TILDEN LAW – Orlando Criminal Attorney

A 17 year old Central Florida girl was arrested on an allegation of felony cyberstalking.  Marion County Sheriff’s detectives state that Shannon Marie Mitchell (17), of Ocala obtained photographs of a 15 year old girl from a social media Web site and posting them on a porn site.   Along with the teen’s photos, Mitchell also posted the 15 year old victim’s name, age, phone number and explicit comments on the pornography site.  The 17-year-old girl was arrested and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Marion County.

Detectives say the 15-year-old girl then received multiple sexually explicit text messages and phone calls from unknown men who requested sexual favors and nude pictures.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, during an interview with detectives, Mitchell said, “I did it,” and added that the victim would not stop harassing her. Detectives said Mitchell did not think it was that big of a deal when she admitted to posting the pictures until she ended up in a juvenile corrections facility.

Investigators said Mitchell had a grudge against the girl, who was her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend, so she went online and set out to ruin the other teen’s reputation.

“We get more and more reports of teens harassing each other over the Internet or with cell phones. We take this crime very seriously,” said Lt. Chris Vorisek, supervisor in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit. “People, especially teenagers, really need to know, if their actions rise to the level of a criminal offense, they will likely be arrested.”

Mitchell he has since been released from the Marion County Juvenile Assessment Center to her parents.

If you have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Attorney Todd Macaluso has resigned from the defense team defending Casey Anthony on charges of murder citing issues with the California Bar. According to the Orlando Sentinel, attorney Jose Baez made the announcement Sunday. According to the California State Bar Association, Macaluso is accused of misappropriating approximately $145,000 and misusing almost $61,000 in client money. These allegations are considered actions of “moral turpitude, dishonesty or corruption” as related to several client’s trust accounts.

In connection with this allegation, Macaluso has entered an alternative discipline program in California. Macaluso has denied any intentional Bar violations and is shifting the blame for his Bar troubles to his staff.

TILDEN LAW was recently successful in defending a client charged with a drug offense which resulted in all criminal charges being dropped.   According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department arrest report, our client was initially stopped for throwing a lighted cigarette out of his window while driving his vehicle on Colonial Drive in Orlando, Florida.  After being advised the reason for the stop, the Deputy requested permission to search our client’s vehicle which he refused.

A K-9 unit was called to the scene of the stop to conduct a canine search from the vehicle’s exterior.  According to the report, the K-9 units sweep search of the vehicle resulted in a “hit” or positive indication of drugs.  A search of the interior of the vehicle revealed a bag of Marijuana and two marijuana smoking pipes in the center console. 

Immediately after being retained by our client, attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, filed pleadings entering a plea of not guilty as to all charges and requested copies of all drug tests conducted.  Mr. Tilden also petitioned the State Attorney’s office to dismiss all charges against his client.  As a result, the Orange County State Attorney’s office agreed with our request, dismissing all charges against our client.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Drug crime in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the criminal defense attorneys at TILDEN LAW for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

With a few clicks of the computer mouse, he pulled up a page for a local woman advertising her services as an escort. Translation: sex for money.  It’s the modern version of the world’s oldest profession. Women who trade sex for money have found their way to solicit clients, on the information superhighway and specifically Craigslist.

On Wednesday, online escorts were center stage for Central Florida’s Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation agents who worked a sting operation aimed at escorts who charge upward of $200 an hour for their services.  As the crackdown continued into the night, five women ages 20-30 were arrested on allegations of prostitution.

MBI was the latest Central Florida law-enforcement endeavor to target prostitutes who market themselves online. A similar sting operation in Polk County led to 34 arrests last weekend. Those suspects included prostitutes and pimps, Polk officials said.

Agent Riggi is a 19-year law-enforcement veteran and supervisor of MBI’s Vice and Organized Crime unit. His years on the job have taught him how to spot a likely prostitution advertisement.  He clicked on an ad called “!Sweet as Candy!” posted in the casual-encounters portion of Craigslist. He finds a few short sentences and a picture of a scantily clad woman.  The posting, which may look distasteful to many people unaware of the subculture of escorts, pimps and prostitutes, doesn’t immediately appear illegal.  “Wanna play today? Come on over!” the listing says.  But it’s the next sentence that catches Riggi’s eye.  *$erious Gentlemen Only Plea$e*”  Although there is no mention of money, the dollar signs used in the last line shows Riggi this isn’t just a girl looking for fun. She’s likely a high-dollar escort, so he logs into his undercover e-mail account and fires off a message.  He wants to get her to an Orlando hotel where a pre-arranged bust is already scheduled. But she does not reply.

Central Florida MBI has been looking for prostitutes on the Internet for at least five years, scanning ads in such online sites as Craigslist and backpage.com. The agency schedules several stings per year but will do them spontaneously if hotels or other businesses complain.  MBI also monitors massage parlors, some of which advertise on the Internet. But it leaves the streetwalkers who frequent high-traffic areas such as to local law enforcement.

If you have been accused or charged with a criminal offense in Orlando, Florida, contact the defense firm of Tilden Law for a free case evaluation.