A 64-year-old North Andover man, who is described by prosecutors as the, “overall boss” of a loan sharking and illegal gambling enterprise has been sentenced to up to four years in prison. Joseph Giallanella, who is also known as Jason Peters, was sentenced on Monday to serve time in stateprison…
Last month Boston Firefighter Kenneth Veiga, a 24 year veteran, was facing potential charges for threats he made against his department following a requirement that he see a predetermined physician in order to return from his paid leave. Veiga allegedly told his commander that he was thinking about smashing a…
Last May, the Massachusetts Legislature passed an important piece of legislation regarding veterans’ rights, which has important implications for veterans facing criminal charges. The complete formal title, “An Act Relative to Veterans’Access, Livelihood, Opportunity and Resources,” and is also commonly referred to as the Valor Act. Among the various provisions…
It was recently reported that a new anti-crime task force will be established in western Massachusetts. Government officials hope that the group will lead to more efficient coordination of investigation into major crimes. David Sullivan, the Northwestern District Attorney, discussed his hopes for the task force, which include enhancing the…
According to data recently released by Massachusetts and the FBI, gun crimes of all kinds are up, these include: Murders committed with firearms Aggravated assaults involving guns Robberies involving guns; and Gunshot injuries Gun owner advocacy groups point to this data as evidence of the lack of efficacy of gun…
Massachusetts government and law enforcement officials have introduced proposals in the hopes of expanding the limits of secret wiretapping. The reasoning behind the expansion is the purported goal of more easily gathering evidence against criminal suspects, such as with drug crimes. According to state Attorney General Martha Coakley, the current…
It was reported today in the Patriot Ledger that two white males allegedly robbed the Marylou’s coffee shop located at 1501 Bedford Street in Abington, Massachusetts at around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. According to the district manager for the store, Sunisa Loring, these men used a weapon believed to be…
On September 6, 2012, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the Commonwealth’s highest court, heard legal arguments on both sides of the issue of whether or not a judge should suppress the evidence seized from a defendant’s cellular telephone in circumstances where the phone was seized immediately from the defendant…
It was recently reported on August 2, 2012, that Governor Deval Patrick signed new Massachusetts criminal law legislation that imposes harsh penalties for repeat violent criminal law offenders convicted in the Commonwealth. In doing so, Massachusetts now reportedly joins twenty-six additional states that have imposed strong habitual criminal offender laws.…
The Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, and outlines the protection of the people’s right to keep and bear Arms. Over the years, the rate of gun possession and ownership has greatly increased due to increasing crime rates, expanding population, and people’s own desire to…