| Money Laundering |
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| Money laundering is a federal offense that is defined as the unlawful transfer of money that flows from racketeering or some other illegal sources into legitimate channels so that the original illegal source of the money cannot be traced. More... |
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| JURY INSTRUCTIONS ON DEFENSE THEORIES |
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| If requested by a defendant, a trial court is required to instruct a jury on any defense theories that are raised by the evidence. The defendant may raise those theories by his or her testimony alone. Also, the defendant is entitled to jury instructions on his or her affirmative defenses. The defendant's affirmative defenses do not need to be strong or to be uncontradicted in order for the defendant to be entitled to jury instructions on his or her affirmative defenses. The trial court is required to instruct the jury on the defendant's affirmative defenses, even if the trial court does not find that the affirmative defenses are credible or believable. More... |
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| SEARCH & SEIZURE - ARREST WARRANTS |
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| The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. It provides that warrants for an arrest or for a search shall be based on probable cause, shall be supported by an oath or an affirmation, and shall describe with particularity the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized. More... |
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| ISSUING A BAD OR A WORTHLESS CHECK |
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| A person commits the offense of issuing a bad or a worthless check when he or she writes, issues, or passes a check or similar document for the payment of money when he or she knows that he or she does not have sufficient funds in a banking institution to pay the check. More... |
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| An overview of the Jencks Act |
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| The Jencks Act provides that upon a motion by the defendant, the Government is required to disclose a witness's prior statements that are in the Government's possession at the time the request is made. In order for the Government to be compelled to disclose a witness's prior statements, the statements must relate to the subject mater of the direct testimony of the witness. Under the Jencks Act, the Government has a duty to preserve all statements that are required to be produced. The Government should not destroy the statements before they are required to be destroyed, usually until after the culmination of the defendant's case, including an appeal. More... |
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