Federal Versus State: Criminal Defense Comparison

Patrick A. Mullin is a veteran New York City criminal and tax defense attorney, specializing in complex, high-stakes criminal defense, and federal criminal and civil tax defense. He has a 37 year track record of relentlessly and successfully pursuing justice for the accused. His boutique law firm focuses on criminal and tax law. He has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Fort Lee, NJ, and is admitted to practice in thirty-one federal and state courts. He handles cases across the country and internationally.

Mr. Mullin holds an LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law, and was honored as a Special Student of Harvard Law School's Graduate Program focusing on International Legal Studies. He began his career as a Law Intern to the Honorable Henry R. Bramwell in the Eastern District of New York (1978), and then served as Senior Law Clerk to the Honorable Dickinson R. Debevoise in the United States District of New Jersey (1979-1980).

Mr. Mullin presented oral argument before the United States Supreme Court in Melendez v. United States, a major federal criminal sentencing case. He served for 14 years as a member of the United States Sentencing Commission, Practitioners Advisory Group, (1995 - 2009), and he has consistently been selected for inclusion to Best Lawyers in America, Best Law Firms in America, Super Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers Association's Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel's Top One Percent, among others. He is also a graduate of and served as an instructor at legendary Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College, (2001 - 2006).

During the course of his 31-year career, Mr. Mullin has represented federal criminal defendants in countless notable cases, including:

• Melendez v. United States, 518 U.S. 120 (1996): Presented oral argument before United States Supreme Court where a downward departure from a mandatory minimum sentence was at stake.

• United States v. Amara S. Conteh, Crim. No.: 06 Cri. 116 (S.D.N.Y. 2007): A New York City jury acquitted on all ten (10) counts a physician who was facing a potential fifty-year (50) term of incarceration as well as deportation from United States for charges of illegally prescribing medicine.  This was the first reported decision where the prosecuting unit, the Diversion Unit of Federal Drug Enforcement Administration, suffered defeat on all counts in a major case.

• United States v. H. Galip Dedekarginoglu, Docket No.: 09 Crim No.:09-717 (SDW) (2009-2011): The government dismissed nolle prosequi six (6) counts of fraud against a Turkish defense contractor facing a forty-six to fifty-seven month sentence under Federal Guidelines, as well as deportation, in exchange for a single-count plea by a corporate entity.

• United States v. George J. Dilworth, Crim. No 10-730 (DNJ):  a federal jury deliberated for less than two hours and then fully acquitted Mr. Dilworth on all tax conspiracy charges after four (4) of his business partners pled guilty to similar charges and testified against him at trial.

• United States v. Johnson, 15-3960 (3d Cir.):  U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated a tax preparer’s 48-month sentence for fraud charges and remanded to the district court for resentencing. 

• United States v. Keith Dozier, 119 F.3d 239 (3d Cir. 1996): The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated the defendant’s 6-12 month sentence on a probation violation based on a constitutional argument, and the defendant ultimately served no jail time for the violation.

• United States v. Gloria Gillard, 96 F.3d 1435 (3d Cir. 1996): The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated the defendant’s sentence after finding that the district court incorrectly applied the sentencing Guidelines, and  remanded for resentencing.

• United States v. Francisco Collazo-Martinez, 975 F.2d 999 (3d Cir. 1992): The U.S. Court of Appeals vacated defendant’s conviction and ten-year (10) mandatory minimum sentence on drug conspiracy charges and remanded for a new trial.

• United States v. Guitierrez, (D.N.J.): The government dismissed nolle prosequi all charges against a Catholic priest who was wrongfully accused of serious drug trafficking charges.

• United States v. Rosa Lordes Osario, (3d Cir. 1994): The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated defendant’s conviction for currency structuring, based on an erroneous jury instruction.

• Targets of federal criminal investigations (not identified here) who were ultimately exonerated of any criminal liability.