As seen on
NBC 6 South Florida · Telemundo 51 · Univisión · Telemundo Área de la Bahía · Diario de Cuba · Periódico Cubano
These are some of the cases and legal questions I've been asked to explain on air. Each one opens into a plain-language answer — tap “What this means” on any story.
NBC 6 South Florida
The new Florida criminal laws, explained
What changed on July 1 — including Missy's Law and tougher domestic violence penalties — and who it affects.
What this means
Missy's Law requires immediate custody, with no bond, once a defendant pleads guilty, pleads no contest, or is convicted of a designated “dangerous crime.” Separate changes raise penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and pilot electronic monitoring on probation.
NBC 6 · Telemundo 51 · Diario de Cuba
Can Raúl Castro be indicted in U.S. federal court?
Thirty years after the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown, outlets across Miami asked me whether a federal indictment is still possible.
Read the coverage →What this means
Legally, yes: for the most serious crimes there is no statute of limitations, so an indictment remains possible decades later. The real hurdle isn't the charge — it's custody: bringing a foreign official to the United States to face prosecution.
This is federal criminal procedure, the center of my practice. How federal cases work →
NBC 6 South Florida
When can a minor be charged as an adult?
Asked to explain how Florida decides whether a teenager is prosecuted in adult court.
Watch the segment →What this means
Florida lets prosecutors “direct file” certain juveniles into adult court, where they face adult penalties and an adult record. The decision belongs to the prosecutor, not a judge — which is why early defense involvement can shape whether a case stays in the juvenile system.
NBC 6 South Florida
Adult jail or juvenile detention?
Where a minor charged as an adult is held while the case is pending — and whether that can change.
Read the story →What this means
A direct-filed minor may be held in adult jail, but the defense can ask the court to move them back to juvenile detention. Courts weigh the charge, safety, and the minor's circumstances — and where a young client is held affects both their wellbeing and the defense of the case.
NBC 6 South Florida
What does it mean to ask a judge to step down?
Explaining a defense motion asking the judge to recuse in a high-profile Hialeah case.
Read the story →What this means
A motion to recuse asks a judge to step aside when facts would make a reasonable person question the judge's impartiality. If granted, a new judge takes the case. It isn't an accusation of wrongdoing — it's a remedy aimed at keeping the proceeding fair.
NBC 6 South Florida
How does evidence from another country reach a U.S. case?
On a Florida case with conduct alleged in Spain: how cross-border evidence actually works.
Watch on NBC 6 →What this means
Prosecutors obtain foreign evidence through treaty channels and government-to-government cooperation — and the defense is entitled to review all of it in discovery and challenge how it was gathered. Cases that cross borders are a core part of my federal practice, including extradition matters. More on federal cases →
NBC 6 South Florida
What does child neglect actually require?
On charges against an Opa-locka official after a child was left alone in a car for hours.
Read the story →What this means
Child neglect in Florida turns on a caregiver's failure to provide the care a reasonably prudent person would, creating a risk of harm. The felony level depends on whether actual harm resulted — and intent, knowledge, and who counts as a “caregiver” are all real battlegrounds in these cases.
Case Result · NBC 6 South Florida
Charges dismissed after a medical emergency
A fire lieutenant faced charges after a seizure preceded a deadly crash. I represented him — the charges were dropped.
Watch on NBC 6 →What this means
Crimes generally require a voluntary act. A sudden, unforeseeable medical event — like a seizure with no warning — can negate that element entirely. That was the basis for getting the charges against my client dropped.
Case results depend on the specific facts of each case. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any other matter.
NBC 6 South Florida
What happens on appeal after a guilty verdict?
From the trial of two Miami Beach officers to the appeals court upholding one verdict.
Watch on NBC 6 →What this means
An appeal isn't a second trial. The appellate court reviews the record for legal error — it doesn't re-weigh the facts. If the verdict is upheld, the conviction stands, and further review is narrow. That's why the trial record itself is where most cases are truly won or lost. How the process works, step by step →
Univisión
What a high-profile guilty verdict means
Invited on Univisión to explain, in plain terms, what follows a guilty verdict in a nationally watched case.
What this means
A guilty verdict is the end of the trial, not the end of the case: sentencing follows on a separate schedule, and appellate review comes after that. The rules are the same for every defendant — famous or not — and that's exactly the point I was there to explain.