 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
Mark Bennett
Telephone: 866.221.8111 (toll-free) Principal Office:
|
We, Mark and Jennifer Bennett, are a husband-and-wife team of criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. Our principal office is downtown in Houston, Harris County, Texas -- the fourth-biggest city in the U.S. We have represented people successfully on cases from shoplifting to murder, including many driving while intoxicated (DWI) and drug conspiracy cases, and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. We have represented people successfully on cases from shop lifting to murder,.including many driving while intoxicated DWI DUI and drug conspiracy cases, Delivery of cocaine, marijuana, heroine, speed, crystal methamphetamine and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. Other cases we have won include Manslaughter Unlawfully carrying a weapon Aggravated assault on a police officer, Burglary, Houston Criminal Lawyers, Criminal Law Attorneys, criminal attorney, criminal lawyer, legal, Harris County, Houston, criminal defense View Fight The Feds SiteMap. ... Houston, Texas criminal lawyers defending people accused in felony, juvenile and misdemeanor courts. Includes free million-dollar legal advice The following are the types of cases handled by Mark Bennett and a brief description of their nature. For further information visit the Federal Crimes section of this website. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Crimes - Violation of Federal Drug Laws The primary federal narcotics law is 21 U.S.C. section 841(b)(1), which sets the maximum and minimum penalties for possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances. 841(b)(1) has three subsections -- (A), (B), and (C). Each subsection contains penalties less severe than the preceding subsection:
Prior felony drug offenses increase the punishment range in all subsections under section 851(a)(1) of title 21 of the U.S. Code: Most federal drug cases are charged both as "substantive offenses" under section 841 and as conspiracies under section 846 of Title 21. According to section 846, the penalty for the conspiracy is the same as the penalty for the substantive offense. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Money Laundering "Money Laundering"
generally refers to the crime of taking illegal money (the proceeds of
a crime -- "dirty" money) and making it appear to be legal,
or "clean." Frequently this is done by moving money from the
cash economy to the banking economy. For example, drug dealers get cash
for their product. Large quantities of cash are hard to spend. The drug
dealers want to get the cash into banks so that it can be used to buy
expensive things and be moved overseas. The people who move the cash into
banks are the money launderers. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
White Collar Crimes "White-Collar" crimes are non-violent crimes, involving real or potential financial gain to the people or companies that commit them. Such crimes are generally committed using papers (letters and documents), telephones, and computers, rather than by actual physical appropriation of money or property. Federal white-collar include health-care fraud, tax fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud, to name just a few. The heart of a fraud prosecution is the allegation that a person has intentionally obtained something of value by making false representations. For example, in a telemarketing fraud case the government's allegation is often that a person used a telephone to get people to send him money by promising something that he did not intend to deliver. In a health-care fraud case, the government might allege that a doctor or clinic billed an insurance company for medical treatment that was not provided. Allegations of white-collar crime are often accompanied by accusations of money laundering -- conducting financial transactions with the proceeds of criminal activity, intending to promote the illegal activity. The government has historically done this because the penalties for money laundering are more severe than those for fraud; after the 2001 amendments to the sentencing guidelines, which increased penalties for fraud, the disparity between money laundering and fraud sentences diminished, but the guidelines numbers for money laundering are still three or four points higher than those for fraud. At the wrong point in the sentencing table, these extra points could conceivably double a person's sentence. White-collar crime cases are paperwork-intensive. The government will often have many thousands of pages of documents to be used as evidence against a person. Two things are particularly important for a lawyer to do in such a case: first, to simplify -- to focus on what he is trying to keep the government from proving (typically either the act that is alleged or the fraudulent intent of that act); and second, to organize -- to get the voluminous documents in a state that allows him to retrieve any important piece of paper in an instant. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Violent Crimes assault |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Computer Crimes - Cybercrime Cybercrime is the use of computers and the internet by criminals to perpetrate fraud and other crimes against companies and consumers. To avoid harm from these activities, all users should check that web sites they use or people to whom they email sensitive information are genuine. Cybercrime - crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person's identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs Cybercrime is a broadly used term to describe criminal activity committed on computers or the Internet. Some of it is punishable by the laws of various countries, whereas others have a debatable legal status. Access Device Fraud - An "access device" is any means of account access that can be used to obtain anything of value. Obviously, for example, a credit card is an access device. But so is an ATM card personal identification number. Communication Systems - Section 1362 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 1362) forbids injuring or damaging communication systems operated or controlled by the United States, or used or intended to be used for military or civil defense functions of the United States. Interception of Communtications - Section 2511 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 USC § 2511) forbids the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications and the disclosure or use of illegally intercepted communications. Access to Stored Content - Section 2701 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 2701) bars unauthorized access, alteration, or prevention of access to stored wire or electronic communications. For example, hacking into someone's email. Disclosure
