The Umansky Law Firm

Man Blames Cocaine for Behavior

2008-09-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

A man who spent five years in prison for cocaine possession, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and fleeing and eluding doesn’t seem to have learned from his mistake. On Thursday he drove his pickup onto a middle school campus, got out of the truck, and threatened a physical education class by implying he had a weapon. When the school resource officer arrived, the man got back into his truck and tried over the officer.

He was chased by police into a neighborhood and onto a golf course where he abandoned his truck and ran for the nearby woods. He was caught a short time later. When he was questioned, the man blamed his behavior on a two-day cocaine binge. He also apologized for what he’d done.

While this man seems to have made the same mistake twice, many people find themselves in trouble with the law for a one time error in judgment. If you have been charged with drug possession or a serious traffic violation, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for a confidential consultation.

Home Invasion Call Leads to Drug Arrests

2008-09-04T11:46:00.001-07:00

Victims of an alleged home invasion became suspects in a marijuana growing operation in Polk County on Monday.

Police responded to a home after a woman's call that armed men were in her home was disconnected. When police showed up, they found two home invasion victims, a man and woman, in a closet. The man was handcuffed and bleeding from a head wound he allegedly suffered when he was pistol whipped by the two intruders. Police began searching the home for the suspects and uncovered marijuana plants growing in two rooms.

The two occupants of the home face charges of cultivating marijuana, and maintaining a residence for the use of drug use and trafficking.

If you live in the Orlando area, or anywhere else in Florida, and are facing drug charges, please contact the criminal defense attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm today for a confidential consultation.

Prescription Drugs Real Problem in Florida

2008-08-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

According to the movies and t.v.,cocaine is Florida’s number one drug problem, but according to the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, the number of deaths caused by prescription drugs is three times that of the number of deaths caused by all illicit drugs combined.

Florida law enforcement officials, eight years ago, noted a trend toward abuse of prescription drugs, and that trend is gaining momentum. According to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), approximately 7 million Americans are abusing prescription drugs.

Last year, in Florida, 168,900 people died from drug-related causes. Of those, 2,328 were from opiods such as Vicodin and OxyContin. Cocaine, heroin and meth caused 989 deaths. Benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax caused 743 deaths. Marijuana caused no deaths.
If you have found yourself in trouble with drugs in Orlando or Winter Park and are facing drug charges, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Marijuana Seized from Miami Mall

2008-08-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

At the Mall of Americas in Miami, a different kind of herb was found in the food court than the usual parsley and basil used for cooking. Last week, federal agents seized approximately 200 marijuana plants from a hydroponic nursery that was found deep in a storeroom at the mall.

The growers of the pot used the mall’s electricity to power their equipment.

Agents will not say how the drugs were discovered, and no arrests have yet been made.

If you live in Orlando or anywhere in Florida and are facing drug charges, please contact the criminal defense attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Umansky Law Firm Gets Charges Dropped

2008-08-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

A client was recently found with an alleged prostitute in his vehicle. The prostitute informed police that our client had offered her money in exchange for sex, so our client was arrested for solicitation of a prostitute.

The attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm were able to convince the government to drop the charges because the prostitute was not a reliable witness and would probably not show up for the trial. The government agreed with the defense and charges were dropped.

In another case, a client was accused of racing his car at speeds of 89 mph in a 45 mph zone. The Umansky team filed a motion to dismiss the racing statute on grounds that it is unconstitutional. Again, the charges were dropped.

If you have been arrested in Orlando or anywhere in Florida for a felony or misdemeanor, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Umansky Team Get Charges Dropped...Again

2008-08-18T07:33:00.001-07:00

A client of ours had been involved in a bar fight with another patron. After the police arrived to the scene, our client was arrested for battery. According to police, she hit the other patron on the head with a purse; when the police tried to investigate what happened at the scene, she told them to "F*** Off."

