- Divorce
- Child AbuseHaving a child in the car with you when you are arrested for DUI increases the charge to a felony and usually subjects you to the additional charge of felony child abuse – there is no requirement that you have been in an accident, or that the child has suffered harm. An aggravated felony DUI charge that is predicated on the presence of a child in the vehicle is a class six felony, but child abuse is typically charged as a higher class 5 felony. If you are charged with these offenses, then you need to take immediate and aggressive action to avoid having a felony on your record and suffering the consequences of such a conviction.
- Criminal DefenseNesci & St. Louis is an award-winning criminal defense law firm located in Tucson, Arizona. Our team is comprised of attorneys with over 40 years of legal experience dealing with some of the toughest and most complex criminal cases possible, such as...
- DUI/DWIWhen people learn that I have been defending people accused of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) for over 35 years, everyone has one question. Family members, friends, people I meet at cocktail parties, and parents of students from my sons’ schools all want to know the same thing: What should I do if I get pulled over after I have had a drink or two? They ask this because we all know that when an officer pulls you over after you have consumed alcohol, there is at least a chance that you will end up being arrested for DUI, and everyone wants to do whatever they can to prevent that from happening.
- Traffic ViolationsWhen you see those flashing red and blue lights in your rear-view mirror, you are already being investigated. This is the “ vehicle in motion ” phase of the investigation. The officer is observing whether you are committing any traffic violations – such as speeding or changing lanes without signaling – and whether you are exhibiting any National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) driving cues that show a possibility or probability of impairment – such as...
- Sex CrimesWith over 40 years of combined experience, our Tucson sex crime lawyers at Nesci & St. Louis have the extensive knowledge and determination necessary to present the most comprehensive defenses against accusations of sexual assault, rape, child pornography/cyber crimes, indecent exposure, child molestation and other offenses. Sex offenses may carry mandatory prison time, require you to register as a sex offender, require that you be placed on sex offender probation, and carry all of the consequences of having a felony conviction.
- FraudTitle 13 of the Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) contains the state’s criminal codes governing theft, forgery, credit card fraud, business and commercial fraud, embezzlement, bribery and other white collar crimes. State investigations may involve the Arizona Attorney General’s office, the state’s law enforcement agencies and the local city or county law enforcement agencies. Federal crimes are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal law enforcement agencies, and are governed by a long list of statutes, including...
- RobberyOur Tucson violent crime defense law firm aggressively tears apart the state’s forensic evidence in sexual assault, armed robbery, and homicide trials. Our defense lawyers consult with a team of medical, scientific and technology experts to refute the prosecution’s unreliable findings. Our aggressive experts offer effective, professional testimony at felony trials to explain technical, sophisticated information in terms that jurors and judges can understand.
- Burglary(c) The sealed case records involved burglary or theft from a residential or nonresidential structure and the person is applying for a job that requires entering into and performing services inside of a residential structure.
- White Collar CrimesWhite collar crimes are nonviolent crimes committed for financial gain. The reference to “white collar” describes the typical defendant — usually a professional, often working in the financial field or in real estate, with access to the private financial information of another individual or company.
- Theft
- MisdemeanorsNesci & St. Louis represents individuals who have been accused of felony and misdemeanor crimes in Arizona state and federal courts. Our Tucson criminal lawyers have over 40 years of combined experience and the relentless determination to obtain the best outcomes possible in your case.
- Embezzlement
- Drug CrimesAlthough drug crimes are considered victimless, the potential sentences for convictions are harsh. Having an Arizona drug crime lawyer strategizing the best defense to a drug case is crucial to your success. Often the successful defense of a drug case depends on challenges to searches, seizures and demonstrating that government witnesses are not reliable or credible.
- AssaultHave you been charged with aggravated assault? This is a serious charge, often requiring mandatory prison time if you are convicted. Call Nesci & St. Louis today to begin challenging the state’s case and give yourself the opportunity to obtain the best result possible. Even if you are not incarcerated, being convicted of a felony offense can affect your...
