Defending Your Future. Fighting For Justice.

In a high profile three week long criminal trial in the Detroit Federal Court, Jim Amberg secured a full acquittal of his client in a high profile kidnapping conspiracy case.  The case revolved around the 1125 Gang allegedly kidnapping an individual who may have been involved in the shooting of the 1125 ringleader.  Jim’s client was accused of having a major role in the case, supposedly using an AK-47 to hold the complainant at bay.  In trial, Jim used evidence derived through independent investigation of the complainant and their electronic devices.  During cross examination, Jim destroyed both the complainant, and the ATF agent who failed to adequately review the cell phone evidence that was contrary to the Government’s theory.  Jim then did an epic power point closing argument and the jury came back not guilty of all charges.

The stakes were as high as they get for Jim’s client, a well-known businessman who was charged in a complex federal wire fraud conspiracy involving the alleged defrauding of companies that purchased medical debts.  The Department of Justice sent in their toughest fraud prosecutors from Washington DC, they thought this would be another easy win for them.  Oh how they were wrong.  Jim filed countless pretrial motions, severely limiting the ability of the Government to present evidence.  Then Jim was able to prevent the government from introducing their key exhibit, a spreadsheet that reflected the entirety of the supposed fraud.  Although this was a jury trial, the Court was not convinced that the government had even made a sufficient case and found Jim’s client not guilty after the close of the government’s proofs.

Jim recently represented and obtained a full acquittal for a client who was charged with his involvement in a drug conspiracy for distribution of fentanyl throughout Michigan.  The case itself involved what various local news outlets called the biggest fentanyl lab bust in Michigan’s history.  The case revolved around an extensive multi-year investigation by State and Federal agents where a unique wrapping of fentanyl was being distributed throughout the Detroit area.  This led agents to searching a house, which happened to be Jim’s client’s house.  In the basement of the house was a drug lab that consisted of scales, fentanyl, money, and the special wrappings used to package the drugs.  These items were located on a table.  Also on the table was Jim’s client’s State ID, his cell phone, and his antique coin collection.  During the search, there was only one adult at the home, and guess who it was….Jim’s client.  At trial, Jim argued that his client’s uncle had access to the home and that it was one of the worst investigations ever conducted by the agents.  The jury agreed with Jim, finding his client not guilty of all charges.

Jim’s client was the alleged ringleader in a federal drug case spanning from Pontiac to Mexico.  At issue was the years of investigation by the feds, the inconvenient undercover video of Jim’s client allegedly selling multiple kilograms of cocaine, and the plethora of guns located in the client’s home.  Extensive pretrial motions, complex strategy decisions, and hammering the living crap out of the witnesses on cross examination all resulted in Jim’s client being found not guilty of all of the heavy drug charges and all of the gun charges.  

In a case that made worldwide headlines, Jim’s client was charged with trying to kill a postal employee for delivering a Kamala Harris ad to his mailbox.  In an intense trial, Jim actually did a stunt by toppling over the client’s bike during opening statement!  Using a power point presentation closing that showcased Jim’s ability to create complex presentations with video editing and photoshop, the jury found Jim’s client not guilty of all of the felony charges, which would have resulted in a likely sentence up to 30 years.  

In a case that made front page headlines for years, Jim secured federal trial acquittals and hung verdicts on all of the sex trafficking charges in the Victory Inn sex trafficking trial in the Detroit Federal Court.   The trial was a two-month long battle between Jim and the US Attorney’s top trial group.  Jim’s client, the alleged ringleader of the Victory Inn, was wrongfully portrayed in the media for years as some sort of evil sex trafficking overlord who controlled the Victory Inn hotel through fear and violence.  Jim’s strategy was complex and involved the filing of many motions, a detailed investigation outside of the provided discovery, and even successfully suing Homeland Security for evidence of text messages and emails sent to national news media like Fox News, which contradicted the agents reports in the case.  Although the US Attorney’s Office was quick to make all sorts of statements and invited the media to the trial in the beginning, as Jim pulverized the witnesses it became clear that things were not going so well for the government.  At the end, the government seemed to forget to tell the papers when the verdict came back.  A fact brought up more than a few times by agencies like the Detroit News!

Jim’s client, a high-profile business owner in southeast Michigan, was charged along with numerous other individuals, some allegedly involved in the New Jersey mob, with numerous tax fraud conspiracies in Federal Court.  After years of heavy-duty litigation, Jim was able to discover lies told in the grand jury and filed a devastating motion.  Rather than attempt to explain why the government chose to engage in this misconduct, they instead dismissed the cases against Jim’s client.  But Jim’s demand was that they dismiss all of his co-defendants’ cases as well, and the government complied.  

In a case where Jim’s client was discovered with a lot of drugs and a lot of guns, things were not looking good.  The ATF and the government was looking for Jim’s client to serve a decades long sentence.  However, Jim was not having that.  Using Michigan FOIA law and other avenues of investigation, Jim was able to obtain previously unknown videos of the search of his client’s home and discovered that the search was completely illegal.  The Eastern District of Michigan Federal Judge agreed and threw out all of the evidence.  The government reluctantly conceded and dismissed the case.

In the first trial ever at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, Jim’s client was accused of stabbing his wife over 40 times.  Jim however pushed back against the state’s claims that Jim’s client was trying to kill the wife.  The jury agreed, finding Jim’s client not guilty of attempted murder and instead found he committed a lesser assault, which is what Jim was arguing the entire time!  Rather than life in prison, Jim’s very happy client received a short sentence.

Jim recently was successful in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals when the Court found that the Federal Trial Court had been unlawful in failing to consider the sentence of a co-defendant when sentencing Jim’s client.  Further, the Federal Court of Appeals indicated that the use of acquitted conduct in sentencing should also be looked at more closely by the lower court.  The Court of Appeals then remanded the case back to the trial court, who then sentenced Jim’s client to a much lower sentence!

In an epic victory, Jim successfully convinced a Circuit Court Judge to throw out the entire case charging Continuing Criminal Enterprise, otherwise known as state RICO.  In the case, Jim’s high-profile business owner client was charged with massively defrauding auto insurance companies.  After extensive litigation and roasting the attorney general’s witnesses, the Trial Court tossed out the whole case!