When questioned, our client had a much different version of what happened that night and wanted a jury trial by her peers. On the day of the trial, charges were dropped (charges of battery and resisting a police officer without violence), and our client was vindicated.

If you have been arrested for a felony or a misdemeanor in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

The Umansky Law Firm Gets Two Cases Dropped

2008-08-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

One of our hard-working, skillful attorneys recently got two cases dropped due to not having enough evidence to proceed to trial.

In the first case, one of our clients, a registered nurse, was charged with attaching an unlawful tag to his car. Attorney Gary Schwartz was able to convince the government that they did not have enough evidence to proceed with the trial; they agreed, and the charge was ultimately dropped.

In another case, a client who is a marketing representative, was caught driving a motorcycle without an endorsement to do so. However, the client subsequently got his license to drive the motorcycle, and again, Attorney Gary Schwartz was able to convince the government to drop the charges.

Congratulations to Gary and our clients on these two victories!

If you have found yourself charged with a crime in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Client Accused of Theft Found Not Guilty in Fifteen Minutes

2008-08-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

One of the attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm in Orlando, Florida has secured a verdict of “not guilty” for a client who was accused of stealing $6,000 from his employer, a large technology company that is traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Attorney Gary Schwartz, who has been a Florida attorney for more than seven years, secured the verdict after just one day of trial, and the jury deliberated a mere fifteen minutes before returning the verdict. At the time of the theft accusation, the company was in financial shambles. Congratulations to Gary and our client on this huge victory.

If you have been accused of a crime you did not commit in the state of Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your initial consultation.

Home Invasion in Orange County

2008-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

A man reported to sheriff’s deputies that armed robbers broke into his south Orange County apartment Tuesday morning and beat and robbed him before leaving. The twenty-year-old resident said he may have stabbed one of the assailants during the struggle at his Hawthorne Village Apartment, which is near Central Florida Parkway and S. Orange Blossom Trail.

Tuesday morning, an Orange County Sheriff’s Office helicopter and K-9 units were searching the area for suspects.

The victim alleges that two suspects forced their way into his home around 6 a.m. and started fighting with him. The victim was allegedly struck with a gun several times, and a shot was fired inside the home. The victim was then tied up and his money was stolen. As the victims were leaving, they allegedly tried to break into the victim’s car.

If you have found yourself on the wrong side of the law in Orange Country or anywhere in Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your private consultation.

Chick-fil-A Owner Devises Own Punishment for Teen Vandals

2008-08-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

The owner of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, S. Truett Cathy, has decided not to press charges against the two girls who broke into his home in New Smyrna Beach and caused approximately $30,000 worth of damage. Instead, the 87-year-old restaurateur has worked out a deal with the girls’ parents to ban them from watching television and playing video games. The girls must also read a book and write "I will not vandalize other people’s property" a thousand times.

According to police, the preteens broke into Cathy's home and sprayed fire extinguishers inside the home, threw eggs, and had a food fight on the tennis court. Cathy did not press charges because he did not want the girls to have criminal records.

If your child has been involved in some kind of juvenile crime in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Politico Urges That Pot Smokers Be Left Alone

2008-07-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank has said the United States should stop arresting responsible marijuana users and has announced a proposal to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams (a quarter of a pound) of the popular herb.

Current laws targeting pot users place "undue burdens" on law enforcement agencies, punish sick Americans whose doctors have prescribed the drug and unfairly affect the African-American population, Frank asserts. Frank continued, "The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business. I don’t think it’s the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time."

Frank and his supporters are urging that the use of marijuana (not the Abuse) be decriminalized.

The DEA insists that very few people are ever incarcerated for simple possession of the drug. The DEA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have long opposed marijuana legalization.

If you have been charged with a drug offense in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Florida and Juvenile Crime

2008-07-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone makes mistakes, and children are no exception. When your child makes a mistake as serious as breaking the law, whether a felony or misdemeanor, it is important that you find an experienced juvenile crime defense attorney to fight your case and try to get the lightest punishment possible for your child. Offenses committed in our youth can stay with us for a very long time and wreak havoc on our future success. Here is some interesting information about juvenile crime in the state of Florida.

