I have been practicing law for years. There has been a “lot of water under the bridge,” during these years. In the first 16 years, I maintained what is called a general practice-I handled anything that came in the door. This was a good experience because it allowed me to work in different areas of the law and understand how they are often related. The most common work I did during these years was helping people charged with criminal offenses and automobile/truck accidents.
Around 1996 our law firm began focusing more on auto accidents/personal injury and defending people charged with crimes. Our interests left the general law practice and became razor-focused on these two areas. We were fortunate enough to work on a team who obtained a verdict of over 100 million. We settled another case for over 100 million. Chuck Mullins, a member of the firm, also began working in civil rights and private prisons. Chuck and I went to trial on a civil rights case in 1998 and got the largest verdict awarded in the Fifth Circuit at that time.
By the time I had hit the 30-year mark, I had handled about 21 death penalty cases. About14-15 of these serious cases went to trial.[1] Chuck and I had secured millions upon millions of dollars for our injured clients. I think we were handling the types of cases that we were meant to handle! We certainly had a skill at personal injury and criminal defense. We represented the Mayor of Jackson in a successful criminal trial; the Jackson Business Investment District Director in a successful criminal trial; a woman lady accused of causing an anthrax hoax which resulted in a not guilty verdict; a state probation officer accused of murder who was found not guilty; two twin brothers who were charged with murder but found not guilty; and so many other cases.
Sometime along the way arose the internet. With the internet came a whole new range of crimes, and some crimes that were not new, but made easier with the internet. These internet crimes are generally referred to as Cyber Crimes, and the U.S. Criminal Code and the Mississippi Criminal Code contain plenty of offenses.
In the past seven years people sentenced in Federal Court “used at least one of three types of cyber technology-hacking, cryptography, and the dark web.”[2] I think we all know that this number represents only a fraction of the cyber crime committed. Interestingly, over two-thirds were white and had a college degree. Maybe we need to stop teaching computer courses? ( A joke of course). Recently in our office we have observed a rash of hacking attempts into our computer system. We invited an IT Company to come to the office and teach safety, as well as bring us up to date on the latest scams and phishing tricks scammers use. It was an eye-opening experience. I encourage business owners to do the same.
The Federal offenses most frequently committed using cyber technology are child pornography, fraud, drug trafficking, and money laundering. It is easy to understand how all these offenses can relate to the internet.
As I said earlier, I am approaching my forty-fifth-year practicing injury law and criminal defense. I have seen more sex crimes between 2020 and 2024, then I came across from 1980-2020. Think about that for a minute! Everywhere I go I see so many sexual battery, gratification of lust, and child pornography. Perhaps these cases were always there, or maybe they were not, but the internet has put these crimes at people’s fingertips?
The sentences in all these sex cases are very harsh. Parents need to be over-vigilant with their kids. A parent cannot stress this enough for teens and young adults to be careful what you do and where you go on the internet. On more than a few occasions we have represented young people who spent to much time on the internet and wandered into a crime.[3] We have also represented young people with special needs who got arrested for internet sex crimes. Don’t get the impression that young people are the only ones committing these internet sex crimes.
Statistics for Mississippi in the year 2023 show that aggravated assault is the most frequently committed violent crime in Mississippi. Apparently, we are a State of hotheads. The next frequent criminal offense is sex crimes. Sex crimes are considered violent and carry mandatory day for day sentences. This means you serve every day of the sentence. Of course, we know the number of people committing these crimes is greater than the number of people caught.
I have developed a deep love-hate relationship with the internet. I love the learning aspect with topics on science, physics, astro-physics, biology, etc. I am beginning to loathe other aspects of social media, internet lies, and how easily it is for a young person or person with significant mental or emotional difficulties to get into trouble.
We have immense, real experience helping people who get into trouble with the law. I do believe “good people can make bad choices or mistakes,” and they are not inherently bad. I want to provide fair notice: We are not a bargain basement law firm. If you shop for attorneys like you shop for a bargain on the internet, you are usually asking for trouble. When you call us, you are calling a group of attorneys acknowledged by the news media, attorneys, judges, and others, as some of the best in Mississippi.
If you have a problem or have a loved one or friend who is in trouble, look to Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, now Coxwell & Mullins, PLLC. You can reach us at 601-948-1600, or through our website.