By Zachary Margulis-OhnumaHaving sex with a 17-year-old is not a federal crime. Having sex with a 17-year-old is not a crime under most state laws.But paying to have sex with a 17-year-old? With Venmo?That is a whole other story.Practically any involvement (“recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides, obtains, advertises, maintains, patronizes, or solicits by any means
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Victory in the Fourth Department
When the Hon. Paul B. Wojtaszek of Erie County Supreme Court vacated our client’s 30-year-old conviction last year, we were confident—maybe overconfident—that was the end of the story. James Pugh had been wrongly convicted of the 1993 murder of a young mother in Tonawanda, New York and served 26 years in prison for the crime
Brooklyn MDC? Too awful to sentence you there.
By Anne AyotteZMO Law PLLC Paralegal SpecialistAn Eastern District of New York judge has joined SDNY Judge Jesse Furman in refusing to send a defendant to the Metropolitan Detention Center because of the abhorrent, violent conditions at New York City’s only jail for people accused of federal crimes.On August 5th, defendant Daniel Colucci pled guilty
Who killed Dr. Sheikh?
ZMO Law client Alvin Alston was framed by police for the 1987 murder of a Queens doctor. The same police framed Felipe Rodriguez—leading to 27 years in New York State prison for the wrongful conviction, exoneration, and $23.5 million in settlements. Alvin’s case is now pending in Queens Supreme Court: after a nine-year investigation,
How long do I have to be cuffed and shackled to this hospital bed?
In June 2023, ZMO Law client Kiana Burgess was riding the 4 train when she experienced what so many New York women have experienced: a man pushing himself into her physical space. The guy saw there were plenty of open seats, but picked the one next to her anyway, half sitting on her lap in
Justice Behind Bars: Judge Furman calls out the nightmarish conditions at the Brooklyn MDC
By Emily FUrman
While most New Yorkers enjoy their Easter and Passover meals this Spring, dozens of MDC Brooklyn detainees endure a different kind of cuisine— dishes tainted by maggots and weevils, according to reports by several Federal Defenders. Despite MDC officials confirming such gross contaminations, inmates continue to be served insect-laden meals. Bug-infested food is
Ten Years of Freedom
By Zachary Margulis-OhnumaI woke up this morning to the tenth anniversary of the most important day of my legal career and an even more important day in the life of my treasured client, Antonio Yarbough.On February 6, 2014, Antonio and his co-defendant Sharrif Wilson walked out of Supreme Court in Brooklyn as free men.They had
Chief Judge Wilson, Restorative Justice, and Keeping Your Cool on New York's Streets
By Emily FurmanRemember Dustin Hoffman’s iconic “I’m walkin’ here!”?It’s a phrase on the tongue of every New Yorker, but a recent New York State court decision has given street hollers a new level of seriousness. In 2017, Mr. Fabian Greene was convicted of one count of fourth degree larceny and two counts of first degree
In New York, Rape is now Rape — what does that even mean?
New York Governor Kathy Hochul swiftly signed the Rape is Rape bill into law this week, purporting to reform New York’s criminal sexual assault and rape statutes to make them fairer to survivors.While the new laws are somewhat more rational, they tend to expand the scope of the rape statutes in a way that is
Governor Hochul vetoed bills aimed to curb police misconduct and overturn wrongful convictions
By Tess CohenAt the end of the year, Governor Hochul vetoed two hard fought bills advocated for by criminal justice reformers. Though the signing of Clean Slate remains a huge win for advocates, two bills aimed directly at injustices in the system were rejected by the Governor over the winter holidays.The first seems like a