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Criminal Defense

Criminal Attorney Jefferson Hills, PA

If you’ve been charged with a crime in Jefferson Hills, you need dedicated legal representation to fight for your rights, reputation, and freedom. Don’t go through the criminal justice process alone. Instead, get help from an ally who can protect you from police and prosecutors and seek the positive outcome you deserve.

 Contact SMT Legal today for a free initial case review with a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney serving Jefferson Hills, and let’s discuss your case together.

Why Choose a Criminal Defense Attorney with SMT Legal?

Don’t make the mistake of going up against the justice system alone or trusting your case to an overworked public defender. Let the team at SMT Legal advocate for your rights and interests because:

  • We have decades of combined legal experience, allowing you to leverage our collective knowledge to face your criminal charges no matter how complex the facts and issues in your case.
  • Our attorneys dedicate themselves to pursuing every option to fight for the best possible outcome for your case.
  • Our firm offers the personal attention you need and deserve, guiding you through the criminal justice process to help you at each stage of your case.

Types of Criminal Matters We Handle

At SMT Legal, our experienced attorneys can help you resolve criminal cases involving charges such as:

  • Assault and battery
  • Drug crimes, such as possession, possession with intent to distribute, prescription drug offenses, and drug trafficking
  • DUI
  • Federal crimes, such as federal weapons offenses, drug trafficking, money laundering, computer crimes, and bank/wire fraud
  • Juvenile crimes, such as trespassing, vandalism, underage possession of alcohol, or underage drinking/DUI
  • Internet crimes, such as hacking, identity theft, and cyberstalking/cyberharassment
  • Sex crimes, including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, indecent exposure, unlawful contact with minors, and possession/distribution of child pornography
  • Theft offenses, such as larceny, robbery, shoplifting, car theft, and receiving stolen goods
  • Violent crimes, including murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, arson, and burglary
  • White-collar crimes, such as criminal fraud, bribery, embezzlement, forgery, or money laundering

Consequences of Criminal Convictions in Jefferson Hills

Under Pennsylvania law, criminal sentences imposed for convictions can include:

  • Murder or attempted murder: 35 years to life imprisonment for first-degree murder or 30 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder and a potential fine of up to $50,000
  • First-degree felony: Up to 20 years in prison and a potential fine of up to $25,000
  • Second-degree felony: Up to ten years in prison and a potential fine of up to $25,000
  • Third-degree felony: Up to seven years in prison and a potential fine of up to $15,000
  • First-degree misdemeanor: Up to five years in prison and a potential fine of up to $10,000
  • Second-degree misdemeanor: Up to two years in prison and a potential fine of up to $5,000
  • Third-degree misdemeanor: Up to one year in prison and a potential fine of up to $2,500
  • Summary offense: Up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300 (if the offense of conviction does not impose a higher fine)

In addition to incarceration and fines, a criminal conviction can also impose a restitution obligation upon a defendant, which requires the defendant to reimburse their victim(s) for losses those victims sustained due to the defendant’s crime.

Convictions can have other long-term consequences for defendants, such as:

  • Loss of voting and firearm rights
  • Imposition of protection orders
  • Sex offender registration obligations for defendants convicted of certain sex offenses

Finally, a criminal conviction will result in a defendant having a criminal record that may follow them for years after their sentence. A criminal record can impose a professional or social stigma that can make it more challenging to pursue employment, educational, or housing opportunities and to put one’s life back on track after a conviction.

Given the potential consequences of a conviction, you can best protect your interests and future by working with a seasoned criminal defense attorney from SMT Legal.

Common Defenses to Criminal Charges

Depending on the charges you face in Jefferson Hills, you might pursue various factual or legal defenses to challenge the prosecution’s case and seek a favorable outcome to your charges. These defenses might involve the following:

  • Lack of intent: When a criminal statute includes criminal intent (e.g., intentionally, knowingly, etc.), a defendant may argue that they did not act with the required intent and thus did not commit the crime as alleged.
  • Mistaken identity: Defendants may challenge victims’ or eyewitnesses’ identification of the defendant by highlighting factors that may have affected a victim’s or witness’s perception of the perpetrator or arguing that investigators used an improperly suggestive identification procedure that influenced the victim’s or witness’s recollection.
  • Alibi: A defendant may deny having committed the crime by presenting alibi evidence to prove they were somewhere other than where it occurred.
  • Self-defense: In cases involving violent crimes like assault/battery or homicide, a defendant may claim they acted in self-defense or defense of others to defend against an imminent threat of injury posed by the alleged victim acting as the aggressor.
  • Consent: Defendants may claim they had the alleged victim’s consent to engage in the activity, forming the basis for their charges.
  • Lack of possession: When a case involves contraband like drugs, weapons, or child pornography, a defendant may argue that the evidence fails to prove they had actual or constructive possession of the contraband.
  • Challenging the prosecution’s forensic evidence: In cases that involve DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, or other forensic evidence, defendants may highlight issues with forensic testing to challenge the reliability of the prosecution’s forensic evidence.
  • Moving to exclude evidence from the prosecution’s case: A defendant may file motions to exclude evidence or statements by arguing that police investigators obtained the evidence through an unlawful search or an interrogation of the defendant that violated their rights.

How Can a Criminal Defense Lawyer Assist You?

Facing criminal prosecution can feel isolating. However, you don’t have to deal with your criminal charges in Jefferson Hills alone. A criminal defense attorney from SMT Legal can help you fight for the best possible resolution to your charges under the circumstances of your case by:

  • Thoroughly investigating the facts and circumstances of your case to obtain all the available evidence
  • Reviewing your charges and the evidence to evaluate potential legal strategies to pursue the best possible resolutions in your case
  • Sitting down with you to discuss your charges and the potential outcomes of your case to help you make informed decisions about how to proceed at each stage
  • Pursuing every avenue to challenge the prosecution’s case to seek a reduction or dismissal of your charges
  • Leaving no stone unturned in seeking a favorable outcome to your case, whether that means pursuing plea negotiations or advocating on your behalf at trial if you choose to fight your charges

Contact Our Firm Today for Seasoned Guidance When Facing Charges in Jefferson Hills

Don’t leave the outcome of your criminal case in Jefferson Hills to chance. Instead, get experienced legal advice and advocacy to help you pursue a favorable resolution. 

Contact SMT Legal today for a free, confidential consultation to discuss your legal options for protecting your rights, reputation, and future with a criminal defense lawyer serving Jefferson Hills.

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