What Happens at a Denver Preliminary Hearing After Felony Arrest
June 19, 2026
White collar crimes are serious offenses that are often prosecuted federally. If convicted, you could face serious criminal consequences, such as substantial fines and lengthy prison sentences, together with seizure of assets and other civil actions.
The term “white collar crime” generally refers to financial crimes that are committed with the intention of fraudulently obtaining financial gain. Common examples include tax fraud, securities fraud, insurance fraud, and insider trading.
White collar crimes are much more complex than most other criminal [...]
A 36-year-old Fruita woman was recently accused of collecting almost $10,000 in unemployment benefits while she was, in fact, employed.
The investigation began in 2017, when a random audit of one of the suspect’s employers revealed that she had been employed while collecting unemployment benefits. She is now facing multiple felony-level charges of fraud, theft, and computer crimes.
The process of filing for unemployment and receiving benefits is complex – meaning that it is common for people to intentionally exploit [...]
Undoubtedly you have heard of both fraud and forgery, and you probably know that both are illegal acts punishable by the laws of Colorado. You might not realize, though, that forgery is actually a specific type of fraud. Or that there are six different laws in our state statutes related to the act of forgery.
This is important to understand, because most people’s understanding of what forgery is only encompasses some of these charges. You need to know what the [...]
There are a lot of good things that have come from legalizing marijuana in our state. Tax money collected from the marijuana industry has been used for programs around the state. Police have been able to focus their efforts on more serious offenses. Colorado has even developed a new tourism industry based largely on the legalization of marijuana.
Unfortunately, while marijuana legalization is still doing great things for our state, the industry is showing signs of getting spoiled by white [...]
What do Enron, Bernie Madoff, Charles Ponzi, Tyco International, Jack Abramoff, and WorldCom have in common?
Although it might sound like the beginning of a bad joke, the men and companies on this list have all been involved in white collar criminal activity and are notorious for their crimes. They might seem like heroes to some. Stealing money from others and keeping it for themselves. But they aren’t heroes. They’re criminals. I make this point not to pass further judgment [...]
A preliminary hearing in a felony case in Colorado is one of the earliest opportunities for the prosecution’s evidence to be tested before a judge. It happens after charges have been filed and the defendant has made an initial appearance, but before the case moves into trial court. The hearing is not about deciding guilt or innocence. Instead, the court is checking whether the prosecution has sufficient evidence to move the case forward.
In Colorado, this stage is often [...]
Only one drug felony level in Colorado carries a true mandatory prison sentence. The other three carry presumptive ranges where a judge still has discretion, meaning the defense strategy in a DF2, DF3, or DF4 case looks completely different from that in a DF1 case. At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, our Denver drug crimes attorney has spent more than a decade in Denver courts, working to achieve better outcomes for clients facing felony drug charges.
Only One Drug[...]Yes. Dash cam footage from police vehicles and your own camera can be used to challenge DUI charges in Colorado. The question is not whether it is relevant but whether you know how to obtain it, how Colorado courts evaluate it, and what a defense attorney actually does with it. The Law Office of Jacob E. Martinez has defended DUI cases throughout Denver and surrounding Colorado courts for more than 15 years.
What Colorado Police Dash Cams Actually Record at[...]