September 8, 2014
- Steven Topazio wrote this May 10, 2015 at 2:05 pm
The client, a 45 year old South Boston native, hired Boston Criminal Defense Lawyer Steven J. Topazio to defend him after he was arrested and charged with trafficking in heroin, a Class A drug, and held in custody on bail. According to the police report, the client was arrested for shoplifting CDs and food from a convenience store and was found in possession of over $4000.00 and 96 bags of heroin. The heroin was tested and weighed over 25 grams, which resulted in the client facing a trafficking charge which included a 3 year mandatory minimum sentence. Following his arrest the client was sectioned to Bridgewater State Hospital pursuant to MGL c. 123 § 35 due to his substance addiction problem, then committed to the Shattuck Hospital for 2 ½ months. At the time of his arrest, the client was also on probation out of the Hingham District Court. The client received a sentence on the Hingham case of two (2) year House of Corrections, with six (6) months committed, balance suspended, and was now in violation of the terms of that probation due to the trafficking arrest. The client defaulted on the Hingham case due to being held in custody on bail on the trafficking case complicating his release from custody. Attorney Topazio met with the prosecutor and was able to negotiate a reduction in the charges for his client in the Suffolk Superior Court case, from trafficking to possession with intent to distribute, and the court agreed. The trafficking charge was amended to possession with intent to distribute Class A substance and the client received a sentence of eighteen (18) months to the House of Corrections, 328 days to serve, deemed served, with the balance suspended. Among his conditions of probation, the client was ordered to submit to random urine testing and to remain drug and alcohol free. Attorney Topazio next appeared in the Hingham District Court after his client was released from custody and was successful in persuading the Court to terminate the Hingham probation without his client having to serve any additional time, despite the probation officer’s request that his client be further committed.