On March 29, 2014 criminal attorney Andrew Jezic was a featured presenter for the fourth consecutive year at the 21st annual Alan Goldstein crminal law lecture, the most prominent criminal law seminar for practitioners and prosecutors in Maryland.
Mr. Jezic spoke about recent developments in confession law, the topic of his book, Maryland Law of Confessions, now in its tenth edition by Thomson-West publishing company. Mr. Jezic’s first lecture at the Goldstein seminar was in 2004.
Attorney Raquel Smith obtained an unsecured personal bond for her client facing conspiracy charges involving first degree assault and armed robbery. During the bond hearing, Ms. Smith convinced the Montgomery County Judge to release the defendant under the supervision of the County’s Pre-Trial Services Unit while awaiting her trial.
Attorney Raquel Smith obtained NOT GUILTY verdicts for her client who was facing possible revocation of her Maryland driver’s license. During closing, Ms. Smith pointed to crucial case law which bolstered defense counsel’s assertion that her client was INNOCENT of the charges she was facing. As a result, her client received NO POINTS on her Maryland driving record.
Attorney David Wooten convinced a Montgomery County judge to acquit his client of allegations of domestic violence. During her direct examination, the defendant’s estranged wife appeared to be an innocent victim seeking justice. She described a brutal attack, involving multiple punches to the face, choking, biting, and kicking. Her father also testified that he saw blood pouring from his daughter’s face shortly after the fight. However, Mr. Wooten’s thorough cross examination exposed the truth of the wife’s vindictive, false allegations. She even admitted that she filed criminal charges 41 days after the incident because someone told her that it would help get her husband deported. The “Not Guilty” verdict not only helped Wooten’s client avoid deportation, it also saved the client from the stigma of a criminal record, allowing him to continue his career in nursing.
Attorney David Moyse gets drug charges dismissed as case was being called for trial. Moyse told the prosecutor that his case would be a trial early in the day, and all of the police officers came to court with the necessary evidence. However, Moyse cited an old case to point out a technical flaw in the State’s case. Right as trial was set to begin, the prosecutor realized that the State would lose on this technicality and dismissed all charges.
In March 2014, Attorney David Moyse was able to convince a judge to completely dismiss assault charges against his client. The client, a permanent resident, faced loss of his Green Card if convicted of the domestic assault. The prosecutor made a generous offer to reduce the charges and plea to a lesser crime, but Moyse and his client decided to go to trial – and win a complete acquittal of all charges.
Maryland Personal Injury Attorney Jonathan Carroll represented a client who was rear-ended. The responsible party claimed that Mr. Carroll’s client backed into him while he was stopped. During the course of the trial, Mr. Carroll forced the responsible party to admit that after the accident when the two drivers spoke, the responsible party did not obtain an address or insurance information from the person he claimed had just backed into him. The Court found in favor of Mr. Carroll’s client on the basis that the responsible party could not have believed Mr. Carroll’s client was at fault. If the responsible party thought Mr. Carroll’s client had actually been at fault, he would have obtained his address and insurance information. There were no eye witnesses to this accident.
At trial, the Defense hired an engineer to testify that a rear end collision that pushed the Plaintiff’s car several feet forward exerted no more force on the Plaintiff’s head and neck than a simple sneeze. Maryland Personal Injury Attorney Jonathan Carroll called the defense out for trying to use science to support this nonsensical argument. In refuting the engineer’s expert analysis, Carroll pointed out that accounts by both drivers as well as medical records demonstrated that this crash involved a significant impact. Carroll also pointed out that the engineer’s factual basis was flawed: the engineer had never actually inspected either car involved in the crash, he had not spoken to either driver and he had not seen the medical records that showed that an injury had occurred. After that, Carroll pointed out that this engineer worked primarily for insurance companies and that he was not an impartial witness.
Ultimately, the Court awarded the Plaintiff his full medical bills as well and an additional amount to compensate him for his pain and suffering. This is just another example of what injured car accident victims are up against in Maryland. If you have questions about your case, please do not hesitate to contact Maryland Personal Injury Attorney Jonathan Carroll
By Danielle E. Gaines News-Post Staff | Posted 2 weeks ago
A former Frederick County courthouse deputy will return to the United States to face reckless endangerment and gun charges related to his wife’s death, a special prosecutor said Thursday.
George Elias Salibi, 50, of Briargrove Court in Frederick, was indicted Nov. 1 and a criminal warrant was issued, but the charges were sealed until Wednesday, Washington County Deputy State’s Attorney Steven Kessell said.
