In a recent case, Attorney Matheny defended a man visiting Miami Beach on business who had been accused of disorderly conduct and drunkenness at a club. Additionally the man was charged with refusal to pay a $400 bar tab that he had accrued while at the club. Police were called to the scene and arrested the man for grand theft.
The penalties for his specific accusations in Florida could have included up to 5 years in prison, which would have invariably caused him to also lose his job. He also would have had to pay up to $5,000 in fines and most likely would have received an additional 5 years on probation. In the beginning pre-trial stage, Attorney Matheny was able to reveal to the prosecution that the man did not possess intent to steal, which is absolutely necessary to convict someone of grand theft. Moreover, Attorney Matheny was also able to get the prosecution to concur that the issue at the club was a conflict over certain credit card charges, rather than a form of stealing. With that the prosecution removed their formal criminal charges against Attorney Matheny's client and the accusations were dismissed.
As a former prosecutor, Mr. Matheny has extensive experience on both sides of the legal system. For this case in particular, his time as a prosecutor helped him to understand what information the other side is looking to find in order to convict. If they do not have find what they are looking for, they may very well get rid of the case entirely because there are no grounds for conviction. This is exactly what happened with the aforementioned case and it worked to the tremendous advantage of the man accused. Get in touch with our Miami-Dade County criminal defense lawyer at our office located in Miami Lakes to learn more about your legal options. We make ourselves available 24 hours, 7 days a week for your convenience.