Florida Criminal Defense Blog | Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group

NFL QB Chris Simms Acquitted of DUI

by Brunvand Wise, P.A. | Jul 26, 2011 | Dui

Tennessee Titans backup quarterback (and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer) Chris Simms was acquitted by a New York court last month of driving while high on marijuana.A Manhattan jury reportedly deliberated for about an hour on the misdemeanor charge before returning a not guilty verdict.Simms was arrested last summer at a police sobriety checkpoint in downtown Manhattan. He had been to dinner with his wife and two friends and was heading back to his home in New Jersey when he was stopped.A police officer testified that Simms turned sharply just before the checkpoint, squealing his tires. The...

Defense Attorneys Seek Dismissal of Alleged Tampa Pill Mill Case

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jun 29, 2011 | Drug Crimes

Criminal defense attorneys for a Tampa medical clinic asked a Hillsborough judge to dismiss the drug case against the clinic's owners and physicians. They argue that 1st Medical Group was a high-volume pain clinic but that their practice was not illegal.Law enforcement claims that the clinic prescribed more than 2.4 million addictive pain pills in seven months. The defense argues that, in and of itself is not a crime."This is a doctor practicing medicine in a way they don't like," a defense attorney told the court.Prosecutors claim that they have "a mountain of additional information,"...

Defense Arguing Manslaughter at Pasco Murder Trial

by Brunvand Wise, P.A. | Jun 17, 2011 | Capital Murder

Lynda and Michael McAdams had been married for 24 years when Michael moved out of the couple's Pasco County home in October 2009. Lynda began dating a co-worker, William Ryan Andrews.Prosecutors claim that, on October 18, 2009, Michael returned to the marital home and found Lynda and Andrews together. After a confrontation, authorities allege Michael shot Andrews and Lynda with a .38-caliber gun. They say he then buried the bodies in Hernando County.Michael McAdams is on trial this week, charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the...

Tampa Man and Co-Defendant Found Guilty in Mortgage Fraud Case

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jan 23, 2011 | Firm News

Late last week, a federal jury in Tampa found William "Ondra" Joel of Oxford, Florida and Maurice Vernon of Tampa guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and making false statements on loan applications submitted to FDIC-insured financial institutions. Both men face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison on each of the eleven counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. For each of the two counts of making false statements to an FDIC-insured financial institution, they each face a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. They will be sentenced in the spring after a...

Ditullio Spared Death Penalty (Videos)

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Dec 17, 2010 | Uncategorized

A Pasco County jury deliberated for about 30 minutes yesterday before recommending that John Ditullio Jr. be sentenced to life in a Florida prison. Ditullio had faced the death penalty for the murder of Kristofer King in 2006.The eight-day retrial ended Wednesday when the jury returned guilty verdicts for first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. The case was first tried last year and ended in a hung jury when the jurors could not reach a unanimous decision.There were several differences between the first and second trials including the State's use of witness Kraig Constantino,...

Ditullio Capital Murder Trial Postponed

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Sep 24, 2010 | Uncategorized

The second murder trial of John Ditullio Jr. was continued this week by Pasco County Circuit Judge Michael Andrews, at the request of Ditullio (whose defense attorney is Bjorn Brunvand of this office). The case was first tried last December but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. It had been scheduled for retrial next week.The case is set for scheduling hearing on Monday and will likely be rescheduled for trial in November or December.Ditullio is charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the 2006 stabbings of Kristofer King and Patricia Wells. Ditullio faces the...

Pasco Judge Approves Tattoo Cover-Up in Second Murder Trial

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Sep 16, 2010 | Uncategorized

Last December, a Pasco County jury failed to reach a verdict in the murder trial of John Ditullio, Jr. Ditullio and his criminal defense attorneys from the Law Offices of Bjorn Bruvand will return to court on September 27th for a second trial on charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Ditullio faces the death penalty if found guilty of first-degree murder.Today, a judge ruled again that Ditullio can once again hire a makeup artist at the state's expense to cover several tattoos including his swastika tattoo during trial.As at the first trial, the defense team will be allowed to...

Former Tampa Mobster Avoids Additional Prison Time, In Witness Protection

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Sep 14, 2010 | Uncategorized

Kevin McMahon, client of was convicted of racketeering four years ago but was recently sentenced to time served and five years of probation as a result of substantial cooperation with investigators. Because of the information McMahon provided, he is now participating in the federal witness protection program. McMahon testified in New York against John A. Gotti, son of the infamous Gambino crime family boss. He also provided information on hit man Charles Carneglia, formerly a very close friend. McMohon ultimately gave authorities information on dozens of other...

Tampa Bay Area Pharmacists Get Probation in Fraud Case

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jul 30, 2010 | Uncategorized

Pharmacists Satender Singh and Rajnish Mehta were sentenced to probation on Friday in a federal health insurance fraud case prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa. Both Singh and Mehta previously pleaded guilty and received credit for cooperating with the investigation into federal health insurance fraud. The investigation is believed to be on-going and now includes numerous physicians.Singh admittedly stole more than $99,000 from Tricare, the military health insurance program, and Medicaid. He was sentenced to five years of probation after pleading guilty to making false...

Hardin Found Guilty of St. Petersburg Murders, Sings to Jury and Avoids Death Penalty

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jan 15, 2010 | Uncategorized

On Thursday, a Pinellas County jury convicted Cordaro Hardin of first-degree murder in the 2007 shooting deaths of two St. Petersburg men. The penalty phase of the capital murder trial occurred on Friday. The jury declined to recommend that Hardin by sentenced to death, instead recommending the only other alternative sentence - life in prison. Hardin himself communicated to the jury through the song he wrote. From the witness stand, Hardin sang, "God, I need a little assistance, will you be with me? By my side when I leave here, where do I go from here?" Hardin was represented by Tampa Bay...