By Tess CohenThe Second Circuit recently decided in United States v. Halvon that federal defendants can have their sentence reduced under the compassionate release statute even if the reduction means they are incarcerated for less time than required by mandatory
ZMO Law Blog
The ZMO Law Blog, published by the Law Office of Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma, focuses on federal criminal defense and civil rights issues primarily in New York City. It covers topics such as sex crimes, federal crimes including white-collar offenses like healthcare and bank fraud, criminal appeals, and victims' rights. The blog also addresses wrongful convictions, prison conditions, and legal developments related to federal and state criminal justice. It discusses high-profile cases, legal strategies, and advocacy for defendants and victims, emphasizing trial readiness and client-focused defense in complex federal and state court matters.
Latest from ZMO Law Blog - Page 4
Can I use the internet if I am convicted of a sex offense?
By Benjamin NottermanFor decades, parole officers have imposed restrictions on how people convicted of sex offenses can use the internet. Some of these restrictions made sense; others were just blanket prohibitions that became more and more onerous as the internet…
No Mayor Adams, Rolling Back Reforms is Not the Answer to Gun Violence
By Tess CohenA series of tragedies dominated the news cycle over the last few weeks, including horrific incidents of gun violence. In the Bronx, a baby was shot by a stray bullet. In Harlem, NYPD Officers Wilbert Mora and Jason…
Reforming Laws Affecting People Convicted of Sex Offenses
By Zachary Margulis-OhnumaThere is a quiet struggle in New York State to ease the irrational burdens on people convicted of sex offenses.While the political winds mostly blow in the direction of more and more restrictions, policymakers are coming to realize…
What Do District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s New Policies Mean for Manhattan?
By Tess CohenManhattan has a new district attorney who is introducing change on a scale not seen in decades, but reactions to the changes have been overblown, if not alarmist. DA Bragg’s Day One Memo explains that his policies are…
Exonerating James Pugh
A Buffalo judge will take testimony over the next three days at a hearing on whether ZMO Law client James Pugh should be exonerated in the murder of Deborah Meindl in 1993.The case has all the markings of a file…
When is a Doctor Actually a Drug Dealer?
By Tess CohenThe Supreme Court is hearing several cases that seek to help answer the question: when is a doctor who writes prescriptions for controlled substances selling a prescription, and therefore not practicing medicine but committing a crime. This is…
Is the Kenosha verdict a tragedy?
By Zachary Margulis-OhnumaThe second major Black Lives Matter verdict is in, and it was an acquittal.After the first verdict, the murder conviction of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for intentionally asphyxiating George Floyd, the Rev. Al Sharpton said “we don’t…
The Odyssey of James Pugh
By Zachary Margulis-OhnumaWhen Jeff Hetzel and I first spoke to our prospective client in the summer of 2015, it seemed like a lost cause. The case was way up in Buffalo, the client was in Cape Vincent on the Canadian…
The Dangers of False Rhetoric Around Bail Reform
By Tess CohenCBS New York recently reported that New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea struggled to back up his repeated claims that the 2019 bail reform law is the reason that gun violence increased in New York City during…