James Shalley has decades of experience handling Desk Appearance Tickets in New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Putnam Counties.
Find out More about Your Charges
More Detailed Information about your Appearance Ticket Charges
By James Shalley
While most people have a general idea about what they are charged with in terms of the name of the offense, most people are unfamiliar with the precise facts that must be proven by the Government to obtain a conviction for those charges. Further, while most people may be aware of the technical maximum jail punishments associated with various offenses in New York, most people are unaware of the reality of whether or not those maximum jail punishments are seriously in play in any given type of case. Also, many people are unaware that there are often significant differences in how particular offenses are prosecuted from County to County and courthouse to courthouse.
Sadly, many lawyer websites prey upon the use of technically true statements about what people are “facing” on particular charges without providing reassurance that the maximum punishments are (in New York City anyway) rarely realistically a possibility. For example, as a matter of fact, petit larceny (often in the form of shoplifting) carries a maximum of one year in jail (364 days, now in New York). So you will see many websites where you are warned about how if you are charged with petit larceny you are “facing one year in jail”. While true, it doesn’t come close to capturing the reality of the situation of a person charged with petit larceny in New York City. In Manhattan, for example, the District Attorney’s Office has all but stopped prosecuting people for shoplifting in fact, diverting many shoplifting cases to a lawyerless post arrest process where people accused of shoplifting are simply invited to take a class, and in exchange they never have to even go to Court. This lawyerless post arrest process is called Project Reset.
If you would like some more information about your particular charge that will go beyond simple statements of truth like what the maximum punishments are or the text of the statute, find your charge below and click on it. You will find individual pages devoted to provided some real insight based on real experience. If you don’t see your charges listed below, please call 3437-612-9830 and speak to me right away.
Assault in the Third Degree (fighting) (Penal Law 120.00)
Driving with a Suspended License (VTL 511)
Theft of Services (often Cab driver fare disputes or Turnstile Jumping)
Unlawful Possession of Marijuana First Degree (Penal Law 221.10)
James Shalley has been practicing criminal defense in New York for more than 30 years.
CALL 347-612-9830 FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION WITH JAMES SHALLEY TODAY.