Criminal & Traffic Law Success Stories

Client was charged with Class 4 Felony Theft for allegedly stealing from her employer. Our attorney investigated this matter for months, sent subpoenas to uncover documents from her employer, and negotiated at-length with the State’s Attorney on the case. The attorney’s hard work and belief in his client paid off and he successfully had the charge dismissed.

Client charged with vandalism for damaging property of a teenager who had been caused trouble for client in the past, including trespassing on his property. After lengthy discussions with prosecutor and alleged victim, charges were dismissed against client in exchange for paying for the minor damage to teenager’s property.

Twin brother clients were charged with retail theft and retained our office after signing conflict of interest waivers. After discussing the cases with the prosecutor, including the lack of evidence the government had against clients, the difficulty the government would have proving its case at trial, and the lack of criminal history of clients, charges were dropped by prosecutor

A younger client with criminal history was charged with retail theft. Got prosecutor to drop theft charge and client received supervision on a lower charge of disorderly conduct.

Client was charged with theft when he was paid by a woman to complete improvements to the woman’s home. Although he took the money, he refused to complete any of the work on the home. Client had been charged and convicted with similar charges in the past, including a forgery charge in Cook County. Client was given conditional discharge with 40 hours of community service on the theft charge.

Possession of Alcohol by a Minor. An open bottle of alcohol was found in the client’s bedroom at his parents’ home while the client was not home. Later, after the police confronted him with the bottle, the client admitted to the police, that the alcohol was his. At trial, our attorney successfully obtained a directed finding on the legal doctrine of corpus delicti, in that the State failed to show that adults over the age of 21 did not have access to the room and alcohol in question, and it was not a crime for adults to possess alcohol. The attorney then argued that absent other evidence that a crime occurred, the client’s admission alone was not legally sufficient for conviction. The Court agreed and the CHARGES WERE DISMISSED with prejudice.

Possession of Marijuana. Steven Mevorah & Associates represented a client who was pulled over on two separate occasions by the same police officer for having one brake light out of three out. On each occasion, the client was alleged to have possessed marijuana in the automobile. In a consolidated motion to suppress between the two cases, Our attorney successfully argued that the police officer lacked probable cause to pull over his client due to the taillight being out, as the controlling law stated that an automobile shall have two functional brake lights. The Court agreed and suppressed the marijuana found in the car, resulting in DISMISSALS OF BOTH CHARGES as well as the underlying traffic tickets for having a brake light out.

Domestic Battery. A client was charged with battering his girlfriend, and then dropping her off from his car at his girlfriend’s mother’s home. The girlfriend went directly inside, locked the front door, and told her mother in detail that our client had beaten her. When the girlfriend did not appear at trial, the State Attorney attempted to proceed with the trial by having the girlfriend’s mother testify as to what the girlfriend told her about the alleged beating. Our attorney successfully argued that all of the girlfriend’s statements should be excluded from evidence as inadmissible hearsay, and the Court agreed, ultimately resulting in the State Attorney moving to DISMISS THE CASE.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. On of our attorneys co-chaired a jury trial which involved an able-bodied client who was observed by police parked in a handicapped spot while having difficulty keeping his balance. After he left the handicapped parking spot, the police pulled over our client for the handicap parking violation. The police alleged that they found open containers of alcohol within the vehicle, and further charged that our client was intoxicated. The client refused all sobriety tests and the breathalyzer, but proceeded to act belligerently and erratically toward the police, throughout his arrest. A few of the client’s alleged behaviors included smashing his own head against the wall, swearing, and mumbling. It was successfully argued at trial that just acting rudely and erratically toward the police is not proof of drunkenness, and that the police car camera failed to show the police pulling the alcohol bottles from the car. While the jury found the client to have committed the petty offense of illegally parking in a handicapped zone, the jury also returned NOT GUILTY verdicts on the transportation of open alcohol containers and driving under the influence.

Felony Theft. Steven Mevorah & Associates successfully negotiated a plea for a client who was accused of committing a Class 1 Felony Theft involving embezzlement in excess of $100,000 from an incapacitated elderly woman down to a Class 4 Felony Theft with no jail time, 1 year probation, and with the only restitution due in the criminal case of $25,000.

