Criminal Lawyer for People Arrested at Resorts Casino, Atlantic City

Many goings-on in a casino can lead to potential criminal law issues.  People are often arrested for drug possession, drunk driving, theft, assault, and other crimes related to their time at a casino.  If you were arrested at the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City or you were arrested soon after leaving a casino, you may face criminal charges with serious potential punishments and penalties.

For help with your criminal charges and the potential penalties associated with your case, call the Law Offices of John J. Zarych today.  Our lawyers offer free legal consultations to help you understand how your case can proceed and what we can do to help get your case dropped or dismissed.  For your free legal consultation, call us today at (609) 616-4956.

Penalties for Committing a Crime in the Resorts Casino in Atlantic City

The penalties you can face for committing a crime in a casino vary greatly depending on the offense you are charged with.  There are, however, a few penalties that are constants for any type of crime.  Your attorney may be able to get penalties reduced and modified for many charges, but there is still a risk of harsh penalties for nearly any criminal offense.

Crimes in New Jersey are graded as either indictable crimes (similar to felonies) or disorderly persons offenses (similar to misdemeanors).  Indictable crimes – often simply called “crimes” – are the more serious offenses, each of which carries the potential of over a year in prison.  Disorderly persons offenses are less serious and do not count as a “crime” per se, but they can still carry up to 30 days in jail for low-level disorderly persons offenses and up to 6 months in jail for more serious disorderly persons offenses.

Any criminal charges can result in arrest and the consequences that go along with arrest.  This means you may be handcuffed, taken to the police station, booked, and released on bail as you await trial.  Bail is typically ordered as “release on your own recognizance” (ROR bail), where the court trusts you will come back to court for your future court dates without needing to pay bail or stay in jail.  If the judge believes you are a flight risk or a danger to the community, you may be ordered to pay some amount of money before they let you out of jail, which the court keeps if you later fail to appear in court.  You could also have bail denied if you have a serious history of skipping court dates or you are deemed too dangerous to release.

If you are convicted of a crime, you could face fines and jail time depending on the level of crime committed.  As mentioned, disorderly persons offenses carry a shorter potential jail sentence, but they also carry a fine up to $1,000.  Other crimes carry the following potential penalties:

• Fourth degree crimes carry up to 18 months in prison and fines up to $10,000.
• Third degree crimes carry 3-5 years in prison and fines up to $15,000.
• Second degree crimes carry 5-10 years in prison and fines up to $150,000.
• First degree crimes carry 10-20 years in prison and fines up to $200,000.

These jail sentences might be replaced with probation in some situations.  This would allow you to stay out of jail where you would be required to check in with a probation officer and perform other requirements like maintaining a job, doing drug testing, seeking counseling or treatment, and remaining free of additional crimes.

Your attorney will help fight to get charges reduced as much as possible, but it is preferable to get charges dropped or dismissed entirely.

Fighting Charges for Casino Arrests in New Jersey

If you were arrested at a casino in New Jersey, your lawyer will work to get the case against you dropped or dismissed.  For a case to be dropped, it means that the prosecutor decided not to continue with the charges.  For a case to be dismissed, it means that the judge found that there was not enough evidence to charge you and ended the case as a matter of law.  If your case goes to trial and a jury finds there was not enough evidence against you, this is known as an acquittal.

How to defend against the charges will change depending on the specific charges you face.  Charges of assault or other violent crimes may be refuted by arguing that the violence was done in self-defense.  Charges for drunk driving can be fought by challenging the evidence and the way it was collected.  Charges for theft or drug possession can often be fought by arguing that there was some kind of mistake, that you did not know you had taken something, or that you did not know you were carrying drugs.  Other charges may have other defenses you should speak with a lawyer about.

Many criminal charges – for casino crimes and for other offenses – can be fought by challenging the legality of what the police did.  Police cannot arrest you or seize evidence to use against you in court without following certain procedures.  If they failed to follow these rules, coerced a confession out of you, or committed an illegal search or seizure, the evidence should be inadmissible, and your attorney can work to keep it out of court.

Call Our Lawyers for Criminal Charges in the Atlantic City Resort Casino for a Free Consultation

If you were charged with a crime in the Resort Casino in Atlantic City, or if a loved one was arrested in a casino, call the Law Offices of John J. Zarych today.  Our attorneys can set up a free legal consultation where you can learn more about your potential charges and see how our attorneys can help you fight the case against you.  Call our criminal lawyers for people arrested at resorts casino in Atlantic City today at (609) 616-4956.