Florida's population of 10 to 17-year-olds increased by 9% between 2002 and 2006, putting the population of that age group in the state at 1.9 million. But Florida’s juvenile crime rate is down from 87 delinquency referrals per 1,000 youths during 2002-2003 to 77 referrals during 2006-2007. During 2006-2007, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice handled 146,765 delinquency referrals, and during the same year, judges committed 7,187 juvenile offenders to residential delinquent treatment facilities; during 2003-03 the number of youths committed was over 9,000. Not surprisingly, juvenile crime, including violent offenses, peaks between 3-6 p.m. (when school lets out).

Violent Crime Statistics

Despite an overall decline in delinquency, serious juvenile offenses in Florida have increased over the last two years. During 2006-07, the Department received 48,471 felony referrals, up 4% from 46,363 felony referrals received during 2004-05.

Murder/Manslaughter referrals increased 70%, from 73 during 2002-2003 to 124 during 2006-07.
Attempted Murder/Attempted Manslaughter referrals increased 130%, from 36 during 2002-2003 to 83 during 2006-07.
Auto Theft referrals decreased 6%, from 3,304 during 2002-03 to 3,107 in 2006-07.
Burglary referrals decreased 6%, from 14,214 during 2002-03 to 13,396 during 2006-07.
Aggravated Assault and Battery increased slightly from 9,810 during 2002-03 to 9,869 during 2006-07.
Armed Robbery referrals increased 67%, from 800 during 2002-03 to 1,337 during 2006-07.

If your child has been charged with a felony or misdemeanor in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your initial consultation.

Batman Needs a Lawyer

2008-07-22T09:08:00.001-07:00

Well, not Batman actually, just the most recent actor to play him on the big screen. Christian Bale, who plays Batman in the recently released "The Dark Knight", was arrested today for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister in London.

The 34-year-old actor lashed out at the women in his suite at Park Lane’s Dorchester Hotel.

Despite the alleged incident at the hotel, the actor was allowed to attend the first European screening of his new blockbuster film.

If you, or your favorite superhero, are in need of a criminal defense attorney, please contact Orlando’s Umansky Law Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation.

Teacher Arrested on Gun Charge

2008-07-21T09:08:00.001-07:00

A Sanford, Florida third grade teacher has been arrested for taking a gun onto school property. The 56-year-old teacher brought a snub-nosed .38 caliber revolver on the school property, and it fell out of a bunch of things she was carrying into the building. The gun and the teacher's cell phone were found by a bus ramp. The teacher readily admitted the gun was hers and stated she has a concealed weapons permit but did not mean to bring the gun to school. She claims it got mixed in with other stuff she needed to take into the school from her car.

The woman was charged with two misdemeanors--possessing a firearm on school property and culpable negligence. If convicted, she could face a year in jail.
The Seminole County School Board suspended this teacher shortly after her arrested. The woman has taught for 25 years.

If you have found yourself on the wrong side of the law and need a good criminal defense team to help you with your situation, please contact Orlando’s The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Even Police Officers Need Defense Attorneys

2008-07-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

An Ocoee police sergeant was arrested last week after a woman alleged that he stripped her, fondled her and then spanked her against her will. The cop was fired, and the charges are sexual battery, battery, and false imprisonment.

The thirty-year-old victim told Orange County deputies that the man bet her on a card trick and then asked her for oral sex; he attacked the woman at another cop's home (he was hosting a party there). The sergeant has admitted he "behaved poorly."

Everyone makes mistakes, even officers of the law. If you find yourself with criminal charges in the Orlando, Florida area, there is legal help available. Please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation today.

Another NFL Player Busted For Drugs

2008-07-14T05:49:00.001-07:00

A former number one draft pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars was arrested in Arkansas Thursday, July 10 on suspicion of drug possession. As police approached the car, the wide receiver was using a credit card to cut up a white substance. The police drew their guns on the young man, who later admitted that the substance was cocaine. He was also in possession of a jar containing possible marijuana residue.

