In small businesses and small towns, there seems to be a growing trend of employees accused of taking advantage of the trust their employers place in them. In one Iowa town, the government offices are reeling after being alerted to inconsistencies in the accounting...
Protecting Your Rights Throughout Eastern Iowa Since 1981
Year: 2016
Iowa city clerk may face fraud charges
When times are hard, people may resort to desperate measures to make ends meet. One Iowa woman may have been in that situation because she is being accused of committing over $300,000 in fraud. The investigation began after the mayor of a local town heard reports that...
Son charged with felony arson of father’s home
The delicate balance of families can be tipped for many reasons. In some cases, those family members who are at odds either try to get along or simply go their own ways. There are those situations, however, that stir such powerful emotions that some may react with...
Trafficking of guns leads to almost 30-year prison for Iowa man
There are a great number of federal laws governing thousands of situations. Given all of these offenses, it is easy to make a mistake during a variety of business transactions that could lead to criminal liability and prosecution. Of course, matters involving drugs,...
The power of a plea bargain with drug charges
Federal drug charges can carry significant sentences. Depending on the amount of drugs allegedly involved, it does not take a great number of charges to create a very real potential for a sentence of life in prison. Even if the sentence is not explicitly life, a...
Iowa has massive racial disparity for drug arrests
Many courthouses have a statue of Justice holding scales, often with an inscription to the effect of "Equal Justice under Law." This represents the ideal that many assume is the norm in this country. But in many cases and many instances, justice is not always been...
Piling on of drug charges
Drug charges can lead to serious and sometimes lifelong sentences in an Iowa state prison or the federal prison system. These long sentences can be seen as the result of years of legislature enactments and amendments to increase the punishment available to...
Opioid addiction can strike anyone
Drugs can be insidious in creeping into a person's life. They may find they are addicted before they even recognize the risk. The recent epidemic of opioid deaths from overdoses is in part driven by people who begin with some form of prescription painkillers. Once...
Patchwork of marijuana laws remains unsettled
Use of marijuana is still illegal in Iowa. In spite of a growing trend of some states to permit marijuana for medical use and a few allowing recreational use, Iowa still has some of the most restrictive marijuana laws in the nation. Marijuana is only permitted for...
Unconstitutional, but still on the books
The Iowa legislature drafts law, which if passed by that body and signed by the governor, then become state law. Occasionally, the legislature will pass a law and in the course of a prosecution or other litigation, it will be declared unconstitutional by a court. The...