I received a call from a young man who was stationed with the Army on his second tour in Iraq. He had been cooperating for a period of time with federal DEA agents in a multinational steroid conspiracy. He had just received an email from a DEA agent letting him know the government (unexpectedly) would indict him.
THE STAKES: The possible penalties for the crimes with which he was charged would include at the very least a felony conviction and very likely prison time and a dishonorable discharge.
THE GOAL: Either an agreed upon dismissal by the AUSA or we had to get a not guilty verdict at trial.
CHARGES:
Conspiracy to Possess Anabolic Steroids with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Anabolic Steroids with Intent to Distribute.
21 U.S.C/ 841(a)(1) and 21 U.S.C. 846.
The possible prison time is up to 20 years.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Military career saved! On the eve of trial, the government agreed to give our client a diversion with a complete dismissal of all charges.
Criminal defense case study of a juvenile client arrested on a probation violation warrant in Nashville, TN. Our client was charged with violating his conditions of felony probation after a search warrant was executed on a Nashville home where our client previously resided. During the search, firearms, ammo, drugs, and drug paraphernalia were alleged to have been discovered.
THE STAKES: Our (teenage) client was facing real prison time as an adult and the prospect of being a convicted felon the rest of his life.
THE GOAL: Our primary goal was to keep him out of prison and, if possible, get the charges dismissed so he could keep a felony conviction off his record and attend college.
CHARGES:
Violation of Probation for allegedly failing to report to his Probation Officer and being in possession of firearms and drugs. The underlying charges for which on probation were misdemeanor possession of handgun, felony evading arrest in motor vehicle, and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Violation of Probation charges dismissed and college dreams saved! Client was placed right back on probation with no impact, no new conditions, nor having to start probation over. Once completed, he’ll have a clean record!
Civil defense of an Order of Protection case study of a client who was accused of stalking and threatening the mother of his children and former girlfriend in Nashville.
THE STAKES: If granted, our client would have been completely at the mercy of his ex-girlfriend if he ever wanted to see his children.
THE GOAL: Our client also needed and wanted an Order of Protection against her, so we filed an order of protection for him and had them heard at the same time.
OUTCOME / RESULT: The father's sense of safety is restored and he can see his children without any fear of false allegations being made by the mother. We got the Protection Order against him dismissed & won our cross petition (competing Order of Protection) against the ex-girlfriend/mother.
Domestic violence lawyer case study of a client accused of domestic assault by her daughter in Davidson County. If the case was not dismissed, out client would also face a probation violation charge for a previous DUI.
THE STAKES: The stakes were high personally and legally for our client, Mary. A conviction would have cost Mary a lot of money along with her job, and if it wasn't done right, she might lose her daughter forever.
THE GOAL: Our client desperately wanted to keep her family together and stay out of jail. We didn't just have to win to meet Mary's goal, we had to win in a way that helped Mary reconcile with her daughter. Luckily, we don't shy away from the hard ones!
OUTCOME / RESULT: Mother and daughter’s relationship allowed to heal! The domestic assault charge was dismissed. The violation of probation charge also dismissed.
This is a study of a criminal case wherein our client was in the U.S. on a work visa and was indicted on four felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Nashville after an incident at his home involving his extreme intoxication and his girlfriend and her three children.
THE STAKES: Almost any outcome other than dismissal or retirement would result in our client being deported back home to El Salvador and being separating him from his family.
THE GOAL: Because our client was legally residing in the U.S. on a work visa, our goal was maintain his status as a legal immigrant. That meant we needed the charges to be retired, or if possible dismissed.
Order of protection case study of a client accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend via texts, accessing her email, and other online accounts.
THE STAKES: Our client had zero criminal history and was a high-profile individual.
THE GOAL: To protect our client’s public profile and safeguard him from unnecessary risk, our goal was to have the order of protection dismissed and, if possible, expunged.
CHARGES:
Ex Parte Order of Protection and Order of Protection.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Without even having to have a hearing, our client was completely vindicated without any negative public attention. He is free to exercise any rights he maintained in the company and participate in the community he helped create.
Our client and her husband were charged with trafficking over 300 pounds of marijauna from the border town of McAllen, Texas, through Nashville. They were actually running the drugs for the Mexican cartel, but they were arrested with the 300 pounds of marijauna still in their vehicle as they drove through Nashville.
THE STAKES: Our client and her husband were charged with trafficking over 300 pounds of marijuana from the border town of McAllen, Texas, through Nashville.
THE GOAL: Our client’s goal was to somehow stay out of prison and be able to keep custody of her child.
CHARGES:
Possession with Intent to Deliver Class VI Drug (marijauna).
T.C.A. 39-17-417; 40-35-111; and T.C.A. 40-35-112. The possible penalties for this offence are a range of 15 to 25 years (because she had no criminal history and was a Range 1 Offender) and up to a $500,000 fine (specially set fine for drug cases).
OUTCOME / RESULT: Mother and son remain together! Four years of probation – no jail time.
…Cynthia Sherwood is my advocate, my lawyer, and my friend. She cares about me as a human being and gave her entire heart, mind, and soul to my case. When I was found innocent, I screamed and cried with such joy, thanking God that He led me to Cynthia Sherwood. She saved my life, and if you make the decision to hire her when you’re in a jam, she just might save yours too. -Ken
I received a call from a young man who was stationed with the Army on his second tour in Iraq. He had been cooperating for a period of time with federal DEA agents in a multinational steroid conspiracy. He had just received an email from a DEA agent letting him know the government (unexpectedly) would indict him.