Disorderly Conduct. Steven Mevorah & Associates successfully represented a client accused of committing disorderly conduct by sending lewd emails to a neighbor after being told to cease emailing the same neighbor by the police. At trial, our attorney successfully obtained a directed verdict, with the court finding that the client did not engage in any conduct that could be considered disorderly. The client was found NOT GUILTY.

2009 – Our attorney’s years of criminal defense experience were critical in helping a client who was charged with his second DUI. The attorney was able to keep his client from getting a DUI conviction (even though this was a second offense DUI). The attorney was successful in 1) getting the second DUI charge amended to reckless driving and 2) having the summary suspension vacated which allowed the client to not only avoid the in-car breathalyzer machine but also avoided the client’s driver’s license from being suspended for a year.

2009 –Or firm successfully defended an attempt by the a State’s Attorney to forfeit the motor vehicle of a party charged with a DUI. The State tried to do this in spite of the fact the party was a first time DUI offender and had received Court Supervision. The vehicle was the only means for the client to travel to Chicago for her job. As a result of our attorney’s outstanding efforts, the client was able to keep her car.

2006 & 2007 – At trial, our attorney successfully defended 2 different drag racing charges by obtaining Not Guilty after bench trial. In these cases, convictions would have resulted in the revocation of the party’s driver’s license.

Client charged with Driving While License Suspended. Steven Mevorah & Associates negotiated a plea and avoided DWLS charge and no insurances; convictions or equipment charges only.

Client charged with Domestic Battery. States Attorney filed a motion to admit prior acts of domestic violence at trial. Our attorney researched the issue and filed a response to deny the motion. The attorney was successful and the state’s motion was denied. At trial the client was found NOT guilty on two (2) counts of domestic violence.

17) Client charged with Driving While License Suspended in Lake County. Steven Mevorah & Associates negotiated a Settlement in which the DWLS was dismissed and client received court supervision for improper lane usage.

A client was ticketed for driving with a suspended license (Class A Misdemeanor) and driving with no insurance. She faced not only criminal penalties for the new offenses, but her driving abstract showed the client had been on court supervision for an earlier occurrence of driving with no insurance meaning she faced penalties under the supervision case as well. Using his extensive experience and litigation skill, our attorney negotiated with the State’s Attorney’s office and was successful in having all charges completely dismissed. The client now has a newly obtained driver’s license and insurance and avoided convictions on both cases.

Client charged with three Class X felonies (punishable by six to thirty (6-30) years in jail each) for shaking his infant son. Being defended by the public defender, he had been held in jail for a year and a half without disposition. Steven Mevorah & Associates took over the case for the client and very quickly negotiated a plea agreement dismissing two of the three counts, lowering the remaining felony to a Class 3 and a sentence of only 3 years in jail despite facing up to 90 years in prison.

Our attorney was successful in defeating a Petition for Extension of an Order of Protection in a criminal case. The Order had been in place against our client for 2 years, and his ex-wife was seeking to extend it for another 2 years. In a contested hearing against the State’s Attorney’s Office, the attorney successfully argued that there was no basis for the extension and the Order of Protection was terminated. This victory not only prevented the extension of the Order of Protection, but also put our client in a stronger position to negotiate a visitation schedule with the opposing party.

Steven Mevorah & Associates recently encountered a case wherein her client’s now-deceased brother had used the client’s identity in committing crimes. This had lead to serious problems for our client, as well as an arrest warrant for the innocent client. Through diligence and creative thinking, our attorney was able to not only get the warrant quashed, but also to have the Judge adjudicate that the client and the defendant were not the same person. All this was done without the client having to appear in Court, which would have been extremely far for him and inconvenient for work.

One of our clients was faced with several Class 2 Felony charges, and he had an extensive criminal background. The circumstances of his case were dire, but our attorney was able to ascertain that many of the client’s transgressions were due to a mental illness. She then suggested that the most helpful and appropriate sentence for this client would be a program in which he could receive mental health assistance. When the prosecution did not agree, our attorney was able to convince the Judge of her position. The client received a sentence of probation and psychiatric treatment with no jail time, after having been faced with a possible sentence of 3-7 years in prison.

