The Umansky Law Firm

A truck driver was arrested after 800 pounds of marijuana was allegedly discovered inside his vehicle at an I-75 weigh station last week. The truck was searched by authorities who found pallets containing brown paper packages above a load of cantaloupes. The authorities opened one of the packages and exposed what they claim looked like drugs. The substance was later tested and determined as marijuana.

The driver, who was arrested, told a local newspaper that he didn't know anything about the drugs, but that no one else had access to his truck.

Florida is a hub for commerce of all types. The major highways leaving Florida connect with some of the largest cities in the U.S. It's no secret that semi trucks leaving Florida sometimes contain illicit substances. Many truck drivers may not believe they'll be caught by the authorities. With a large payoff at the end, this kind of activity can be tempting. However, those that are caught face lengthy prison sentences, loss of jobs, loss of family, and more. Having a good defense attorney can significantly lower your prison sentence or even raise enough doubt in the minds of a jury that the charges are dropped.

If you are facing a drug charge in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the Umansky Law Firm for an initial case consultation.

A high school football player was one of nine people arrested last week as part of a four-month long drug sting. The police called the sting the "Kissimmee Classic" and allege that the nine were selling and delivering crack cocaine. The high school football player was arrested during school hours and was wearing his high school jersey when he was taken to jail. He obviously did not play in that night's football game.

The sting targeted two homes in a neighborhood that is known for street drugs. Police have said they have warrants for another 20 suspects.

The Florida drug trade never seems to really go away, and police know which neighborhoods are the most likely to be selling drugs like crack cocaine and heroin. If you are alleged to be part of a group charged with selling drugs, you may simply assume that you are going to get the justice you deserve.

If you do not have legal representation, you are more likely to receive a harsher sentence. The prosecutor knows the law and the perception, even if it's false, can be that because you do not have legal representation, you don't care. An experienced attorney can help you make legal decisions, explain things to you, and be an advocate if need be.

If you have been charged with a drug offense in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced drug offense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial and confidential case consultation.

The wife of Sen. Dick Lugar (R.-Ind.) was arrested for driving under the influence after she was involved in a traffic accident in McLean, Virginia last night. She was taken to the county adult detention center and processed. Authorities say they arrested her after initiating a traffic stop.

Sen. Lugar, who is the Senate Foreign Relations ranking member, issued a statement, which included an apology and admitted embarrassment over the accident and, presumably, the drunken driving charge.

If you are charged with a DUI, you may not have the exposure a politician has, but the embarrassment and ramifications this charge can have on your future are just as serious. Losing your license, probation and fines can pin you down economically for years.

An experienced DUI defense attorney, like the attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm, can help keep you from having your life ruined. If you are a first time offender, getting you into diversionary or alcohol treatment programs or probation can be achieved, rather than you going to jail. We will also attempt to have the charges dismissed if you complete your program or probation so you can continue leading your life as if the incident never happened.

If you have been charged with DUI in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, please contact the experienced DUI defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial consultation.

A recent Umansky Law Firm client is a professional in the computer industry who has no prior criminal history. However, he is alleged to have solicited a prostitute, which put his career and his clean record in jeopardy.

The client was observed by two law enforcement officers picking up two known prostitutes on Orange Blossom Trail. Law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of the client's vehicle. They asked the client whether he knew the women who entered his vehicle were prostitutes. The client allegedly told the officers the two women were friends of his.

The officers had both females write sworn statements alleging that they had just met the client and that he had agreed to pay them money in exchange for sex. The client was arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution.

The client came to the Umansky Law Firm for representation. Attorney Zahra Umansky convinced the prosecutor not to file formal charges against the client and was successful in getting the case dismissed by the client's arraignment date.

When you are charged with solicitation, you face more than the legal charge against you. You also risk the public finding out about it. Losing your job, your family, and your friends may be just as big an incentive to avoid being charged with solicitation as the actual legalities of the situation.

If you have been charged with soliciting a prostitute in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else in Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm.

The U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force has detained a Raleigh, North Carolina man on a probation violation. This stems from a 1989 manslaughter conviction in Phoenix, Arizona.

The man's wife says she never knew her husband was on the lam. After he left Phoenix, he changed his name and got married. He and his wife have lived in Raleigh for the last ten years. She also says she was out shopping when her husband was arrested.

