Alleged Boss of the Colombo Crime Family receives bail over government opposition in federal case charging him with Racketeering, Extortion, Money Laundering and other charges; defendant had been convicted in the prior ten years of Racketeering, Jury Tampering and Assault. Bail motion was premised on prison and hospital medical records generated over the six weeks defendant had been incarcerated prior to the bail application.

Defendant charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin received downward departure from 78-97 months to a non-custodial sentence of supervised release due to extraordinary family circumstances.

University of Alabama student investigated on allegations of Rape in the First Degree, punishable by a sentence of 10 years to life; results of thorough investigation of victim supplied to the grand jury which then voted not to indict. A “no bill” result occurs in just 9% of all cases presented to the grand jury.

Program director of adult day healthcare center in Brooklyn charged with Grand Larceny and facing 25 years in prison on allegations of stealing millions of Medicaid dollars due to fraudulent billings, has case dismissed entirely due to insufficient evidence.

Client charged in high profile case with manslaughter, weapons offense and obstruction of justice first has the top charge dismissed by Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office after rampant perjury revealed in grand jury; later, remaining charges voluntarily dismissed, leaving defendant with no criminal record. At initial bail hearing, Mr. Lichtman stated to the press that the state “overcharged my client and they are going to pay.”

Initially arrested for attempted murder in 2023, defendant, a foreign national in the United States on a Visa, ultimately was offered a plea to a misdemeanor assault charge and community service over the objections of the victim in the case.

Defendant, an attorney, was charged with the violent assault with a deadly weapon against his girlfriend (captured on video) as well as a misdemeanor menacing charge. When Mr. Lichtman took over the case, prior counsel had secured a non-incarceratory felony assault plea offer – which would have resulted in the defendant’s immediate disbarment – only to have the prosecution pull the offer and promise additional charges, including numerous sexual assaults. Instead of begging for the reinstatement of the felony plea offer as prior counsel had done, Mr. Lichtman insisted upon a misdemeanor plea – or a trial. The District Attorney backed down and the defendant pled to a misdemeanor, saving his law license and avoiding a lifetime status as a felon.

Hugely publicized trial of abortion doctor charged with manslaughter and facing 15 years in prison, dramatically takes plea bargain offered by defense counsel after jury claims it is deadlocked in deliberations; seconds after plea deal is accepted by prosecutors jury comes back with verdict. Plea bargain is upheld after prosecutors attempt to renege; client spared years in prison, faces less than 12 months in prison.

Defendant convicted of second-degree murder and attempted assault, sentenced to 40 years in prison, won his appeal and had his sentences run concurrently instead of consecutively, reducing his sentence by 15 years.

Appellant’s sentence vacated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit due to court’s reliance on incorrect sentencing guidelines range. Court cautioned district court for its comments which “went beyond the entirely appropriate condemnation of a defendant’s criminal conduct.” At resentencing, Mr. Mangone’s sentence was cut by a third, his fine eliminated and his supervised release cut from a period of three years to one year.

Defendant, a 1992 figure skating Olympian from Slovenia, a country which does not extradite to America, won bail appeal despite having no contacts in the Southern District of New York or elsewhere in the country.  Defense argued that Klasinc, charged with defrauding the federal COVID-19 economic relief program, faced a delayed trial start due to the pandemic and that risk of flight was ameliorated due to conditions of home confinement in apartment to be rented solely for release on bail.

Defendant initially charged with a $28 million credit card fraud centered around the mass marketing of dietary supplements received a 36 month sentence along with a recommendation of the Residential Drug Abuse Program, effectively reducing his time of incarceration to approximately 13 months. After the loss amount was negotiated from $28 million to $7.2 million, defendant still faced Sentencing Guidelines of 87-108 months with a statutory maximum sentence of 60 months. Court reduced the sentence in a downward variance due, in part, to the horrific childhood suffered by the defendant.

Defendant convicted of laundering $550,000 in narcotics proceeds while boarding a plane, sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison despite previously being caught with $50,000 of narcotics proceeds while trying to board a flight six months prior to arrest. Court made a downward variance at sentencing due to defendant’s rehabilitation during the lengthy period between plea and sentencing due to COVID-19, which ultimately resulted in defendant being required to serve approximately nine months in prison in this non-cooperation case.

Defendant charged with employing numerous illegal aliens over a 15 year period while operating a 7-11 store; in addition, he was alleged to have pocketed over $1.3 million in illegal proceeds which represented the amount of money which was underpaid to these employees. Mr. Choe eventually received a probationary sentence upon a guilty plea after the federal Court determined his upbringing and good deeds merited a downward variance to a non-custodial sentence.

Non-citizen charged with serious federal narcotics charge (21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(B)) which carried five year minimum sentence and automatic deportation, ultimately permitted to plead to a non-deportable Travel Act charge and received a 30 month sentence – without cooperating with the government. Prior counsel’s unethical and possibly illegal simultaneous representation of cooperating witness against our client used to garner the lower deal and save our client from being sent to a country he had not traveled back to since age 2. Prior counsel had recommended that client cooperate with the government and, if deported, to sneak back into the United States.

Defendant charged with Kidnapping with mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years due to underage victim, ultimately received a 36 month sentence. After extensive negotiations, defendant pleaded guilty to federal Stalking charge with advisory Sentencing Guidelines range of 87-108 months and five year statutory maximum sentence. Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York downwardly varied to three year sentence in case with no cooperation with the government.