While representing a teenager on a charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol, Steven Mevorah & Associate was able to dispose of the teen’s case without it ever going on his record. Through thorough research, the attorney was able to find a sentencing alternative of which the prosecution in the case was not even aware. By completing an alcohol awareness program that the attorney had gotten him sentenced into, the client was able to ensure that this offense never even appeared on his record.

24) One of our clients had had his license suspended, and was later caught driving on the suspended license. By thinking outside the box, our attorney was able to employ a case strategy in which she essentially “undid” the client’s prior convictions for which his license was suspended. Subsequently, the Driving While License Suspended charge was dropped and the client’s driving record was saved.

Steven Mevorah & Associates recently assisted on a felony case in which our client was charged with very serious transgressions. The original sentence offered to him was six years in prison. Through showing the prosecution proof of many mitigating circumstances, our attorney was able to obtain a much better offer, but one that she still thought was unjust. Through prolonged and painstaking deliberations with the State’s Attorneys, the attorney ensued that the client’s final sentence was only 270 days, and that it could be served on a work release program. This meant that the client got to keep his job, which was very important to him.

Our attorney successfully obtained supervision for a client charged with aggravated battery as a juvenile. While still on the supervision, the same client returned a year later as an adult charged with a criminal offense and a petition to revoke the supervision based upon the new offense. The attorney once again hit a home run on behalf of his client. After investigating and preparing for trial, the attorney answered ready for trial and the prosecution, unable to prove their case, was forced to dismiss the charges. The prosecution re-evaluated their juvenile petition to revoke supervision and decided to withdraw its petition to revoke supervision for the juvenile case.

A client, who had previously been convicted of a felony and had multiple subsequent misdemeanor convictions, retained our firm to defend themselves from a pending felony DUI charge. Despite repeated attempts by the prosecution to have our client serve jail time of at least 12 months in prison, the attorney successfully negotiated a probation sentence allowing his client to keep his job and his home-life intact.

Clients who have had their license revoked due to multiple DUI offenses may need to apply for a formal license reinstatement hearing with the Secretary of State. The preparation for these hearings, both in terms of documentation and testimony, can be quite extensive. It is utterly important that clients have all of their documentation prior to having these hearings or else they risk losing their petition outright. Our attorney helped the client piece together his driving history over the course of 20 years and across several states. This accurate history is absolutely essential to successfully earn his license back.

Often time success in a criminal case can be defined by the sentence a client receives. A client who did not have a valid driver’s license and had received his 3rd DUI was faced with a mandatory minimum jail sentence. During the course of his plea negotiations, our attorney was able to bring out that he is a family man, has a full-time job, and no other criminal background. The attorney was able to secure home monitoring for him and allow him to go to and from work. He was able to maintain his employment and time with his family in the face of a mandatory minimum.

Minors and juvenile offenders have their own special considerations. People under 21 who are convicted or given supervision for possession or consumption of alcohol may be faced with having their driver’s license suspended under the Zero Tolerance policy of the Secretary of State. These offenses need to be taken seriously and the attorney handling these cases needs to analyze the strength and weaknesses of the evidence and, if necessary, work with the family to prepare them for the possibility of their child’s license being suspended. Steven Mevorah & Associates has worked with a number of clients who have been charged with possession of alcohol and some have had their licenses ultimately suspended, but some have been able to keep their licenses.

Client was charged with domestic battery. The client faced up to 364 days in jail and a fine of $25,000. Steven Mevorah & Associates took the case to trial in front of a judge (commonly called a bench trial) and the client was found NOT GUILTY. The attorney was successful because of his zealous advocacy on behalf of his client and investigating the situation. Our attorney’s investigation uncovered that the alleged victim had made a police report over a month after she claims the incident occurred. The client was found not guilty and is able to have the charge expunged from his record.

Secretary of State/Driver’s License Reinstatement. A gentleman who had his license revoked since the early 1990’s had previously been rejected for a license reinstatement after a formal hearing with the Secretary of State. After reviewing his case, our attorney created a new strategy for a second formal license reinstatement hearing. By implementing this strategy, the attorney and his client reviewed his prior history and prepared for his reinstatement hearing. Working together as a team, the attorney and his client were successful in reinstating the client’s driver’s license.