Pittsburgh Criminal Defense Law Blog

An alleged multi-state drug dealer has been arrested in Pennsylvania after a controlled buy operation. According to Chester County District Attorneys, the Chester County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) had been keeping an eye on the male suspect for some time.

HIDTA arranged for an undercover officer to buy a shipment of marijuana from the man earlier this month. The man arrived with 11 pounds of marijuana, worth approximately $40,000, and sold it to the undercover officer. Police immediately arrested the man and took possession of his vehicle, an Audi A4 Quattro.

About 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, on the banks of the Ohio and Beaver rivers, sits Monaca, a small, quiet town.

The quiet was recently broken by the arrest of a 65-year-old borough councilman for a homicide that happened 32 years ago, however.

Federal crimes are particularly serious. They can sometimes involve more than one state, further complicating the legal process. A man who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a pyramid scheme in Pittsburgh may now face more charges and may be transported back to Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors and Internal Revenue Service agents say the man was arrested again while on house arrest at his home in Arizona, awaiting sentencing for a $2 million pyramid scheme. He has yet to be charged for more allegations that he asked people to invest in an Internet business, where he allegedly took money and failed to deliver final products to customers.

Prosecutors recently announced the arrests of 25 suspects accused of drug trafficking offenses.

In a news conference widely reported in the Pittsburgh media, prosecutors stated that they believed the roundup of individuals in the Norristown, Pennsylvania, area allegedly involved in selling marijuana and cocaine in the community could lead to a breakthrough in the continuing investigation of the killing of a man in the West End neighborhood on July of 2011, which remains unsolved.

A former teacher at a Pittsburgh daycare center pleaded guilty earlier this week in 13 cases involving allegations of sexual abuse and child pornography.

The 26-year-old was sentenced in Allegheny County Court to 35 to 70 years in prison.

As everyone in Pittsburgh knows, the Pennsylvania sports world has been rocked by the child sexual assault charges against Jerry Sandusky. However, it's not the only allegation of its kind in the sports pages of the state's newspapers.

Media outlets are also reporting charges leveled by a 14-year-old who says he was fondled a by a Ukrainian hockey coach who has worked with a number of professional and college players.

Details of a Pittsburgh sex offense case are now being released after the arrest of an area man.

The 38-year old was arrested on suspicion of rape and robbery after police surrounded an apartment building in Ross Township. Twice this month, women in the apartment complex had their homes broken into and robbed. One woman claimed she was sexually assaulted as well.

A 32-year-old Pittsburgh-area woman has been accused of fraud in an alleged baby scam, but it isn't clear yet if any existing law even covers this kind of case, officials aid.

The woman was arrested late last year at a domestic violence shelter in Kittanning under a name other than her own. She was charged at the time with theft by deception, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft of services.