Westchester County is the second-most populous county in New York with a population of nearly a million residents. Its violent crime rate is 32.4, which is slightly higher than the overall rate in the U.S. of 31.1. Whether it is violent or non-violent in nature, however, is relatively insignificant when you are investigated by the Westchester District Attorney, New York State Police, Westchester County Police, or any number of municipal police departments from Greenburgh, Bedford, New Rochelle and Irvington to North Castle, Mt. Vernon, Harrison and Yorktown. Irrespective of the charge and potential arrest, you should not wait and hope that the problem will go away on its own. Simply, it will not happen. Instead, when faced with uncertainty, fear and shame, seize control. Consult with and hire the knowledgeable and experienced Westchester County criminal defense lawyers at Saland Law.
Successfully resolving Westchester County criminal cases by way of dismissals, non-criminal violations, reductions of felonies to misdemeanors and acquittals after trial, Saland Law knows that defending a client in White Plains felony court or a local court in Rye or Ossining demands diligence, knowledge, perseverance, advocacy and communication. Failing to do so will compromise your ability to identify the best defense. Because of their experience on “both sides of the track,” Saland Law’s criminal lawyers will not only identify this defense but also set the strongest strategy into motion. Throughout our tenure as criminal defense attorneys and previous careers as prosecutors in the unparalleled Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, we have spearheaded multi-jurisdictional and international fraud, white-collar, violent, property, narcotics and drug, domestic violence, DWI, and related investigations. This unmatched “hands on” experience gives Saland Law vital insights into the prosecutor's mindset when protecting the rights, careers and legal status of clients.
Developing a Defense Strategy to a Westchester County Arrest & Criminal CaseDifferent circumstances and charges call for different strategies. There are no boilerplate defenses to the New York Penal Law nor “one size fits all” responses to an arrest. For all criminal charges in Westchester County, whether in Port Chester or Scarsdale, the prosecutor is required to prove their respective case beyond a reasonable doubt. This is a tough standard, but it is still very important to have an experienced attorney not merely on your side but willing to fight on your behalf. There are times when prosecutors file a criminal charge in a local Town or Justice Court only after a sufficient investigation has occurred and they are confident that they can meet the burden of proof. In other circumstances, an arrest and complaint may be drafted reactively, meaning you and your attorney might have many avenues to attack and defeat the criminal charges if you take the time to explore your options.
No matter the accusation, each alleged crime requires the Westchester District Attorney to prove every element. In some instances, the strongest defense is to attack evidence related to a specific element, discredit a witness or make some other challenge to hobble a prosecutor’s ability to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Other times, your best defense to an arrest in Westchester County, both felony and misdemeanor, may find its footing in mitigating your conduct or convincing the District Attorney of your clear innocence.
Types of Crimes Prosecuted in Westchester County CourtsIf you run afoul of the criminal law in Westchester County, you should expect the firm hand of justice. Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, Westchester is not. Simply, with less crime in the suburbs, the District Attorney can spend more time rooting out criminal activity and taking harsher stances on offenses that may not see the same prosecutorial intensity as in New York City. Couple this fact with a drive to keep many “bedroom communities” safe and pristine, and prepare yourself for what may be a harrowing experience if you fail to hire the right criminal defense attorney in Westchester County.
White Collar crimes are generally offenses committed without violence, but they are taken very seriously by Hudson Valley prosecutors. White Collar crimes in Westchester include Grand Larceny, Falsifying Business Records, Forgery, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument, Criminal Tax Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Embezzlement, Insurance Fraud, Identity Theft, Official Misconduct, Mortgage Fraud, Scheme to Defraud, Extortion, Offering a False Instrument for Filing and other offenses. These cases tend to be especially nuanced and often technical while also subjecting the accused to significant penalties involving incarceration and restitution. Whether a Grand Jury has voted a felony indictment and the criminal case is transferred from a local court to White Plains, or the matter is a misdemeanor White Collar offense, our Westchester County criminal defense attorneys have the experience necessary to investigate the events leading to the arrest and the allegations that are the foundation of the charge to develop a strategy to avert or minimize your criminal exposure to any penalties.
Violent crimes in the Hudson Valley are often punished with the harshest sentences and even mandatory minimum incarceration not in the Westchester County Jail, but “upstate” in a New York State Penitentiary. Under New York Penal Law 70.02, violent crimes encompass a wide range of conduct from Assault, Burglary, Robbery and Criminal Possession of a Firearm to Strangulation, Rape, Kidnapping and Stalking. For example, Assault, one of the most common violent criminal offenses, consists of multiple degrees with varied elements. To that end, an Assistant District Attorney in Westchester County can charge Second Degree Assault if a complainant suffers “serious physical injuries” from a physical attack and the theory of their prosecution is that you had the intent to cause these injuries. “Serious physical injuries” can include any physical injuries that generate a substantial risk of death or that cause serious protracted disfigurement, or the loss of any bodily organ. Even if a claimed victim does not suffer this “serious physical injury,” if prosecutors can prove that you used a dangerous instrument or weapon and both intended to inflict and did inflict a mere “physical injury,” Second Degree Assault still stands. Simply, due to the different degrees of and punishments associated with violent crimes in Westchester County, it is imperative that your legal counsel have more than a mere working knowledge of the criminal code and real experience in the courts, with prosecutors and with the Penal Law.
Outside of White Collar and violent crimes, not all criminal offenses committed, or allegedly perpetrated, in Westchester County fit squarely into one of these categories. Depending on the conduct, crimes ultimately charged can transcend many areas of law. From Domestic Violence offenses, Computer and Cybercrimes, and Drug and Prescription Medication crimes to DWI / DUI and other allegations of misconduct, the stronger and more knowledgeable your legal advocate, the greater the likelihood that you will walk away from an arrest unscathed or with minimal consequences.
Knowledgeable Guidance & Aggressive Advocacy for a Westchester Criminal MatterWhether you find yourself in custody and under arrest by the Yonkers Police, District Attorney Investigators, Mt. Kisco Police or any other law enforcement agency, or you are the target or subject of a criminal investigation by the Westchester District Attorney or NYS Attorney General, know that law enforcement in Westchester is as skilled as they are relentless. Each moment that you waste will bring you a step closer to a criminal conviction, criminal record or imprisonment after the striking of a gavel in a local Justice Court or White Plains’ County Court. While it can be frightening and confusing to face criminal charges, an experienced attorney can, and routinely does, make the difference between clarity of the process and confusion. More importantly, the best criminal defense lawyer in Westchester County is one who can put you in the best place to avoid a criminal record and incarceration.
Instead of surrendering to fear and submitting to the will of the Westchester District Attorney, Jeremy Saland and Sam Coe can navigate you through the Westchester County court system to a sensible, responsible and successful end. As criminal defense attorneys who each honed their trial, investigative and analytical skills in the trenches of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as respected prosecutors, Saland Law is ready to bring their advocacy, knowledge and experience to bear in your defense.
Call our Westchester criminal lawyers and former prosecutors day or night at (212) 312-7129 or contact us online today.