Joan M. Griffin - Criminal Cases

Throughout her career Joan has been a member of the CJA panels for the Federal District Court and First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. She has represented indigent criminal defendants charged with the full range of crimes tried in the federal court including extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, RICO violations, conspiracy and narcotics trafficking.

Joan represented several individuals charged in separate mortgage fraud cases arising out of the financial crisis successfully negotiating the cases to conclusion.

Joan brought the first Daubert motion challenging the scientific basis for expert ballistics evidence in the country, resulting in the defendant's acquittal. In a recent RICO case in Federal District in Boston she obtained one of two ground breaking decisions excluding or limiting firearms identification evidence.

Joan is the author of "Daubert Challenges to Forensic Evidence: Ballistics Next on the firing Line," which appeared in The Champion in 2002. She has presented at conferences nationwide on challenging firearms identification evidence. She has also appeared on New England Cable Network News (NECN), providing analysis of high profile business fraud and other criminal cases.

Representative Cases:

Argued before the 1st Circuit on behalf of defendant charged in a complicated payroll tax fraud scheme.

Represented defendant at jury trial in multi-defendant RICO conspiracy case alleging murder. After an eight day Daubert hearing, obtained an order of the court expressed in a 50 page opinion excluding ballistics evidence.

Obtained a not guilty verdict representing defendant on retrial of conviction and 27 year sentence arising out of an alleged shooting of a Walpole police officer. Filed a Daubert motion to exclude government ballistics evidence, the first in this district and the country. Information obtained at the evidentiary hearing was put before the jury, which returned a verdict of not guilty.

Represented defendant at trial of obstruction of justice charges in connection with an investigation into hate crimes. Successfully appealed role enhancement at sentencing.

Represented defendant at trial of bankruptcy fraud charges arising out of alleged attempt to conceal from the trustee in bankruptcy six limited edition prints which had hung in defendant’s office. Successfully argued at sentencing that the value of the prints was not their listed value but the $50 a piece price tag had been assigned by the bankruptcy appraiser, resulting in a substantially lower sentence.