? about possible sentence, etc (NJ, goddammit)

[RxQueen]

any of you guys have some experience w/ the moronic drug laws or courts in north jersey? i have a friend who caught some pretty serious charges back in february in two separate arrests, and i'm trying to wrap my head around the most realistic idea of what kinda sentence he might be looking at. he's already got a record (several possessions, a few felonies for forgery & theft by deception, some DUI's, etc). right now he's in the bergen county jail (4 weeks into the DRC drug program, which he entered voluntarily), and he's got a really good lawyer. but he's got a hearing coming up this week, and i'm getting nervous.

anyway, they're combining both the busts (one by the state police, and one by the port authority)... the charges end up being:
-3 counts of possession of a CDS
-2 counts of intent (CDS)
-2 counts of possession of paraphernalia
-1 count possession of hypo
-1 count use/under influence of CDS

they ended up getting all this off him in the 2 arrests.... 162 bags of dope, half gram of coke, 11 needles, and 3 spoons.

anyone here have any actual experience in the court system in that area? if so, wanna venture a guess how hard they're gonna throw the book at him? (say it to me gently... this has actually been pretty upsetting for me). thanks guys.

[insanesteveo]

i have no experience, but i think he will be begging to have the book thrown at him, because it sounds more like they are going to shove it straight up his rectum. sexually assaulted by a giant book.

sorry.

[SHELLEY]

^
what she said
my best friend has some crazy dope charges at the moment as well so i feel ya

[insanesteveo]

^
what she said
my best friend has some crazy dope charges at the moment as well so i feel ya

im not a her. im a him. i may have a small penis, but i still have a penis, and that technically makes me a him. :D

[SHELLEY]

my bad, your avatar threw me off thought you were someone else

[losangeleslifer]

my bad, your avatar threw me off thought you were someone else

The "steveo" part never came in to play? Huh.

Anyway, hope the legal counsel is good. Sorry. I know it's not very encouraging, but the "intent" and I'm assuming to distribute, really is the fucked up part. Good luck to him.

[newjerseysfinest]

i want to put this gently but he's fucked...... im dealin with the jersey legal system right now and man are they pricks.

[Raz]

sorry aint got nuffin to offer.....Looks like your friend is inbetween a rock an a hard place....Hope he catches a break...

[alowishus]

I think we all know, you included Ms Queen (although you may not want to), with those priors he won't be getting much "wiggle room". Even OJ's old lawyers (cause the new ones got him 40yrs) would have a very hard time.
I really can't see the DA wanting to knock much off; maybe the paraphernalia & hypo possession & the under the influence, but possession & intent will be the tools of his undoing.
His past record is of course gonna hurt the most, if he has been CONVICTED and not just charged w/ those felonies in the past, he's in trouble. They won't look at treatment, they will view him as a career criminal (not sure if NJ has those 3 strikes your out laws or not, but if so, I'm very sorry) go by the book.

I think North Jerzzee is a Zero Tolerance area, w/ possession a 3rd degree felony/up to 5 yr charge.
The amount he had means alot w/ the intent charge because that can be a 20 yr deal depending!! :speechles
They'll take his DL, not that he needs it right now, but that's part of it.

I'm sorry but I'd have to guess at no less then 5 yrs but no more then 10...maybe, depending, his record takes all bets off.
I am no way a lawyer or attached w/ the legal system in NJ so I could be, as usual, talking out my brown eye.

[nick]

Yeah,whenever you see the term "intent to supply" you know nothing good is gonna come of it.

Fingers crossed his sentence isn't too barbaric.

[digby]

To not crucify him, they are definitely going to ask him to provide something better and a reason not to. And with his past history, it takes so many possibilities off the table. The only other good scenario that I can see is if his attorney has some great connections that need a boat or something. Sad but true I'm afraid.
Haven't had much experience in the NJ area, but the legal system isn't all that different from state to state really. Now judges are another matter. If you get a good judge, small miracles are possible but just don't get your expectations up too high. Small would be the definitive word here.

[RxQueen]

thanks for all the replies, guys.... and i kinda expected 'em to be this way. it IS the intent charges (and the crazy amounts) that are gonna be his undoing... well, that and his priors. i know everyone says this, but there's no chance in hell this dude's gonna roll over on anyone (i've known him over 20 years now, so i'm certain of this'n). my only best hope now is that his lawyer (who actually IS "connected" if ya know what i mean) can make something happen.

i'm bummin... i gotta go write him another letter, and try to keep from making him feel any worse than he already does. fuckin drug laws. they're gonna keep me away from the best piece of ass in this area for a loooong time. (maybe i oughtta apologize to y'all ahead of time, for how bitchy i'm liable to get pretty soon! :o)

[newjerseysfinest]

yeah i just want to say theres pretty much nothin' his lawyer could do with those kinda charges.... and it aint north jersey.... its ALL of new jersey that is zero tolerence....


thank god for Pre-Trial Intervention or my life would be over and i would seriously kill myself... no joke.

and im trying to stay on the straight and narrow so i have clean urines but soberity is a bitch and i dont think i can do it.... i'd rather not live than have a felony on my record....

oh it was for 1 suboxone, 1 bag of dope, 1 cut up straw (thank god they iddnt find the Sets!) and like 30 empty glassine bags


i know heroin is a seriously fucked up drug.... but do they really need to ruin my life with a felony over THIS????!