of Contents - Section 2702 of Title 18 of the United States Code
(18 USC § 2702) bars disclosure by a person providing electronic
communication or remote computing service to the public from disclosing
the contents of communications and customer records. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gun Crimes - The federal government regulates the possession of firearms. Crimes include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession by an illegal alien, and "unlicensed" possession of a firearm that requires a license (for example, a machine gun). Issues in firearms cases may include the true status of the defendant, Fourth Amendment search issues, and whether the "firearm" possessed is in fact a firearm. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environmental Crimes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration Crimes The most common immigration
crime is illegal reentry. To prove illegal reentry, the government must
prove that you were deported, did not have permission to reenter the country,
and were found in the country. There's not a whole lot for a lawyer to
fight about on guilt / innocence. On punishment, the most common enhancement
is for having been convicted of an aggravated felony, which is itself
not difficult for the government to prove. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We, Mark and Jennifer Bennett, are a husband-and-wife team of criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. Our principal office is downtown in Houston, Harris County, Texas -- the fourth-biggest city in the U.S. We have represented people successfully on cases from shoplifting to murder, including many driving while intoxicated (DWI) and drug conspiracy cases, and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. We have represented people successfully on cases from shop lifting to murder,.including many driving while intoxicated DWI DUI and drug conspiracy cases, Delivery of cocaine, marijuana, heroine, speed, crystal methamphetamine and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. Other cases we have won include Manslaughter Unlawfully carrying a weapon Aggravated assault on a police officer, Burglary, Houston Criminal Lawyers, Criminal Law Attorneys, criminal attorney, criminal lawyer, legal, Harris County, Houston, criminal defense View Fight The Feds SiteMap. ... Houston, Texas criminal lawyers defending people accused in felony, juvenile and misdemeanor courts. Includes free million-dollar legal advice The following are the types of cases handled by Mark Bennett and a brief description of their nature. For further information visit the Federal Crimes section of this website. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Crimes - Violation of Federal Drug Laws The primary federal narcotics law is 21 U.S.C. section 841(b)(1), which sets the maximum and minimum penalties for possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances. 841(b)(1) has three subsections -- (A), (B), and (C). Each subsection contains penalties less severe than the preceding subsection:
Prior felony drug offenses increase the punishment range in all subsections under section 851(a)(1) of title 21 of the U.S. Code: Most federal drug cases are charged both as "substantive offenses" under section 841 and as conspiracies under section 846 of Title 21. According to section 846, the penalty for the conspiracy is the same as the penalty for the substantive offense. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Money Laundering "Money Laundering"
generally refers to the crime of taking illegal money (the proceeds of
a crime -- "dirty" money) and making it appear to be legal,
or "clean." Frequently this is done by moving money from the
cash economy to the banking economy. For example, drug dealers get cash
for their product. Large quantities of cash are hard to spend. The drug
dealers want to get the cash into banks so that it can be used to buy
expensive things and be moved overseas. The people who move the cash into
banks are the money launderers. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
White Collar Crimes "White-Collar" crimes are non-violent crimes, involving real or potential financial gain to the people or companies that commit them. Such crimes are generally committed using papers (letters and documents), telephones, and computers, rather than by actual physical appropriation of money or property. Federal white-collar include health-care fraud, tax fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud, to name just a few. The heart of a fraud prosecution is the allegation that a person has intentionally obtained something of value by making false representations. For example, in a telemarketing fraud case the government's allegation is often that a person used a telephone to get people to send him money by promising something that he did not intend to deliver. In a health-care fraud case, the government might allege that a doctor or clinic billed an insurance company for medical treatment that was not provided. Allegations of white-collar crime are often accompanied by accusations of money laundering -- conducting financial transactions with the proceeds of criminal activity, intending to promote the illegal activity. The government has historically done this because the penalties for money laundering are more severe than those for fraud; after the 2001 amendments to the sentencing guidelines, which increased penalties for fraud, the disparity between money laundering and fraud sentences diminished, but the guidelines numbers for money laundering are still three or four points higher than those for fraud. At the wrong point in the sentencing table, these extra points could conceivably double a person's sentence. White-collar crime cases are paperwork-intensive. The government will often have many thousands of pages of documents to be used as evidence against a person. Two things are particularly important for a lawyer to do in such a case: first, to simplify -- to focus on what he is trying to keep the government from proving (typically either the act that is alleged or the fraudulent intent of that act); and second, to organize -- to get the voluminous documents in a state that allows him to retrieve any important piece of paper in an instant. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Violent Crimes assault |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Computer Crimes - Cybercrime Cybercrime is the use of computers and the internet by criminals to perpetrate fraud and other crimes against companies and consumers. To avoid harm from these activities, all users should check that web sites they use or people to whom they email sensitive information are genuine. Cybercrime - crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person's identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs Cybercrime is a broadly used term to describe criminal activity committed on computers or the Internet. Some of it is punishable by the laws of various countries, whereas others have a debatable legal status. Access Device Fraud - An "access device" is any means of account access that can be used to obtain anything of value. Obviously, for example, a credit card is an access device. But so is an ATM card personal identification number. Communication Systems - Section 1362 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 1362) forbids injuring or damaging communication systems operated or controlled by the United States, or used or intended to be used for military or civil defense functions of the United States. Interception of Communtications - Section 2511 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 USC § 2511) forbids the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications and the disclosure or use of illegally intercepted communications. Access to Stored Content - Section 2701 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 2701) bars unauthorized access, alteration, or prevention of access to stored wire or electronic communications. For example, hacking into someone's email. Disclosure
of Contents - Section 2702 of Title 18 of the United States Code
(18 USC § 2702) bars disclosure by a person providing electronic
communication or remote computing service to the public from disclosing
the contents of communications and customer records. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gun Crimes - The federal government regulates the possession of firearms. Crimes include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession by an illegal alien, and "unlicensed" possession of a firearm that requires a license (for example, a machine gun). Issues in firearms cases may include the true status of the defendant, Fourth Amendment search issues, and whether the "firearm" possessed is in fact a firearm. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environmental Crimes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration Crimes The most common immigration
crime is illegal reentry. To prove illegal reentry, the government must
prove that you were deported, did not have permission to reenter the country,
and were found in the country. There's not a whole lot for a lawyer to
fight about on guilt / innocence. On punishment, the most common enhancement
is for having been convicted of an aggravated felony, which is itself
not difficult for the government to prove. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We, Mark and Jennifer Bennett, are a husband-and-wife team of criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. Our principal office is downtown in Houston, Harris County, Texas -- the fourth-biggest city in the U.S. We have represented people successfully on cases from shoplifting to murder, including many driving while intoxicated (DWI) and drug conspiracy cases, and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. criminal defense lawyers representing people charged with serious crimes -- misdemeanors and felonies -- in state and federal courts in Texas and across the U.S. Mark was named one of the top criminal lawyers in Houston in 2004 by H Texas Magazine. We have represented people successfully on cases from shop lifting to murder,.including many driving while intoxicated DWI DUI and drug conspiracy cases, Delivery of cocaine, marijuana, heroine, speed, crystal methamphetamine and a large number of white-collar cases in Texas state courts and federal courts nationwide. Other cases we have won include Manslaughter Unlawfully carrying a weapon Aggravated assault on a police officer, Burglary, Houston Criminal Lawyers, Criminal Law Attorneys, criminal attorney, criminal lawyer, legal, Harris County, Houston, criminal defense View Fight The Feds SiteMap. ... Houston, Texas criminal lawyers defending people accused in felony, juvenile and misdemeanor courts. Includes free million-dollar legal advice The following are the types of cases handled by Mark Bennett and a brief description of their nature. For further information visit the Federal Crimes section of this website. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drug Crimes - Violation of Federal Drug Laws The primary federal narcotics law is 21 U.S.C. section 841(b)(1), which sets the maximum and minimum penalties for possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances. 841(b)(1) has three subsections -- (A), (B), and (C). Each subsection contains penalties less severe than the preceding subsection:
Prior felony drug offenses increase the punishment range in all subsections under section 851(a)(1) of title 21 of the U.S. Code: Most federal drug cases are charged both as "substantive offenses" under section 841 and as conspiracies under section 846 of Title 21. According to section 846, the penalty for the conspiracy is the same as the penalty for the substantive offense. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Money Laundering "Money Laundering"
generally refers to the crime of taking illegal money (the proceeds of
a crime -- "dirty" money) and making it appear to be legal,
or "clean." Frequently this is done by moving money from the
cash economy to the banking economy. For example, drug dealers get cash
for their product. Large quantities of cash are hard to spend. The drug
dealers want to get the cash into banks so that it can be used to buy
expensive things and be moved overseas. The people who move the cash into
banks are the money launderers. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
White Collar Crimes "White-Collar" crimes are non-violent crimes, involving real or potential financial gain to the people or companies that commit them. Such crimes are generally committed using papers (letters and documents), telephones, and computers, rather than by actual physical appropriation of money or property. Federal white-collar include health-care fraud, tax fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud, to name just a few. The heart of a fraud prosecution is the allegation that a person has intentionally obtained something of value by making false representations. For example, in a telemarketing fraud case the government's allegation is often that a person used a telephone to get people to send him money by promising something that he did not intend to deliver. In a health-care fraud case, the government might allege that a doctor or clinic billed an insurance company for medical treatment that was not provided. Allegations of white-collar crime are often accompanied by accusations of money laundering -- conducting financial transactions with the proceeds of criminal activity, intending to promote the illegal activity. The government has historically done this because the penalties for money laundering are more severe than those for fraud; after the 2001 amendments to the sentencing guidelines, which increased penalties for fraud, the disparity between money laundering and fraud sentences diminished, but the guidelines numbers for money laundering are still three or four points higher than those for fraud. At the wrong point in the sentencing table, these extra points could conceivably double a person's sentence. White-collar crime cases are paperwork-intensive. The government will often have many thousands of pages of documents to be used as evidence against a person. Two things are particularly important for a lawyer to do in such a case: first, to simplify -- to focus on what he is trying to keep the government from proving (typically either the act that is alleged or the fraudulent intent of that act); and second, to organize -- to get the voluminous documents in a state that allows him to retrieve any important piece of paper in an instant. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Violent Crimes assault |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Computer Crimes - Cybercrime Cybercrime is the use of computers and the internet by criminals to perpetrate fraud and other crimes against companies and consumers. To avoid harm from these activities, all users should check that web sites they use or people to whom they email sensitive information are genuine. Cybercrime - crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person's identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs Cybercrime is a broadly used term to describe criminal activity committed on computers or the Internet. Some of it is punishable by the laws of various countries, whereas others have a debatable legal status. Access Device Fraud - An "access device" is any means of account access that can be used to obtain anything of value. Obviously, for example, a credit card is an access device. But so is an ATM card personal identification number. Communication Systems - Section 1362 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 1362) forbids injuring or damaging communication systems operated or controlled by the United States, or used or intended to be used for military or civil defense functions of the United States. Interception of Communtications - Section 2511 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 USC § 2511) forbids the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications and the disclosure or use of illegally intercepted communications. Access to Stored Content - Section 2701 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. § 2701) bars unauthorized access, alteration, or prevention of access to stored wire or electronic communications. For example, hacking into someone's email. Disclosure
of Contents - Section 2702 of Title 18 of the United States Code
(18 USC § 2702) bars disclosure by a person providing electronic
communication or remote computing service to the public from disclosing
the contents of communications and customer records. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gun Crimes - The federal government regulates the possession of firearms. Crimes include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession by an illegal alien, and "unlicensed" possession of a firearm that requires a license (for example, a machine gun). Issues in firearms cases may include the true status of the defendant, Fourth Amendment search issues, and whether the "firearm" possessed is in fact a firearm. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Environmental Crimes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration Crimes The most common immigration
crime is illegal reentry. To prove illegal reentry, the government must
prove that you were deported, did not have permission to reenter the country,
and were found in the country. There's not a whole lot for a lawyer to
fight about on guilt / innocence. On punishment, the most common enhancement
is for having been convicted of an aggravated felony, which is itself
not difficult for the government to prove. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||