Tucson DUI & Criminal Defense Blog

Federal sentencing guidelines use a system of “levels” to determine the range of jail time that offenders serve, based on the severity of the crime. A specific “base” level, from 1-43, is determined for each crime and that base level is the starting point for determining the minimum jail sentence an offender is likely to receive.

Over the past decade there had been a laudably bi-partisan effort to reduce the exploding prison population, particularly for drug offenders. But that era of leniency seems to have come to an abrupt halt.
Tough on crime statutes, passed by Congress, have long been on the books. However, in the recent past, Federal Prosecutors, using some discretion, occasionally side-stepped such harsh laws, particularly during the Obama years.

University of Arizona students and parents, often out-of-state, call us with urgent questions. Far too often a student has been caught in one of the dorms, typically Coronado,smoking marijuana, or lately an extract commonly known as “wax” (Butane Hash Oil). Eighteen years old, with no prior criminal record, the student is summarily booked into Pima County Jail, where he spends the night. Here’s five things you should know.

As a result of U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recent announcement, about renewed enforcement focus concerning federal marijuana laws, despite state legalization, Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Laws have been back in the news. Here’s a recap of current thinking and recent legal developments.

Each year hundreds of people in Arizona, particularly small business owners, learn that they are being investigated by the IRS, sometimes for criminal matters. Here are a few things you should know, right at the beginning.

Each holiday season the police here in Tucson conduct annual DUI “saturation patrols.” These result in the arrests hundreds of people, most whom have never been charged with a crime in their lives.
But not everyone the police stop is swerving all over the road. Concentrating on Fourth Avenue, University of Arizona campus, and downtown, the police often use de minimus reasons as excuses to stop you: things they claim are traffic violations, but are actually things drivers do every day.

In most cases, a U.S. birth certificate and a valid, government issued identification will be enough to prove U.S. citizenship. However, in some cases, this will be insufficient, and you may be asked to provide secondary evidence of your citizenship.

Despite the high cost of medical care in the U.S., medical tourism to the U.S. is quite popular. Some hospitals and clinics even specifically market their services overseas to wealthy cash-paying clients. However, there are some very strict immigration guidelines regarding medical travel. Even well-intentioned medical travelers can be subject to consequences that could have a significant impact on their future ability to travel to the U.S.

In many countries around the world, if you stand outside the U.S. Embassy long enough, you are likely to be approached by someone offering to enlighten you (for a small fortune) about the secrets to receiving a tourist visa. The reality is, there is no secret formula. Legally, a consular officer must assume that every applicant for a tourist visa intends to immigrate to the U.S. It is up to the applicant to convince them otherwise. In many countries, this is a substantial hurdle.

The student visa interview can cause anxiety for many prospective students who want to study in the U.S. The truth is, the U.S. government wants to approve student visas.  Foreign students enrich the cultural diversity of a university, and often become permanent “goodwill ambassadors” of the U.S. when they return to their home countries. They are an essential source of revenue for most U.S. universities and university towns. Research-focused universities heavily rely on the diverse skill sets of foreign graduate students.