A MICHIGAN CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY WITH A
RECORD OF SUCCESS

SUCCESSES AT THE TRIAL LEVEL

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES - FRAUD - RACKETEERING - EMBEZZLEMENT

Racketeering Violations. The Michigan Attorney General charged my client with racketeering, money laundering and receiving stolen property. He allegedly defrauded a large corporation out of millions of dollars. My client faced a mandatory prison term of 3 or more years. We could not beat all of the charges at trial. Through hard work and persistence, we negotiated a plea to single crime and a promise of no incarceration. My client never saw a jail cell. He can apply to expunge the crime after 5 years.

Casino Cheating. The Michigan Attorney General charged my client with four counts of casino fraud and related crimes. She faced a hundred thousand dollars in restitution.
     At trial, the Attorney General brought Michigan State Police Officers, casino employees and a private security consultant. Through aggressive cross examination and frequent motions to dismiss charges, I obtained dismissal of three charges. The jury found her guilty of only one charge - a charge that can be expunged.
     Further, I successfully convinced the Wayne County judge to keep my client out of jail and that the $110,000 of lost casino assets should be paid by the co-defendants.

DETROIT CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY PETER ELLENSON
(248) 691-9020

DRUNK DRIVING - OPERATING WHILE INTOXICATED (OWI) -
OPERATING WHILE VISIBLY INTOXICATED (OWVI)

Bad driving; No Scientific Evidence: Farmington Hills police arrested my client for drunk driving late one night. The officer alleged that my client drove erratically and without headlights, failed all the field sobriety tests, smelled of alcohol and admitted to consuming 2 or 3 drinks. The prosecutor refused all deals because my client had a record.
     I developed a crushing defense against the police officer's allegations, using the officer's own video and audio footage against him. On the morning of trial, upon reviewing the case we had prepared, the prosecutor dismissed the drunk driving charge.

Blood Alcohol Level above the limit: The same client was again arrested for drunk driving, this time in the Flint area. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was over the legal limit. The officer claimed that my client failed all the sobriety tests. The prosecutor adamantly refused to make a deal.
     We brought a former Michigan State Trooper as our expert, filed motions to suppress, and again prepared a crushing cross-examination of the police officer. On the morning of trial, after a short confrontation with the prosecutor and the officer about the case, the prosecutor reduced the charge to careless driving, a traffic violation for which my client paid a fine.

OAKLAND COUNTY CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY PETER ELLENSON
(248) 691-9020

CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT - RAPE - ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO
COMMIT CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT

Attempted Rape: The Oakland County Prosecutor charged my teenage client with attempted rape ("assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct involving penetration"), a felony that could have led to incarceration and sex offender registration.
     At trial, I demonstrated that the accuser exaggerated the facts of the case. I showed the jury that the incident was nothing more than a teenage prank. The jury convicted my client - but only of a misdemeanor (non-sexual) assault instead of a felony sexual assault. My client received probation.

MICHIGAN CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY PETER ELLENSON
(248) 691-9020

LARCENY - LARCENY IN A BUILDING - LARCENY FROM A PERSON -
ROBBERY - STOLEN PROPERTY

Caught with "victim's" driver's license: The Oakland County prosecutor charged my client with larceny (theft) following a motel brawl. The prosecutor presented evidence that my client beat up a guy and stole his wallet. The police even found the "victim's" drivers license in my client's pocket.
     I called every person from the motel room to testify. They all blamed my client. But I knew the witnesses would come across as arrogant and thuggish. They tried to hide unpleasant truths - such as illegal drug use and lies told to the police - but I revealed these facts through cross-examination. Meanwhile, my client came across as serious and depressed about the situation.
     The jury issued a Not Guilty verdict. The jurors explained that the witnesses did not act appropriately and came across as liars. On the other hand, my client showed an appropriate attitude. The jurors refused to accept the prosecution's story.