[buc]

Not familiar with N.J. but I'm guessing you could draw conclusions from other busts and sentences elsewhere.

Good buddy's of mine........

Possession with intenent.........Meth. Enhanced by two previous convictions.
1.Unauthorized use motor vehicle.
2.ADW
Served prison time.

Got 20 years on the Meth. charges.

His brother.......Same Meth charges plus manufacturing. Enhanced by previous convictions.
1.Attempted Murder
2.Ag. Robbery.
Served 15 years on a 20 to life.

Got 5 years Federal.
State revoked parole on the 20 to life.

Both are in TDC.

[RxQueen]

sorry to hear that, NJF... that sucks. i keep wishing my friend woulda got caught in the city before crossing that damn bridge into jersey... it wouldn't have been THAT much better, but jersey definitely has the reputation for being a shitty place to face any dope charges. keep your chin up... it won't last forever, it'll just feel that way!

[nick]

In my very humble opinion,it's very simple,incarceration for non violent crimes is not only senseless,it's barbaric and a sign of an unhealthy society.

[jimmyfingers]

A good buddy of mine was caught with 147 bags and needles in a school zone in Newark. He had a previous felony for robbing someone with a gun. He got 5 years probation. This was in 2002 however Your friend might have a chance but I believe he will def serve a few years. Everybody thinks that if they hire a good lawyer that they will somehow just make the crimes dissapear. It is excellent to have private legal counsel but they cant perform miracles

[newjerseysfinest]

ummm SWIM only copped in nwk for a little time and only really in ONE specific area... but the kids who went to newark for very long times basically told me theres not very much of newark that IS NOT in a school zone, which adds whole new twist to someone copping there...

can someone confirm this?

sorry for going offtopic///

[alowishus]

....He got 5 years probation...

I'm not crying foul here or at you, but how?
Why did he only get probation w/ that amount and having a past violent felony charge?

That is not the norm, he had to have had someone somewhere pulling the strings.

How would ANYONE get probation from a felony?
You don't.

[nick]

I'm not crying foul here or at you, but how?
Why did he only get probation w/ that amount and having a past violent felony charge?

That is not the norm, he had to have had someone somewhere pulling the strings.

How would ANYONE get probation from a felony?
You don't.

Well,there are two options;

1.He was lucky,had good council and caught the judge on a good day.

2.The guy helped fill a few cells.

[alowishus]

2.The guy helped fill a few cells.

Yeah.
Didn't think of that....

[hovadagod]

I'm not crying foul here or at you, but how?
Why did he only get probation w/ that amount and having a past violent felony charge?
That is not the norm, he had to have had someone somewhere pulling the strings.
How would ANYONE get probation from a felony?
You don't.

He would have had to have plead it down (minimum sentencing). This would only happen to such an extreme if the state (or fed) had no case and did not want to go to trial for some reason.

[jimmyfingers]

I dont know the whole story, but from what he said the jail in essex county was so jammed pack that guys that had drug charges were getting off a lot easier. He said the prisons in Jersey were packed too. I wouldnt put it past him to have given someone up though. A girl was with him in the car and she got charged with the exact same thing. She got probation as well.

[duck]

It is excellent to have private legal counsel but they cant perform miracles

Maybe we've experienced different legal arenas, but one thing I know about where I am from/live is that a good attorney (~$10,000 for distro/manufacturing of weight) can and does work fucking miracles.

[dyrt57]

What about treatment court? I have similar charges and a similar record and in PA they have treatment court for people with drug problems as long as they don't have violent or sexual convictions in their past. They give you a suspended sentence and as long as you folloe the program you don't go to jail.

[hovadagod]

Treatment court is good but I don't think they got it in NJ.

[erica]

In my very humble opinion,it's very simple,incarceration for non violent crimes is not only senseless,it's barbaric and a sign of an unhealthy society.

I was going to say the exact same thing - I couldn't agree with you more, nick.

Law Enforcement makes me SICK. Hearing things like this story disgusts me, and I seriously fear for the future of our country. Our rights are vanishing before our eyes, and the majority of the population goes on like mindless drones...
And here, the people who are supposed to be the utmost authority, the protector of the people, etc. - are the ones harassing non-violent "offenders", simply because that makes their job a hell of a lot easier than it would be if they were actually out on the streets, apprehending REAL criminals. Not to mention, their very existence is the reason the black market/drug trafficking EXISTS!

