The South Carolina Department of Labor Licensing Regulation, or LLR, is the state agency responsible for licensing numerous different types of occupations throughout the state. LLR oversees the licensing for doctors, nurses, dentists, engineers and even barbers. If your professional license is administered by LLR there are numerous ways that your license can be put in jeopardy.
In most cases, if you are charged with a crime, you should consult a lawyer about the benefits of self-reporting to LLR. Just because your criminal charges are dropped or dismissed, does not mean you will automatically get your license back from LLR. The licensing board of your particular profession will have the ultimate say about if and when you get your license back.
The lawyers at Ellis Hinton are experienced in representing doctors, dentists, nurses and other professionals who find themselves involved in the LLR disciplinary process. If your professional license is in jeopardy because of a criminal charge or some other conduct, call us today to see how we can help.
All colleges and universities in South Carolina have their own disciplinary process. If a student or faculty member is accused of wrongdoing or charged with a crime, it will usually trigger an investigation by the school. When that accusation or crime involves sexual harassment or assault, the investigation will involve Title IX procedures.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) is a Federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities. All public and private schools and colleges receiving any Federal funds must comply with Title IX. Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment or sexual violence, such as rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, and sexual coercion.
Sanctions from the college disciplinary process could range from community service to expulsion from the college. Just because a criminal charge is dismissed does not mean the college will abandon its investigation. Many times the college will schedule the disciplinary hearing on very short notice to the student and with no notice to the parents of the student.
If you are a student or a parent of a student who has been charged with a violation of a college code of conduct you should call a lawyer as soon as possible. Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton have represented students and faculty members from colleges and universities in disciplinary hearings (and many times in a companion criminal case or investigation) and are standing by to help you navigate the process and achieve the best possible outcome.
As federal prosecutors, Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton worked in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force to prosecute large-scale nation-wide criminal enterprises. They worked with the FBI, DEA, Department of Homeland Security, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other federal agencies to dismantle these national and international drug trafficking organizations. As lead prosecutors on numerous wiretap cases and other complex federal drug trafficking conspiracies, Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton are uniquely suited to defend federal and state drug trafficking charges.
Brandi Hinton was the lead sex crimes prosecutor in Pickens County for four years. During her time prosecuting cases in Greenville and Pickens Counties she handled hundreds of sex crime prosecutions. Sex crimes are some of the most difficult crimes to prosecute because the nature of the crime happens in secret.
Sadly, in some instances, individuals use false allegations of sex crimes to gain an advantage in divorces, or child custody fights. A conviction or even just an arrest for a sex crime can have life-long implications. If you are accused of a sex crime, even if you know you are innocent, you need to immediately call an experienced lawyer to walk you through the process of dealing with law enforcement.
Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton stand ready to help you or a loved one defend allegations of sex crimes both before an arrest is made or after charges are filed.
A felony DUI can be charged when someone is driving under the influence and causes the death or great bodily injury of another person. A DUI resulting in death or great bodily injury is an extremely serious charge that typically results in a long prison sentence if the offender is found guilty. Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton have prosecuted and successfully defended numerous felony DUI offenses. If you or a family member has been charged with a felony DUI offense, call Ellis Hinton to learn how we can start working for you today.
Federal and state law allows the Government to take your money or other property today and require you to prove you were in possession of the property legally. Many times this happens during a traffic stop or an encounter going through TSA security checkpoints at the airport. When agents or state officers seize money that they believe is illegally obtained the law requires them to send you a “notice of seizure of property” form or some other type of notice form.
The notice of seizure of property form usually requires that you file a claim for the property within a set time period, typically less than 60 days. If you do not file the claim, the property will be forfeited to the Government. Forfeiture cases are complicated because they typically go hand in hand with a criminal prosecution, although that is not always the case.
The lawyers at Ellis Hinton have experience litigating forfeiture cases with federal and state prosecutors. We have successfully negotiated the return of tens of thousands of dollars in seized property to clients. If you have money or other assets seized by the Government, you need to call an experienced asset forfeiture attorney as soon as possible.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Practices Act, or RICO, was passed by Congress in 1970. To combat organized crime and criminal enterprises such as the mafia, RICO provides criminal penalties and a civil cause of action against members of racketeering enterprises.
RICO closed a loophole in the law that made it more difficult to prosecute high level members of criminal enterprises who were directing the criminal activities of an organization. The civil cause of action in the RICO statute allows someone injured by the criminal acts of the enterprise to recover damages from the individuals that hurt him or her.
Violent Crimes in aid of Racketeering, or VICAR, makes it a crime to commit any of a list of violent crimes in return for anything of pecuniary value from an enterprise engaged in racketeering activity, or for the purpose of joining, remaining with, or increasing a position in such an enterprise.
RICO and VICAR are complex statutes that require approval from the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the Department of Justice before they can be charged. Brandi Hinton and Sloan Ellis were members of the prosecution team in the largest federal RICO case ever prosecuted in the District of South Carolina. The indictment charged 40 people with a wide range of racketeering activity and VICAR offenses. The prosecution completely dismantled a violent criminal enterprise being operated from the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Those that are charged with enforcing the law sometimes find themselves accused of breaking the law. Whether the accusation involves a relatively minor driving under the influence charge, or a high profile officer-involved shooting, the stakes for officers are always very high. Usually, the officer is fired before he or she has a chance to defend himself or herself in court. Also, the media is usually very interested in reporting stories about officers that are criminally charged, making it more difficult to choose a fair and impartial jury in the event of a trial.
If you or a family member is a law enforcement officer who is charged with a crime, you need a team of former federal prosecutors in your corner. Sloan Ellis and Brandi Hinton have spent their entire careers working with officers. Let them put those skills to work for you during the most challenging time of your law enforcement career.
Clients come to us facing some of the most serious, potentially life-altering, problems they have ever experienced. If you find yourself there, call us to schedule a free initial consultation. You can also fill out the contact form below and we will call you back promptly to schedule a free consultation.
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