Case Results

When a man’s traffic stop in New Jersey led to numerous drug charges, comprising of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a narcotic while operating a vehicle, criminal defense attorney Michael Fienman acted fast to deal with the situation. In the state of New Jersey, drug crimes are typically indictable offenses, filed in Superior Court, meaning that this client was suddenly exposed to some particularly harsh penalties. These include possible time in custody, an almost guaranteed driver’s license suspension, and a draconian policy of entering drug offenders into a DNA database. However, by negotiating with the prosecutor, attorney Fienman arranged to have the charges downgraded to municipal court, where the consequences are not as severe. Ultimately, his client was spared from any overly harsh penalties and the matter was resolved through a conditional discharge program. With this option, the client would need to pay some fines and participate in probation for six months, but he would not be subjected to a DNA swab and was able to keep his license. Once the program is completed, the charges would be dismissed and after two years, his client would become eligible for a total expungement to fully remove the incident from his record.

The outcome of an individual case depends on a variety of factors unique to that case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any similar or future case.