June 15, 2011

• Steven Topazio wrote this April 27, 2014 at 12:12 pm

The defendant, who was arrested after being set up by a so called confidential informant who allegedly purchased cocaine from the defendant, hired Attorney Topazio to represent him. Distribution of a Class B substance, subsequent offense is an indictable offence which carries mandatory state prison time. Attorney Topazio prepared pretrial motions to discover the identity of the informant in the case and to suppress evidence. Attorney Topazio argued that the identity of an informant is required when that person acts as a participant in and an eyewitness to an offense. The Commonwealth resisted the efforts of Attorney Topazio to force the disclosure of the informant, but indicated it would do so if ordered by the court. As a compromise, Attorney Topazio was successful in getting all the charges against his client dismissed, on three separate cases, in exchange for a guilty plea to an amended complaint to a first offense of distribution of a class B substance, which sentence was suspended for six (6) months, thus avoiding mandatory jail time for his client, and the Court agreed.