If you or a loved one is facing a drug charge in Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Breathalyzer Tests Can be Flawed

2008-07-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

DUI attorneys are often asked, “Why take a case where the defendant blew past the legal limit?” Well, what good DUI defense attorneys know is that breath testing machines that are used in DUI and DWI arrests are subject to error, even under the best conditions. We know that just because you blew past the legal limit, that does mean you are guilty of breaking the law.

Breath testing in DUI cases dates back to 1937 when Rolla Harger invented a machine called a "drunkometer." This machine then led to the creation of many, more advanced machines over the years, each trying to improve on the reliability of its predecessor. Even in our time, every breathalyzer machine is subject to error. They are subject to human error, maintenance problems, interference from outside sources, and internal malfunctions.

If you have been arrested for a DUI and blew into a breathalyzer machine over the Florida legal limit, you still may be acquitted of the charge. The experienced DUI attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm have the knowledge and experience it takes to prove a breath machine’s malfunction. Please contact our office today to schedule an initial consultation.

Florida and Tourist Crime

2008-07-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Florida attracts many more tourists each year than most other states because of its sandy beaches and exciting amusement parks, but with fun in the sun can also come trouble. If you have come to visit Florida and have found yourself in legal trouble, there is help available to you. The criminal defense attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm in Orlando, Florida have experienced lawyers who can help you through the legal mess if you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor or felony while visiting the state.

Florida has experienced more than its share of highly publicized tragedies involving visitors to this state. These events have given the impression to some that Florida is an unsafe place to visit. While recent reports indicate that the Florida tourism industry has rebounded strongly-with last year's growth spurring thousands of new jobs-the issue of crime as it relates to tourism cannot be ignored. Clearly, the events of past years have shown the highly-volatile nature of the industry and the severe threat of a "tarnished" image of Florida.

Florida’s residents and visitors need to know that while Florida (like most states) still experiences a major crime problem, it is being aggressively addressed by the state.

If you have recently visited Florida and were involved in some type of crime such as theft, drugs, traffic, or assault, please contact The Umansky Firm today to schedule your initial consultation.

What is Vehicular Manslaughter?

2008-07-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

In the state of Florida, vehicular manslaughter is the legal term for the killing of a human in a manner less culpable than murder. Of course, a vehicle must be involved in a charge of vehicular manslaughter. In Florida, if a person was driving a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and causes the death of another person, the driver can be guilty of one of the following:

Second degree felony, up to 15 years in prison
First degree felony if the defendant knew or should have known the crash occurred and the defendant failed to give proper information or render aid as required by law.

First degree felonies can carry prison terms of 30 years or even life imprisonment.
If you have been charged with a serious driving offense in Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your initial consultation.

Property May be Seized in Drug Case

2008-07-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

Lake County, Florida deputy sheriffs are trying to keep a boat, a truck used for catering and over $20,000 that was seized when an alleged drug trafficker was arrested; much of the property is listed in his wife’s name, however. Detectives allege that the wife knew about her husband’s alleged drug dealings and should forfeit the property and cash.

The man and his associate were arrested on May 13 in Leesburg when they arrived to swap cash and the title to a boat and the title to a catering truck in a deal that was being monitored by detectives.

The men face trafficking and conspiracy charges. The wife has not been charged in the case at this time.

If you have been charged with a drug offense in Florida, you need a highly trained legal team like the one at The Umansky Law Firm to defend you. Please contact our office today.

Child Rapists Cannot be Executed

2008-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Supreme Court ruled today that people convicted of raping a child could not be executed. By voting 5-4, the Court said the Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in child rape cases violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

In the United States, no one has been executed for a crime that did not involve someone else’s death in 44 years. The Supreme Court banned executions for rape in 1977 in case in which the victim was an adult woman.

