Mankey Law Office

08/27/2026

Mankey Law Office has been contacted by many members of our local Somali community to address some correspondence sent by the Ramsey County Sheriff to approximately 200 young Somali males regarding attendance at the Minnesota State Fair. The letter warns every recipient of the letter that their name has "surfaced" in an ongoing investigation and further warns that "in some cases, individuals may be prosecuted for the actions of others." If this strikes any of you as violative of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of association, we believe you are correct. Minnesota law provides that if one aids, hires, conspires, or otherwise encourages someone to engage in criminal activity, you can be prosecuted. However, merely being present with someone that is on the police radar, is not violative of the law. That a single ethnic group was targeted with this correspondence has a certain racist tinge to it and we believe is the wrong way to approach the increasing violence perpetrated by a few in the Somali Community. The Sheriff's letter simply paints with too broad of a brush and will only serve to strain an already tense relationship between members of the Somali community and law enforcement. To my young Somali friends I say this, go to the fair, have fun, but don't do anything stupid. This letter, if nothing else, should inform you that rightly or wrongly, you are being viewed under a law enforcement microscope. Act accordingly.

07/16/2026

A frequently asked question that we receive involves what to do if you are stopped by police. The short answer is exercise your right to remain silent. Law enforcement might tell you they "just want to get your side of the story." Don't believe them. The United States Supreme Court acknowledged in 1948 that the police are "engaged in the competitive enterprise of ferreting out crime." They aren't your friend looking for the truth, they are trying to get information that can be used to assist in your prosecution. I tell clients to say, "on the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer your questions at this time." You have a constitutional right to remain silent, exercise it!

07/16/2026

After the initial interview with a client, the first thing any competent criminal defense lawyer will do upon being retained on a case will be to review discovery provided by the government to determine the weaknesses in the State's case that can result in a trial victory. Sometimes the weight of the evidence is such that the case needs to be handled pursuant to a negotiated resolution. But don't despair. Even if the presumptive sentence calls for a commitment to prison, there are ways to avoid that by arguing for a non-prison sentence. This is called a departure. There are basically two kinds, a stay of ex*****on and an stay of imposition. A stay of ex*****on occurs when the Court announces a prison sentence but allows a defendant to satisfy a lesser sentence to jail, home monitoring, or work crew service. A stay of imposition occurs where an admission of guilt is accepted but no prison sentence is announced. This allows the sentence to be reduced to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of the terms of probation. At Mankey Law Office we always look for ways to beat the case first, but every competent lawyer must prepare for the eventuality that the government's case is strong and he or she must prepare the client for a departure argument. That might be completing treatment in a drug case for example. Call Mankey Law Office if you are charged with a serious criminal offense. We can help.

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