Authorities say the 55-year-old man killed a white supremacist that robbed and assaulted him previously. He fled Phoenix out of fear of retaliation. Marshals had been tracking the man after a 1999 New Mexico traffic stop. His wife believes he did not tell her about the incident because he was trying to protect her.

The man has waived extradition from North Carolina to Arizona, but those who knew him are shocked and devastated. He had just started a new job and was involved in his local church and sang in the church choir.

Perhaps running as he did was done out of fear for his safety, and while no one can condone what he did, many people might be able to understand. However, we have laws that, while we may not agree with all of them, are there to protect society as a whole.

This does not mean this man should not have a vigorous legal defense team willing to go the extra mile and see he is treated fairly. After 17 years, the man has a family and friends who can vouch as to how decent he has been, or has become.

No one has a stainless past. We all make mistakes, big and small. But when you wind up on the wrong side of the law, an experienced criminal defense lawyer can make all the difference in how the rest of your life will be spent.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orange County or Orlando, Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial case consultation.

Lisa Nowak, the former NASA astronaut accused of driving from Houston to Orlando to attack a romantic rival, pleaded guilty today to reduced charges. Nowak was sentenced to a year of probation after pleading guilty to third-degree felony
burglary and misdemeanor battery.

Nowak confronted the rival in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport in February 2007. Her perceived rival had started dating Nowak's former space shuttle pilot and love interest. Nowak allegedly attacked the victim with pepper spray after forcing herself into the woman's car. The victim was able to escape.

Law enforcement arrived a short time later and arrested Nowak. They found several items in the car leading investigators to believe Nowak planned to kidnap the woman, who believes she escaped death that night. She still suffers nightmares and other psychological problems three years after the attack.

Nowak's plea came after an appeals court ruled last year that items found in her car could be used as evidence in a trial that was scheduled for next month, but the police interview she gave after her arrest could not. The court alleges that investigators took advantage of Nowak who had not slept for more than a day. The prosecutor in the case asked for jail time and probation.

Nowak apologized in court, but was ordered to write a formal apology letter and not have contact with the victim or Nowak's ex-lover, who is now the victim's boyfriend.

If you have been charged with a crime in Orlando, Florida, or Orange County, Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial case consultation.

A high school teacher resigned this week after she admitted giving alcohol and her SUV to a student later arrested in a DUI accident. The teacher worked for the Seminole County Public School district.

The teacher allegedly told the principal of her school that she gave alcohol to one or more students at her house this week, then handed the keys to her SUV to a student and let him drive away Monday night. The 18-year-old student allegedly drove the truck into two parked cars and then parked the vehicle in his parents' driveway. When confronted by the police who found the truck, the student told them he hit the cars because he wasn't paying attention, and hid at home because he got scared.

The student smelled like alcohol, failed a sobriety test, and then allegedly told one of the officers he hated law enforcement and "wanted to kill a cop." They arrested the student for DUI with damaged property and leaving the scene of an accident.

Though the teacher who supplied the student with alcohol and gave him the keys to her car has not been arrested, the case has been forwarded by the police to the State Attorney's Office.

While teens and young adults regularly make bad decisions to varying degrees, adults also have lapses in judgment that are career enders. However, both these teens and adults deserve to have their day in court, as well as a chance to make things right and get on with their lives.

If you have been charged with a DUI or a related crime in Orange County or Orlando, Florida or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial confidential consultation.

A recent Umansky Law Firm client is a Disney employee who was found by a law enforcement officer slumped over the steering wheel of his car in a fast food restaurant parking lot. The officer approached the client's window and knocked on it to check on the well-being of him.

After several minutes of knocking and attempting to awaken the client, he was able to open the car door. The officer smelled alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and the client's speech was slurred. The smell of alcohol became stronger as the officer spoke with the client, who admitted drinking earlier in the evening. Adding to this, when the client exited the vehicle, he allegedly almost fell over.

The officer then requested the client perform field sobriety exercises. The client agreed, but performed badly on them. The client was then arrested and charged with DUI. A breath test was then administered, which resulted in the client being over the legal limit.

The Umansky Law Firm's attorney Zahra Umansky then took the case. Attorney Umansky was successful in having the client's case referred to the county diversion program. The client was successful in completing the diversion program and the criminal charge of DUI was dropped.

If you have been charged with DUI in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced criminal defense lawyers at the Umansky Law Firm for an initial consultation.