Posts by Drew Cochran

We adore our pets – our dogs, cats, lizards, birds, horses – whatever we love and loves us back. And sure, our pets might expose us to stuff we don’t want, like the occasional flea or tick, some slobbering or a playful nip here and there. But it probably never occurred to you (or us…

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) District of Maryland is reporting the sentencing of a California woman to three years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. This is in connection with a wider scheme to fraudulently obtain goods using what appeared to be a military email address, but was…

Pretend for a moment that you are the type of person who commits crimes – a “criminal,” one might say – and after a night of alleged criming, you are caught by the police and arrested. Now what? Well, you’ll be processed and will likely have to spend an initial night in jail, and they…

Bank fraud is a federal crime that is prosecuted in federal courts in Maryland. Bank fraud includes a broad range of illegal financial transactions. Generally, it involves illegally using methods to obtain funds or assets held by a financial institution. Bank fraud also includes posing as a financial institution to obtain money from people. In…

COVID-19 is deadly, and it’s airborne. If you’re hacking and coughing on people, they’re gonna get it. If you’re talking to someone and there are “droplets” in the air, you’re gonna get it. It spreads fast and it spreads easily. For these reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, generally recommends that when people…

Wondering if you can get away with not paying your taxes? For the Average Person, the answer is no. You go to prison for that. Federal tax evasion can be committed by individuals, corporations, trusts, and other entities. It generally includes fraud or misrepresentation. It can involve underreporting of income, assets, profits, and gains. It…

Desecrating a grave is never a good idea. Animal abuse is never a good idea. Combining the two into a single crime isn’t a good look no matter how old you are. And yet, here we are. Mr. Joseph Stroud, 79, has been accused of desecrating the grave of a long-time foe with dead animals…

I am not what one might call a “bird person.” I don’t hate birds, but they’re not really my thing. Maybe it’s the eyes, or the way their legs are almost always so much longer than you’d expect them to be. But even I think bald eagles are hardcore. The razor sharp talons! The permanent…