THE STAKES: The possible penalties for the crimes with which he was charged would include at the very least a felony conviction and very likely prison time and a dishonorable discharge.
THE GOAL: Either an agreed upon dismissal by the AUSA or we had to get a not guilty verdict at trial.
CHARGES:
Conspiracy to Possess Anabolic Steroids with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Anabolic Steroids with Intent to Distribute.
21 U.S.C/ 841(a)(1) and 21 U.S.C. 846.
The possible prison time is up to 20 years.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Military career saved! On the eve of trial, the government agreed to give our client a diversion with a complete dismissal of all charges.
Criminal defense case study of a juvenile client arrested on a probation violation warrant in Nashville, TN. Our client was charged with violating his conditions of felony probation after a search warrant was executed on a Nashville home where our client previously resided. During the search, firearms, ammo, drugs, and drug paraphernalia were alleged to have been discovered.
THE STAKES: Our (teenage) client was facing real prison time as an adult and the prospect of being a convicted felon the rest of his life.
THE GOAL: Our primary goal was to keep him out of prison and, if possible, get the charges dismissed so he could keep a felony conviction off his record and attend college.
CHARGES:
Violation of Probation for allegedly failing to report to his Probation Officer and being in possession of firearms and drugs. The underlying charges for which on probation were misdemeanor possession of handgun, felony evading arrest in motor vehicle, and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Violation of Probation charges dismissed and college dreams saved! Client was placed right back on probation with no impact, no new conditions, nor having to start probation over. Once completed, he’ll have a clean record!
Civil defense of an Order of Protection case study of a client who was accused of stalking and threatening the mother of his children and former girlfriend in Nashville.
THE STAKES: If granted, our client would have been completely at the mercy of his ex-girlfriend if he ever wanted to see his children.
THE GOAL: Our client also needed and wanted an Order of Protection against her, so we filed an order of protection for him and had them heard at the same time.
OUTCOME / RESULT: The father's sense of safety is restored and he can see his children without any fear of false allegations being made by the mother. We got the Protection Order against him dismissed & won our cross petition (competing Order of Protection) against the ex-girlfriend/mother.
Domestic violence lawyer case study of a client accused of domestic assault by her daughter in Davidson County. If the case was not dismissed, out client would also face a probation violation charge for a previous DUI.
THE STAKES: The stakes were high personally and legally for our client, Mary. A conviction would have cost Mary a lot of money along with her job, and if it wasn't done right, she might lose her daughter forever.
THE GOAL: Our client desperately wanted to keep her family together and stay out of jail. We didn't just have to win to meet Mary's goal, we had to win in a way that helped Mary reconcile with her daughter. Luckily, we don't shy away from the hard ones!
OUTCOME / RESULT: Mother and daughter’s relationship allowed to heal! The domestic assault charge was dismissed. The violation of probation charge also dismissed.
This is a study of a criminal case wherein our client was in the U.S. on a work visa and was indicted on four felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Nashville after an incident at his home involving his extreme intoxication and his girlfriend and her three children.
THE STAKES: Almost any outcome other than dismissal or retirement would result in our client being deported back home to El Salvador and being separating him from his family.
THE GOAL: Because our client was legally residing in the U.S. on a work visa, our goal was maintain his status as a legal immigrant. That meant we needed the charges to be retired, or if possible dismissed.
Order of protection case study of a client accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend via texts, accessing her email, and other online accounts.
THE STAKES: Our client had zero criminal history and was a high-profile individual.
THE GOAL: To protect our client’s public profile and safeguard him from unnecessary risk, our goal was to have the order of protection dismissed and, if possible, expunged.
CHARGES:
Ex Parte Order of Protection and Order of Protection.
OUTCOME / RESULT: Without even having to have a hearing, our client was completely vindicated without any negative public attention. He is free to exercise any rights he maintained in the company and participate in the community he helped create.
Our client and her husband were charged with trafficking over 300 pounds of marijauna from the border town of McAllen, Texas, through Nashville. They were actually running the drugs for the Mexican cartel, but they were arrested with the 300 pounds of marijauna still in their vehicle as they drove through Nashville.
THE STAKES: Our client and her husband were charged with trafficking over 300 pounds of marijuana from the border town of McAllen, Texas, through Nashville.
THE GOAL: Our client’s goal was to somehow stay out of prison and be able to keep custody of her child.
CHARGES:
Possession with Intent to Deliver Class VI Drug (marijauna).
T.C.A. 39-17-417; 40-35-111; and T.C.A. 40-35-112. The possible penalties for this offence are a range of 15 to 25 years (because she had no criminal history and was a Range 1 Offender) and up to a $500,000 fine (specially set fine for drug cases).
OUTCOME / RESULT: Mother and son remain together! Four years of probation – no jail time.
…Cynthia Sherwood is my advocate, my lawyer, and my friend. She cares about me as a human being and gave her entire heart, mind, and soul to my case. When I was found innocent, I screamed and cried with such joy, thanking God that He led me to Cynthia Sherwood. She saved my life, and if you make the decision to hire her when you’re in a jam, she just might save yours too. -Ken
