Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  So what happened and how did this result occur (considered a WIN by any criminal defense attorney's standard)? Well, many years ago, after losing most of my trials as a young and inexperienced attorney, I decided to go for it, pull out all the stops, and lose my mindset that I was just supposed to lose. I never looked back. What also changed was that I realized that I had to start thinking like a juror, not like a lawyer. I had to summon back all that I learned from my Psych minor at St. Joseph's College and the courses I took 45-46 years ago. How I exactly do it is not longer a secret as I have been giving pretty much the same closing argument format in a PowerPoint presentation for years now. I give the jury an image of the most important decision they have to make, such as whether or not to terminate life support for a loved one. I talk about how, when making such a decision, that it's permanent and they can't come back if they change their mind. Then I talk about how they might want to pull in 11 of their family and friends before making this final, unalterable decision. This drive home how serious this is and how they really really don't want to have a reasonable doubt before taking that leap.
• Sex Crimes
  In a recent federal case from the Northern District of Ohio, United States v. Collins, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a downward sentencing variance from 262-327 months to the mandatory minimum of 60 months. The defendant was convicted at trial of receiving and distributing, and possessing, child pornography.
• Robbery
  ATLANTIC CITY - An appeals court has overturned the attempted murder convictions of two men in connection with the near-fatal shooting of a police officer. Demetris Cross had been serving 32-year prison terms as a result of an armed robbery interrupted by Atlantic City police officers in February 2016. A three-judge panel said Cross, 33, and a codefendant were wrongly convicted of attempted murder because the prosecution failed to prove they "shared an intent with [Jerome] Damon" to shoot and kill the officers.​ Richard Sparaco, a Cherry Hill attorney representing Cross on appeal, said his client was "very happy" and viewed the ruling "with great relief." "This was an horrific Atlantic City shootout that my client had no control over nor involvement in," he said. Cross, who previously had a parole eligibility date in 2043, "looks forward to his resentencing," Sparaco said.
• White Collar Crimes
  Mr. Sparaco has represented individuals and corporations during his career, providing criminal defense in major crimes (murder, robbery, racketeering, drug conspiracy, and white-collar crimes).
• Drug Crimes
  According to the Associated Press, citing a New Jersey judge, nearly 15,000 drug cases might have been undermined after a forensic lab technician was accused of shoddy work. The AA reported that Superior Court Judge Edward Jerejian held a preliminary hearing on June 29, 2016 in Bergen County to outline the process for vetting conviction challenges. Jerejian said the courts are expecting hundreds, if not thousands, of cases. Jerejian's order stipulates that cases involving suspended lab technician Kamal Shah will continue to be heard in their original counties. Cases where the defendant has already been convicted will be forwarded to Jerejian for review.
• Assault
  MURDER - POSSESSION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CDS (DRUGS: Heroin, Cocaine, Marijuana) - SEXUAL ASSAULT OR CONTACT - ENDANGERING WELFARE OF CHILDREN - AGGRAVATED ASSAULT - FIREARM POSSESSION (Handguns, Assault Rifles, Certain Person Not to Possess Firearm) - ALL MAJOR CRIMES
• Murder
  Federal prosecutors have virtually unlimited resources in the prosecution of persons charged with violating federal law. It is therefore imperative that you have an attorney with years of federal trial experience and appellate experience to counter the likes of the FBI, DEA, ICE, and Homeland Security. Mr. Sparaco has that experience. He defended one of the men charged in the Ft. Dix Six terrorism trial that took place at the end of 2008. Acquitted of Attempted Murder, Serdar Tatar was convicted of conspiracy.
• Manslaughter
  CAMDEN - The decision found a trial judge did not address “the overall fairness” of the penalty imposed on Tyhan Brown, 23, who was convicted in 2018 of aggravated manslaughter and other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting of Gabrielle "Gabby" Hill-Carter. But the appeals court upheld the conviction of Brown, who has denied any role in the August 2016 shooting that killed the child as she rode a bicycle near her Bergen Square home. "My client and his family are disappointed with the decision and we plan to file a petition for review by the New Jersey Supreme Court." said Richard Sparaco, a Cherry Hill attorney who handled the appeal for Brown.

Employment Law

• Severance Agreement