Complaint alleging sexual abuse allegations against defendant dismissed following a trial at which state’s expert witness was thoroughly discredited and all scientific evidence concerning the defendant’s sexual interests successfully suppressed. Dismissal affirmed by the New Jersey Appellate Division upon a finding that state’s expert testimony was revealed during cross-examination to be based on factual inaccuracies. Defendant’s young children were not removed and put into foster care.

New York Federal Reserve Bank computer programmer and Chinese national convicted of stealing $9.5 million U.S. Treasury Department software as well as immigration fraud received a non-guidelines sentence of just six months home confinement despite lack of cooperation agreement with the government.

Defendant charged with two counts of violent collections of extortionate extensions of credit with proof including dozens of consensual tapes of defendant and a co-conspirator as recorded by a victim and FBI. After an extensive investigation of this victim by Mr. Lichtman it was revealed that he had committed multiple bank frauds and perjury in another state – just days before the trial was scheduled to begin. Prosecutors dropped the charges and the defendant took a misprision of felony plea deal, resulting in a sentencing guidelines level of 9 and a sentence of probation.

Defendant charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting victim in the head at close range, inside a vehicle. Evidence included the gun which matched the bullet taken from the victim – who survived and was prepared to testify – along with witnesses as to motive. After an extensive investigation of the victim revealed him to be untrustworthy, the defendant was permitted to plead guilty to Attempted Criminal Possession of a Weapon – and received a promised sentence of probation.

Investment banker charged with violent rape receives non-sex, non-violent misdemeanor plea deal after Mr. Lichtman’s extensive investigation of the accuser revealed her to be untrustworthy.

NYPD Captain charged with repeated acts of public lewdness had criminal charges dropped and was permitted to retire with his full pension intact.

In a multi-defendant, large-scale federal marijuana conspiracy case, motion to preclude introduction of six firearms, drug paraphernalia, 16,000 bullets and client’s fingerprint found on box of ammunition – seized from home client was living in – was granted due to government’s delay in providing discovery.

After publicly guaranteeing the charge of impersonating a police officer against his rap star client would end in a dismissal or acquittal – and after turning down a plea offer calling for a misdemeanor conviction but no prison time – Mr. Lichtman secured the dismissal of all charges against The Game.

Federal criminal complaint which charged CEO of publicly traded company with Commercial Bribery was dismissed after Mr. Lichtman convinced prosecutor that no crime had occurred.

Defendant received a 48 month non-sentencing guidelines prison sentence following conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Mr. Heath was described by President Bush as an “international drug kingpin” and was once on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list while fighting a ten year extradition battle from his native St. Kitts with the United States. Sentence was remarkable in that it was well below the range called for in his plea agreement and Mr. Heath’s co-conspirator and purported underling received a 15 year sentence despite the government’s application for leniency due to his cooperation. Mr. Heath’s sentence was so low that various media reports in St. Kitts suggested that he must have cooperated with the government to get such a low sentence – which he did not.

Defendant charged with robbing and burglarizing multiple banks in New York received a downward departure from a sentencing range of 57-71 months in prison to 30 months due to previous federal sentence that was related to present charge.

Defendant convicted of laundering $2.5 million of proceeds of illegal gambling operation received downward departure at sentencing to 5 years probation on grounds that he suffered significantly reduced mental capacity during the commission of the crime due to a pathological gambling disorder. Sentence was extraordinary in that amended sentencing guideline prohibiting such departure was due to go into effect the next day.

Motion for severance of defendant and charges granted in federal money laundering and structuring case.

Prior felon convicted of tax evasion received downward departure to three months imprisonment due to extraordinary family circumstances.

Federal RICO charges (along with securities fraud and money laundering charges) dismissed by government after Mr. Lichtman’s investigation of government’s linchpin witness revealed his repeated perjury and fraud while cooperating with the government.

Defendant with extensive criminal history convicted of extortion with the use of a firearm, received downward departure to 20 months imprisonment on grounds of the deleterious effect his imprisonment would have on his three children.

Motion for preservation and discovery of prison telephone conversations of main government witness granted for defendant charged with attempted murder and assault of United States Postal employee and related firearm charges. After motion was granted, defendant received a plea offer of 27-33 months imprisonment. Court recommended six month “boot camp” at sentencing.

Defendant’s sentence vacated – and sentencing judge removed – by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit due to court’s refusal to properly consider downward departure motion. Defendant later had sentence cut in half.

John Ruffo, Mr. Lichtman’s client, was the lead defendant in a $350 million bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering case. He received virtually the same sentence as his codefendant who had cooperated against him – despite the fact that Ruffo had made an unsuccessful motion to withdraw his guilty plea prior to sentencing. Repeated subject of 60 Minutes story in 1999, 2000 and 2002.

Defendant charged with various felony gun charges in New York state case. Motion to dismiss indictment granted pretrial on grounds that the facts could not legally support the charges that the defendant possessed – either actually or constructively – the firearms.

Motion for downward departure granted, from 12-18 months to six months house arrest, due to extraordinary family circumstances. Defendant, convicted of tax evasion, had a young daughter with an organic brain dysfunction. Mr. Lichtman argued that a sentence of imprisonment and the resultant absence of her father would be devastating to the daughter and the progress she had achieved through psychotherapy and speech therapy. Court described Mr. Lichtman’s submission as “a model of an effective sentencing memorandum.”

Federal RICO charges (along with securities fraud and mail fraud charges) dismissed by government two days prior to trial after Mr. Lichtman’s investigation revealed extensive, continuing fraud by government’s two main witnesses.

Defendant corporation charged in federal RICO case. Motion to suppress search and seizure of 75-100 boxes of documents granted on grounds that search warrant was overbroad.