter without having to litigate the profiling allegation, government counsel agreed to release half of the money as an early settlement of the case.

In P. v. D.E., the defendant was accused of participating in a scheme to transport hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to Florida.  Because he was a Jamaican national residing in the United States on a green card, he faced mandatory deportation if convicted of the marijuana trafficking charges filed against him.  For months, the district attorney would not entertain any disposition of the case other than a guilty plea to a felony drug-trafficking offense with punishment to include two years of jail time.  When the case was set for trial, however, Attorney Dudley previewed his defense to a more experienced prosecutor who was brought in to try the matter.  After Mr. Dudley’s presentation, the new prosecutor agreed a settlement under which the defendant would plead no contest to a non-deportable felony with NO JAIL TIME.  As a result of that favorable disposition, the defendant remains in this country with his wife and children.

In P. v. B.S., the defendant, a commercial truck driver, swerved off a major freeway, striking a parked vehicle and killing its owner who was standing in front of the car.  The truck driver, who had prior felony conviction for a violent strike offense, was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.  In exchange for the defendant’s consent to a two-year suspension of his commercial driving privileges, Attorney Dudley was able to secure a no contest plea to the charge with NO JAIL TIME imposed.

In P. v. J.C., the defendant allegedly pointed a firearm at the complaining witness and then fired it in his direction.  The district attorney alleged that he had unlawfully discharged that weapon, a felony.  At the preliminary hearing, Attorney Dudley discredited the witness so severely on cross examination that, over the prosecution’s strenuous objection, the court DISMISSED the case, specifically finding that the purported victim lacked any credibility whatsoever.

In P. v. G.M., the defendant was arrested in possession of two pounds of marijuana.  Because he was citizen of Mexico and a permanent resident of the United States, he faced mandatory deportation if convicted of either of the two felony drug-trafficking counts filed against him.  Attorney Dudley was eventually able to secure a plea bargain to a non-deportable felony that was reduced to a MISDEMANOR upon the defendant’s successful completion of a probationary term.

In P. v. L.C., the defendant was charged with unlawfully possessing a large quantity of promethazine cough syrup to be shipped from California to Texas.  The district attorney would not move from its original offer that the defendant, who had no criminal record and a serious medical problem, would have to serve two years in jail as part of any plea bargain.  After a new judge was assigned to the case, Attorney Dudley convinced the court that jail time was inappropriate for this defendant.  The court agreed, accepting the defendant’s open no contest plea and sentencing her to probation with 60 days of community service and NO CUSTODY TIME.

In P. v. J.H., the defendant in a road rage incident was specifically accused of making terrorist threats while brandishing a handgun at the driver of another vehicle, his wife, and his young child.  Although he was a young man with no criminal record, he was facing two felony counts that would have counted as strikes under California’s sentencing laws and many years in state prison.  Through patient but persistent negotiation, Attorney Dudley finally convinced the district attorney to allow his client to plead no contest to a non-strike felony that would be reduced to a misdemeanor upon the defendant’s successful completion of probation.  Under that disposition, his client was sentenced to a time-served sentence of only six months.

In S. v. M.R., the defendant was accused of participating in an interstate fraud scheme which specifically targeted senior citizens.  She was formally charged with multiple felony counts in two different states.  Although his client had a lengthy criminal record, including a federal robbery conviction, and although she only paid a portion of the total restitution which exceeded $100,000, Attorney Dudley achieved a global settlement of the multi-jurisdictional cases for an aggregate sentence of eight months incarceration.