At the current time, 45 states ban the death penalty for any kind of rape. The other five states allow it for child rape. Montana, South Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma permit executions if the defendant has already been convicted of raping a child.

If you have been charged with a criminal offense in the state of Florida, you need an aggressive, compassionate criminal defense team on your side. Please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Request for Conviction Overturn Based on Palm Print Error

2008-06-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

A convicted ax murderer was in court Monday asking the judge to throw out his conviction and death sentence. The 48-year-old is challenging one of the most compelling pieces of evidence presented against him: a palm print wrongly linked to him by a now-discredited fingerprint expert.

The man has been convicted of killing a 71-year-old Oviedo resident as he stepped out of his car in March of 2000. The ax the killer used came from a cabinet in the victim’s garage. A fingerprint expert at the time testified that a bloody palm print at the scene belonged to the convicted man, but the print was later re-analyzed last year by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and a defense expert who both concluded it could not be matched to the convicted man. The initial fingerprint "expert" has since been fired because FDLE found eight other mistakes she made.

Defense attorneys claim the man’s conviction should be overturned for a variety of reasons including the fingerprint mistake, several errors made by his trial lawyers, and because he was high on cocaine at the time of the alleged attack. Florida law allows judges and juries to be more lenient with defendants who commit crimes while intoxicated by drugs and alcohol.

If you have found yourself charged with a serious crime in the state of Florida, please contact the attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your private consultation.

24-Hour Drug Stores Being Targeted

2008-06-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Police reports indicate that six pharmacies in Orange and Seminole Counties have been robbed in the past month. While 24-hour pharmacies provide convenience to the customer who needs something in the middle of night, these stores also provide armed robbers good opportunities for successful robberies. In some cases, employees were forced into coolers at gunpoint and were robbed. Suspects in these crimes have robbed customers, employees, and looted the stores’ cash registers before fleeing.

No one has been arrested in these crimes yet.

The drugstore giants are not cutting their hours; instead, their increasing their security and hoping that police will catch the robbers.

CVS and Walgreens have more than forty pharmacies in the Orlando area that stay open 24 hours.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orlando, Winter Park or anywhere in Central Florida, please contact the lawyers at The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your confidential consultation.

Get the Umansky Team on Your Side Today

2008-06-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

If you or someone you know has been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor or felony in the state of Florida, you (or your loved one) is facing a serious problem. Depending on the specifics of the charges, prison sentences and other penalties can be quite serious.

If you are a first-time offender, the thought of going to jail or prison is terrifying. For this reason, you must secure a competent, experienced, passionate criminal defense attorney like the ones at The Umansky Law Firm in Orlando, Florida.

Our attorneys, Bill Umansky, Zahra Umansky, and Gary Schwartz, have an extremely successful track record defending Floridians against criminal charges from traffic violations to serious drug charges. We come from diverse backgrounds, which is just one of the many factors that contributes to our litigation success.

As former prosecutors and legal advisers for police departments, we offer our clients a unique perspective. We know both sides of the law; not many criminal defense attorneys can claim that. We know the various tactics prosecutors will use to put you in jail, and we will work tirelessly to defend you. We are compassionate, and we are aggressive.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orlando, Winter Park, or surrounding areas of Florida, please contact The Umansky Law Firm today to schedule your initial confidential consultation.

Boy Witnesses Parents Kill Each Other in Florida

2008-06-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

A fourteen-year-old boy in Central Florida watched his parents literally fight to death. The boy called 911 from his home in Oviedo Thursday night after a fight between h is parents escalated into a gunfight.

By the time police arrived at the scene, both of his parents were dead. The bodies of the parents were in the yard when investigators arrived at the house. The couple’s son was put in the care of child protective services while they try to find out-of-state relatives to take care of him.

Both parents were emergency room workers at a local hospital.

If you have found yourself on the wrong side of the law in Orlando or anywhere in Florida, please contact the criminal defense attorneys at The Umansky Law Firm today.