- MurderMr. St. Louis has defended several death penalty cases, both in state court, where he was lead counsel in Pima County’s first death penalty case tried completely to a jury (the client received a prison sentence after Mr. St. Louis convinced the jury not to impose the death penalty) and in federal court, where he was found to be qualified as “Learned Counsel,†a designation reserved for only the most qualified attorneys handling these cases. Mr. St. Louis has the unique distinction of having had two back-to-back first-degree murder cases in which the judges dismissed all murder charges during the trial.
- HomicideOur defense lawyers serving Tucson have experience representing defendants facing the most severe sentences possible - life in prison and the death penalty. Our Tucson violence and homicide attorney Joseph P. St. Louis has been designated as Learned Counsel – allowing him to serve as lead counsel in federal death penalty cases.
- Arson
- Restraining OrderEnacted in 2008, the Arizona Rules of Protective Order Procedures (ARPOP) govern the issuance of domestic violence orders of protection, emergency orders of protection, injunctions against harassment and injunctions against workplace harassment. ARPOP law guides judges on courtroom processes for issuing, amending and terminating orders. The law permits criminal and civil courts to issue orders of protection, and the violation of a restraining order is considered a criminal offense.
- Forgery(g) The sealed case records involved theft, theft of means of transportation, forgery, taking the identity of another or fraudulent schemes and artifices and the person is applying for a job involving accounting, overseeing, transporting, handling or managing another person’s money or financial assets.
- Money Laundering
- Kidnapping
- ManslaughterBy comparison, A.R.S. §13-1103 defines manslaughter as recklessly causing the death of another person, and, as a Class 2 felony, is a more serious offense than negligent homicide. Statute A.R.S. §13-105(10)(c) defines "recklessly" as "with respect to a result or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware of and consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the result will occur or that the circumstance exists. The risk must be of such nature and degree that disregard of such risk constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the situation. A person who creates such as risk but who is unaware of such risk solely by reason of voluntary intoxication also acts recklessly with respect to such risk.”
- Internet CrimesEven if the viewer stops viewing the image immediately and attempts to delete it, if the image has been identified as child pornography by the government, a report will be made by your internet service provider to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and that tip will be forwarded to the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children task force. A local police agency will obtain a warrant to learn the name and address on the internet account holder for the residence where the image was viewed, and the police will come to that person’s home to question, and, in most cases, arrest them.
- Prostitution
- Extortion
- Business DisputesNesci & St. Louis is a Tucson-based law firm that represents the criminally accused in state and federal cases throughout Southern Arizona. We are a premier, award-winning law firm that only handles criminal defense charges. We don’t draft wills, handle divorce cases or represent people in contract disputes. This level of focus allows us to pursue the best possible results for our clients.
- Business TransactionsTechnology is progressing quickly, allowing users more access to information from greater numbers of people located in a larger geographic range. Computers have also made it easier to conduct financial and commercial transactions between individuals and companies who will never meet. To keep pace with the technological advances, the laws regarding Internet, smartphone and computer use are evolving rapidly.
- Medical MalpracticeMost of us have a doctor that we generally see when we have a medical issue. If we have a medical issue outside our doctor’s scope of expertise, he or she will send us to a specialist. The same is true when you are arrested for a DUI – your attorney must be qualified to handle the case. DUIs are complicated to defend and require specialized knowledge – I wouldn’t handle a medical malpractice case; someone who specializes in bankruptcy shouldn’t handle your DUI. Your lawyer must understand how to challenge legal issues that may range from whether the stop of your car was legally permitted to whether the crime laboratory that tested your blood sample performs blood testing in a manner that produces accurate and reliable test results. Board certifications in criminal law recognized by your state’s Bar Association, or in DUI Defense through the National College of DUI Defense, recognized by the American Bar Association, are good indicators that your attorney is knowledgeable.
- Auto Accidents
- WillsWe don’t try to handle every type of case – we don’t represent clients in family law matters, or draft wills and trusts. We are 100% focused on representing those accused of crimes. This singular focus allows us to provide the very best representation for the criminally accused throughout Arizona.
- Trusts
- Bankruptcy