Kessell, who is handling the case to avoid conflicts in Frederick County, made a motion Wednesday to convert the arrest warrant to a summons to appear in court.
An arraignment scheduled for Feb. 28 — almost exactly a year after Salibi’s wife died of gunshot wounds from his Frederick County Sheriff’s Office-issued weapon — was canceled Thursday after Salibi hired a lawyer.
Salibi has been overseas in Lebanon and is expected to return to the U.S. soon, Kessell said.
Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. ordered Salibi to surrender his passport to the sheriff’s office and not attempt to leave the United States, according to online court records.
He is charged with reckless endangerment and two counts of leaving a loaded firearm in a location where a minor child could gain access.
The charges are misdemeanors.
First responders went to the Salibis’ home just before 3:30 a.m. Feb. 27 for the report of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to scanner communications obtained by The Frederick News-Post.
Salibi’s wife, Grace Breidy Salibi, 44, who later died at Frederick Memorial Hospital, fatally shot herself with his agency-issued firearm, according to the sheriff’s office. An autopsy report showed the cause of death was two gunshot wounds to the chest.
George Salibi was employed at the time as a non-sworn civilian courthouse deputy who had been hired by the sheriff’s office less than two years earlier, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said in April.
After the shooting, Jenkins said his office would conduct a criminal death investigation and an internal investigation. Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Bailey said Thursday that Salibi resigned April 8.
“We opened the investigation internally, but once he resigned, that ended,” Jenkins said Thursday.
Bailey said the office would not be able to provide further comment because personnel issues are confidential.
“The criminal case speaks for itself,” Jenkins said.
The criminal investigation of Salibi was forwarded in May by Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith to the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office for further review.
The sheriff’s office did not notify the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office about the shooting as required by state law, according to the state’s attorney’s response to a Public Information Act request from The Frederick News-Post.
In response to the information request, Smith said his office became aware of the death a number of hours after the shooting through “collateral sources.”
The law does not outline any penalties for failure to make a notification.
Jenkins said in April he didn’t know why the notification wasn’t initially made.
“I can assure you that won’t happen again in the future,” he said.
An investigator from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner was notified shortly after deputies were called and went to the house.
Charges unsealed
Kessell explained Thursday the basis for the charges against Salibi.
“When the deputies arrived at the house, they recovered two handguns. The two guns were out where they could have been accessed by a minor child,” Kessell said.
The Salibis’ young son lived with them in the home.
Each of the loaded firearm charges carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine.
The reckless endangerment charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
In the week before her death, authorities were called to the home because Grace Salibi was believed to be suicidal, Kessell said. On the day of that call, George Salibi left work to go home, he said.
A charge of reckless endangerment is appropriate because Salibi left a loaded gun open in the home knowing his wife’s emotional state, Kessell said.
The Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, the state organization that certifies police officers and police agencies, trains officers to keep their service weapons unloaded while at home, with the ammunition stored separately. Secondary security devices, such as a safe or lock, are recommended.
Salibi did not violate state regulations by carrying an agency-issued firearm without being a sworn officer if he had a valid gun permit from Maryland State Police, said Thomas C. Smith, director of policy and process review at the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions.
Maryland State Police confirmed earlier this year that Salibi had permits to carry weapons.
An autopsy report at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore showed that Grace Salibi died of two gunshot wounds, one of which pierced part of her lung.
An attorney advocating on behalf of her family welcomed the unsealed indictment Thursday.
“The family is very grateful to Steve Kessell for this very thorough investigation,” attorney Andrew V. Jezic said. However, “the family still believes (George Salibi’s) involvement was greater than the charges in the indictment.”
Richard Bricken, who is representing Salibi in the criminal matter, said his client “fully expects to come back and face the charges.”
Bricken said he could not comment on particulars before receiving all information that will be released as part of the case.
Salibi will maintain his innocence and plead not guilty to the charges, Bricken said.
“His loss is immeasurable in losing his wife, whom he loved deeply,” he said.
Criminal attorney David Moyse gets second degree assault charges dismissed on appeal following finding in District Court. In a domestic violence case, with severe immigration consequences for his client. Mr. Moyse refused to accept any plea bargains on appeal, opting instead for jury trial. While the case was pending on appeal, the prosecutor made multiple lower plea offers, including an offer to Disorderly conduct, one of the least serious crimes in Maryland, on the evening before trial. Moyse and his client rejected the plea and insisted on trial. On the day of trial, the prosecutor elected to dismiss the case rather than proceed to trial, when a missing witness put his case in jeopardy.
