Controlled Substances/Drugs

• On the law – Partner Richard Portale achieved dismissal of Westchester County’s first ever “Drug Kingpin” Indictment.

• NYC Wrongful conviction of alleged “Drug Kingpin” reversed – On April 14, 2021, the Appellate Division, Second Department reversed the convictionof Portale Randazzo client, Elvis Moreno, dismissed the indictment against him and released him from prison. Although Mr. Moreno had merely been an innocent passenger in a car where a drug sale took place, he was wrongfully convicted after a jury trial of one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance and one count of Conspiracy. The sentencing court had wrongfully labeled Mr. Moreno a “Drug Kingpin” and had sentenced him to seven (7) years in prison despite his having no criminal record. He is now a free man.

• Federal Wrongful Conviction overturned – Federal Conspiracy to Possess and Distribute over 1 kilogram of PCP between New York and Washington, DC: our new client was serving a sentence of 235 months in federal prison for his role. After submission of appellate briefs and oral arguments in the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit by partner Richard Portale, the matter was remanded back to the District Court for further proceedings, where it was ultimately dismissed, and the client released.

• Federal Drug indictment – client indicted in SDNY for possession with intent to distribute over 1000 kilos sentenced to “no jail”.

• Unlawful search – All criminal charges were dismissed against our client who was charged with possession of 6,000 ecstasy pills on a public bus.

• State of Colorado – Possession and transportation of 50 kilos. No jail.

• State of North Carolina – Possession with intent to Distribute 20 kilos of cocaine and seizure of approximately $500k in cash. All charges dismissed and client returned to his family.

• State of Washington – Possession of large quantity of several Controlled Substances at the American border crossing with intent to export to the Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia, Canada. All criminal charges dismissed.

• Federal Drug Indictment – client indicted in SDNY for his role in a “Pill Mill” conspiracy involving thousands of pills was sentenced to “no jail”.

Firearms/Guns

• “L’il Vicious’, a Billboard number one recording artist, was a passenger in a car leaving the Rough Rider’s recording studio in Yonkers. Two white Yonkers policemen unlawfully searched the two black men in their Mercedes AMG and recovered a loaded firearm in our client’s pants. At the pretrial suppression hearings, attorneys Richard Portale and Chad Mair artfully demonstrated the rogue police officer’s violation of our client’s 4^th Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The learned Court found the police only partially credible, suppressed the firearm and released the client on bail. He is now a proud father awaiting the result of the Government’s appeal.

• Our client was allegedly peddling dime bags of weed on the street when plain clothes, street crime detectives rolled up on him, threw him up against the wall and searched his waistline, recovering a loaded handgun. Under intense, strategic cross examination by partner Richard Portale, the unwitting detective admitted he was not in fear for his safety when he conducted the “Terry Pat” of our client for weapons. The gun was suppressed, and the client set free.

• Our client was indicted for possession of a loaded firearm and other crimes after police found a loaded firearm under the seat of his car. Partner Richard Portale tried the case to a NOT GUILTY verdict and the client was released.

• Very recently, the partners achieved a “Speedy Trial” dismissal of a loaded AR-15 in the Bronx after months of tactical litigation.

• All criminal charges were dismissed against our client who was charged with shooting a man in Club “In Time” in Mount Vernon.

• Very recently our client, a global pioneer in the data privacy field at a fortune 100 company, moved to NYC with his husband and they failed to register their handgun. The client was indicted for Possession of a Firearm, had lost the pretrial suppression hearings, and was headed to trial under prior counsel. Our firm was hired and within a few months, all criminal charges were dismissed without a trial.