All I have to say, is if I hired a gardener to remove the weeds from my lawn...and all he did was sit in a chair eating donuts while planting weeds around himself so that he didn't have to get up and actually search for them, well...I'd fire his ass.

/rant

To the OP: I'm really really sorry to hear that. The only condolences I have is an experience of a close friend of mine...It wasn't heroin, but he got snitched on, and the cops raided his place. He had a few pounds of weed there, along with some acid, shrooms, ecstasy, and maybe some opium - can't remember if he had any of that for sure, but I think he had a little. He also had 2 AK-47s and another gun (don't remember what kind it was, either). I think only one of the guns was registered to him, and the other two were not.
At first, he was looking at 15-48 years in prison. He got a decent lawyer and ended up getting off with 5 years probation. Talk about LUCKY. And he did not snitch on anyone, which is commendable, considering that's the reason he got caught. I hope your friend has the same fortune, and that everything turns out okay.

[taj]

I'm not crying foul here or at you, but how?
Why did he only get probation w/ that amount and having a past violent felony charge?
That is not the norm, he had to have had someone somewhere pulling the strings.
How would ANYONE get probation from a felony?
You don't.

my sister got 5 years for a felony crime, after the probation it comes of her record. I don't know the details, but if she just did the jail time(which wasn't a whole lot, maybe 60 days) she would have had a felony on her record.

I don't really know the details about how she got that worked out, but the lawyer costed a ton, and she didn't get caught for any drug related stuff
also, definitely not her first run in with the police

[RxQueen]

In my very humble opinion,it's very simple,incarceration for non violent crimes is not only senseless,it's barbaric and a sign of an unhealthy society.

gotta agree w/ ya 100% there, nick!



What about treatment court? I have similar charges and a similar record and in PA they have treatment court for people with drug problems as long as they don't have violent or sexual convictions in their past. They give you a suspended sentence and as long as you folloe the program you don't go to jail.

well, he's hoping that the fact that he's voluntarily in the jail's drug treatment program might help at least a little bit... and the judge he's going in front of is the one that started that program, so she loves to see that inmates are using it. so there's that, but i don't think it'll be enough in light of the amounts my boy got caught with and his priors.

and thanks erica, for your post... that gives me a little hope. that, and the whole jail over-crowding thing... i've been thinking about that aspect too. whatever time he gets after completing the drug treatment will probably be down at rahway, and from what i understand, that place is pretty continually at capacity. hopefully it'll help some that none of his charges (or priors) are violent crimes...

[hovadagod]

When you hire a lawyer it costs the DA way more money to put you away because they have to fight. They don't want to pay and go to court so they make a deal with your lawyer and both lawyers (DA and your lawyer) are happy.

[insanesteveo]

just to restate my opinion, book firmly in rectum.

[RxQueen]

Maybe we've experienced different legal arenas, but one thing I know about where I am from/live is that a good attorney (~$10,000 for distro/manufacturing of weight) can and does work fucking miracles.

i had to come back and revisit this thread with some VERY good news.... duck is spot-on with this observation. a $12,000 lawyer with "connections" in jersey blew up all but 2 charges (god bless organized crime)! the only things that stuck were 2 counts of possession for personal use. woooohoooooo!

so my friend has to finish out the rehab in jail, then he'll be sentenced to fines and probation (not sure for how long yet... probably at least 3-5 years, i'm thinkin). which is a damn sight better than 10-15yrs of state time in rahway. so excuse my absence if i disappear for a few days mid- to late-june... i'ma be, erm, "celebrating" his good luck & release from jail till i can't walk! :rolleyes:

[Oakleyskier]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!

thats awesome dude, i remember reading that shit when i was logged in as NewJerseysfinest....

thats incredible...

im in hunterdon country and they are def trying to throw the book at my for a couple bags of dope...


i could only imagine what it would be like if it was my second or third offense.....!

[taj]

I'm so happy for you and your friend. Yay!!!

[duck]

i had to come back and revisit this thread with some VERY good news.... duck is spot-on with this observation. a $12,000 lawyer with "connections" in jersey blew up all but 2 charges (god bless organized crime)! the only things that stuck were 2 counts of possession for personal use. woooohoooooo!

so my friend has to finish out the rehab in jail, then he'll be sentenced to fines and probation (not sure for how long yet... probably at least 3-5 years, i'm thinkin). which is a damn sight better than 10-15yrs of state time in rahway. so excuse my absence if i disappear for a few days mid- to late-june... i'ma be, erm, "celebrating" his good luck & release from jail till i can't walk! :rolleyes:

That is AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME news.

I told ya, ~$10,000 and you're money. The world revolves around it folks, get some grip or get fucked, your choice. :p

[nick]

That is AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME news.

I told ya, ~$10,000 and you're money. The world revolves around it folks, get some grip or get fucked, your choice. :p

Yeah,no justice for the poor.In fact it's better to be rich and guilty than poor and innocent.What a world.

Pleased for your friend RX.