Richard A. Merlino Criminal Defense Law

08/27/2026

Can the police legally track your phone's location if you're near a crime scene? A landmark Supreme Court ruling says geofence warrants are a Fourth Amendment search requiring strict privacy protections. Learn more about the limits being placed on digital surveillance here.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/29/supreme-court-geofence-warrants-case-decision #:~:text=Mon%2029%20Jun%202026%2011.23%20EDT%20First,view%20their%20use%20as%20an%20unconstitutional%20dragnet.

Law enforcement’s use of warrants sweeping smartphone location data requires privacy protections, court rules

08/25/2026

Evidence obtained through an illegal search or seizure can often be excluded from trial under the Fourth Amendment. Knowing your privacy rights and how officers must follow constitutional limits is key when building a defense. https://www.justia.com/criminal/procedure/search-and-seizure-rules/

08/20/2026

08/20/2026

Great day in court in Rochester, New York! $160,000,000. mail fraud case. U.S. v. J. Engler

08/20/2026

Every day, mobile apps track and store sensitive location data that shows where you go and when. The Constitution protects against unreasonable searches, but courts are currently deciding how far law enforcement can go when requesting this digital data. Understanding how your personal information is stored and shared helps you better recognize your privacy rights in the digital age.

How far can law enforcement go in asking digital companies to turn over data about their customers without violating the Fourth Amendment? This basic question of balancing privacy and public safety interests in the digital age will soon be considered at the Supreme Court, with potentially major impl...

08/19/2026

Fort Lauderdale police have cleared a parking lot where Local 10 Ne...

08/18/2026

Ever wonder how the IRS decides to launch a criminal tax investigation? From initial fraud detection to Department of Justice referrals, understanding the process is critical. Read the official IRS breakdown of how criminal cases move forward.

The process on how a IRS criminal investigation is initiated is very complex. After all the evidence is gathered and analyzed, and reviewed by numerous officials, the evidence to referred to the United States Attorneys Office or the Department of Justice and recommended for prosecution.

08/16/2026

Luigi Mangione’s recent plea agreement is a familiar outcome in the American justice system, where the vast majority of criminal cases never make it to trial. The reasoning why most criminal cases end with a plea deal could be quite complex in some cases, but rather simple in others. More below ⬇️