Criminal Defense Lawyer

Mason OH Criminal Defense Attorneys

Engel & Martin, LLC understands criminal law from a 360-degree perspective and follows an approach based on creativeness, aggressiveness and strategic implementation.

According to the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, 464 separate Ohio law enforcement agencies made 302,529 arrests in 2009. These arrests were for a variety of crimes, from relatively petty crimes such as shoplifting to serious offenses like murder. Many of these charges carry substantial penalties, including the potential for incarceration in county jail or state prison, steep fines and fees, and other consequences, such as license suspension or even deportation.

If you have been charged with an Ohio crime, you are likely experiencing anxiety and stress over what will happen to you. In this situation, having an experienced criminal defense attorney — particularly one who knows how the system works — can make the difference. Your lawyer will advocate for your rights and protect your freedom, increasing the likelihood of a favorable outcome.

The law firm of Engel & Martin, LLC represents clients throughout Ohio from our offices in Mason and Columbus. With decades of combined experience both as prosecutors and now as private criminal defense lawyers, they have handled thousands of criminal cases in both state and federal court.

Types of Cases We Handle

Our law firm represents individuals who have been charged with a range of criminal offenses throughout the great Cincinnati area. This includes both state and federal criminal charges, ranging from misdemeanors offenses and infractions to felonies.

We advocate for clients who have been charged with:

Computer and Technology Offenses

As the world has digitized and grown increasingly interconnected, computer and technology offenses have become prevalent. As a result, governments and local prosecutors are moving more aggressively to punish those charged with these crimes. Our criminal defense lawyers are familiar with the complex legal issues that arise in computer crime cases and will mount a compelling defense for you.

Domestic Violence Offenses, Including Protection Orders

Domestic violence charges can have serious, lifelong consequences beyond fines, probation, and jail time. Left unchallenged, they can impact your relationships, parental rights, and the ability to hold certain jobs. If you have been accused of domestic violence and subjected to a protection order, you need a skilled attorney who will listen to your story and aggressively represent your rights in court.

Drug Crimes

If you are charged with a drug offense at either the state or federal level, you face potentially severe consequences, such as years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines, and a highly damaging criminal record. With your future at stake, you deserve to be defended by a drug crimes lawyer who has extensive experience trying these cases, knows how to challenge the evidence against you, and is committed to protecting your rights from start to finish.

Drug Possession

In Ohio, the possession of a controlled substance is a serious offense and a conviction can result in harsh punishments. In addition to fines and imprisonment, you will have a permanent criminal record that may harm your reputation, limit your employment prospects, and damage your parental rights. When facing charges of drug possession, you need an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your side.

Juvenile Offenses

Young people often make mistakes, some of which can result in criminal charges being laid. If convicted, they may be sent to a juvenile detention center and/or be left with a permanent criminal record. If your child has been charged with a crime, it is critical that you consult an experienced juvenile defense attorney who will fight to prevent a mistake from having lasting effects on his or her future.

Misdemeanor and Traffic Offenses

While misdemeanor crimes are usually regarded as less severe than felonies, they still carry serious consequences that can negatively affect your life. If you are charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, possession of drug paraphernalia, or another misdemeanor offense, a criminal defense lawyer at our firm will fight to get the charges reduced or dropped. We also provide assertive representation in cases involving traffic offenses.

OVI/DUI/DWI

In Ohio, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a leading cause of serious and fatal auto accidents, so both the police and prosecutors will aggressively pursue arrests and convictions.  If you’re charged with OVI/DUI/DWI, you can lose your right to drive and face consequences like increased insurance rates, fines, and even jail time.  Our OVI/DUI defense lawyers have first-hand knowledge of how these cases are handled by law enforcement and will use these insights to protect your rights.

Sex Crimes

The term “sex crimes” is used to describe a wide range of offenses, including everything from rape and possession of child pornography to sexual battery and gross sexual imposition. In most cases, defendants feel desperate, helpless, and believe that the odds are stacked against them. Though sex crimes are vigorously prosecuted in Ohio, the prosecution has the burden of proof, and an experienced criminal defense attorney can challenge the evidence against you to achieve the best outcome.

Violence Crimes

When you are facing charges related to a violent crime like murder, manslaughter, or felonious assault, the impact on your life can be devastating and permanent. Due to the violence involved, these offenses arouse public anger and prosecutors often pursue the most drastic penalties. At Engel & Martin LLC, we believe that every person deserves to have an advocate fighting to protect their rights in the criminal justice system and will use our experience as former prosecutors to protect your interests.

