Under the New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 2C:17-3), a person is guilty when he or she:
Punishable by 5 to 10 years in prison and up to $150,000 in fines
Punishable by 3 to 5 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines
Punishable by 6 to 18 months in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
If you’ve been charged with Vandalism, have the following choices:
Plead Guilty
You will have to admit what you did under oath. This option will leave you with a criminal conviction. It will stay on your record for years and it will show up a background check.
Plead Guilty to a Downgraded Charge
This is one aspect of plea bargaining. Instead of admitting that you committed vandalism, we will work out a deal with the prosecutor where you plea guilty to a lesser offense.
Go To Trial & Get Acquitted
This means that a judge or jury listened to all of the evidence & decided that you are not guilty of committing vandalism.
Go To Trial & Get Convicted
This means that the judge listened to all of the evidence & decided that you did commit vandalism.
Dismiss Your Charges
Depending on the facts of your case, we may be able to get your criminal charges dismissed. It’s not easy, but we’ve been able to do it.
Vandalism & Graffiti charges are commonly charged with Trespassing & Criminal Mischief.
If you think about it, it makes sense.
You entered a property without permission (trespassing) and the act of painting graffiti could be described as criminal mischief.
This is a very difficult question to answer.
For example, you may get arrested because of a “false accusation”.
Perhaps you have an “alibi” defense.
For example, this means that we can show proof that you did not commit the crime. We can show that you were out of the country.
It is important to examine all of the evidence against you before we develop a defense theory.
If you plead guilty or are found guilty of vandalism, you can expunge the arrest and conviction after many years.
If you are acquitted at trial, you will not have a conviction. However, you will need to expunge the “arrest” record.
If you use the Conditional Dismissal program, you will need to wait one year to expunge your arrest record.
It is extremely important to expunge the record of your arrest because this will pop up on any & all background checks.
Yes.
Although appeals can be expensive, it’s definitely worth the money to try.
If you feel that you didn’t get a fair trial or that certain evidence was irrelevant, an appeal is a way to go.
I highly recommend that you hire an aggressive, criminal lawyer to represent you for your appeal.
There are specific steps that must be taken to (intelligently) file an appeal.
Please do not try to do this alone, get help!
You or a loved one have been arrested. Understandably, you are terrified & have a lot of questions. You’ve heard about plea bargains & probation, but the process is overwhelming. You want a local attorney near you to represent you.
Mr. Peyrouton is from Ridgewood & handles all types of criminal matters in New Jersey The New Jersey Law Journal recently published one of his articles on the subject of criminal law.
Regardless of the criminal charges you are facing, we are here to defend & protect you. Whether you are facing a restraining order, drug charge, theft charge, or aggravated assault charge, we are here to help you. Even a DWI case can really complicate your life.
If we can’t get your charges dismissed, we can either get them downgraded or place you in a diversionary program. The point is, our criminal defense lawyers will fight tirelessly to get you the best result possible. Take advantage of our free consultation to see how we can help.
Below, you will find a few of our practice areas.
Our Hackensack criminal lawyers represent clients in Bergen County & nearby counties & cities.
There are plenty of excellent Hackensack criminal lawyers in our area. Most, if not all of them, offer free, 20-minute, consultations. However, our free consultations do not have a time limit. You will never feel rushed.
The best way for us to help you is to patiently listen to your side of the story. Your version of events will serve as the basis for your legal defense. It is during these initial meetings that your memory of the event is fresh in your mind. Why we would rush you during such an important aspect of your case.
We understand that your choice of attorney could mean the difference between your freedom and spending years behind bars.
When you hire an attorney, you are entering a long-term relationship. For this reason, it is important that you feel comfortable with the team of Hackensack criminal lawyers that will represent you.
Our criminal defense law firm handles criminal matters throughout Northern New Jersey — including, but not limited to, clients in the following localities:
BERGEN COUNTY, including Hackensack, Elmwood Park, Teaneck, Fort Lee, Rochelle Park, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Englewood, Bergenfield, Paramus, Mahwah, Cliffside Park, Ridgewood, Lodi, Lyndhurst, and Palisades Park,
PASSAIC COUNTY, including Paterson, Clifton, Passaic, Wayne, and West Milford;
HUDSON COUNTY, including Jersey City, Union City, Bayonne, North Bergen, Hoboken, West New York, Kearny, and Secaucus;
ESSEX COUNTY, including Newark, East Orange, Irvington, West Orange, Montclair, Belleville, Livingston, Nutley, Maplewood, and Millburn.
HACKENSACK OFFICE
200 Passaic St, Hackensack, NJ 07601
Phone: (201) 686-9538
alan@peyroutonlaw.com
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Before making your choice of an attorney, you should give this matter careful thought. If this advertisement is inaccurate or misleading, you may report same to the Committee on Attorney Advertising at Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 037, Trenton, NJ 08625