White Collar Crimes

White-collar crimes include complex financial schemes like money laundering, embezzlement, and securities fraud. Charges are typically the result of lengthy and thorough government investigations, and the penalties for conviction are serious, with some defendants serving decades in prison. When so much is on the line, make sure you speak with an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible.

In every case, we evaluate the facts against Ohio law to determine if there is a basis to have evidence suppressed or the charges dismissed entirely. This includes an analysis of search and seizure issues. If the police obtained the evidence against you illegally, we will fight for that evidence to be kept out of court — and in some cases, to have the charges against you thrown out entirely.

For clients who have been convicted of an Ohio criminal offense, we also provide post-conviction services. This includes filing appeals in criminal cases, as well as requesting expungements to have our clients’ criminal records cleared. We also advocate for individuals who are currently incarcerated or who have been arrested during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect their health and safety.

Each of our cases begins with a consultation, where we will explain the charges against you, your legal rights, and options for resolving the case. If you choose to retain us after we offer this legal advice, we will conduct a thorough investigation of the charges against you. This may involve hiring a private investigator, interviewing witnesses, and thoroughly reviewing the evidence against you.

Next, we will use our experience and knowledge of Ohio criminal law to develop a strategy, as well as factual and legal defenses to the charges. When possible, we will negotiate directly with the prosecutor to achieve a favorable plea deal or dismissal of the charges. If necessary, we will take your case to trial to protect your rights — and your freedom.

Our criminal defense lawyers have significant experience handling all phases of criminal cases, from the initial arraignment to jury verdict. As former prosecutors, we know how the system works — and will put our knowledge to use for you to achieve the best possible outcome.

Why Choose Engel & Martin

Our law firm is different from other firms in the region because each of our criminal defense attorneys is a former prosecutor. We bring a unique perspective to handling criminal matters because of this history. We understand how prosecutors prepare their cases, how to best counter and react to the arguments made by the state, and the types of strategies that will work to get a dismissal or reduction in charges.

Our team includes:

• Joshua Engel, a former prosecutor in both Massachusetts and Ohio who started the Appellate Division for the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
• Mary Martin, a former prosecutor who led the appellate section of the Warren County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She also was in charge of the Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Testing program, giving her specific insight into Ohio’s breath testing machines.
• Jim Hardin, a former prosecutor with a particular skill for finding information that isn’t in police reports.
• Anne Tamashasky, a former career prosecutor with more than twenty years of experience who handled more than 4,000 cases each year. Ms. Tamashasky was also responsible for the courtroom training for the first group of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) in Butler County, Ohio, and was part of the team that established and certified the Veteran’s Court and Mental Health docket in Warren County.

As prosecutors, our attorneys have handled a number of high profile cases involving murder and other serious and violent crimes. One case involving a former police lieutenant who was accused of hiring people to stage a burglary in his own home was featured on 48 Hours in 2005 on a feature titled  Scared to Death. Because we have substantial experience handling cases with a high degree of interest from the press, we understand the steps that must be taken in order to protect our clients’ interests in these types of cases.

As private Ohio criminal defense attorneys, we have similarly handled sensitive information and high profile matters, such as:

• A not guilty verdict in a 2015 federal civil rights trial against three corrections officers accused of beating an inmate;
• Representation of a man accused of the murder of his infant son; and
• Not guilty verdicts on felony sexual assault charges against a former police sergeant (the defendant was convicted only of misdemeanors).

Few attorneys in private practice have the trial experience of Engel & Martin. Our law firm has successfully litigated cases in state and federal courts throughout the country and has tried close to 100 cases to a jury. Having handled claims from both sides gives our lawyers a unique insight into criminal law, as well as in-depth knowledge of the legal procedures involved on both sides of the case.

How We Can Help You

Being charged with a crime can be incredibly scary and overwhelming. We are here to help. Our team of skilled criminal defense attorneys will put their experience to work for you.

At Engel & Martin, we are dedicated to helping people who have been charged with a range of criminal offenses. If you have been charged with a crime, you can rest assured that our law firm will aggressively advocate for you, from the first consultation to the final resolution of your case. To learn more or to schedule an appointment about your pending legal matter,

reach out today at 513-445-9600 or email us.