Steven Secare

I instructed Secare from the get-go I wanted a trial. Secare claimed the best strategy would be to immediately cooperate. When we met with the detectives, Secare had a lengthy private discussion with them, which experienced attorneys rarely, if at all, ever do because there is nothing your legal defe...nse needs to discuss with the police in private. Secare promised me that everything I said to the police would be immune from prosecution without getting anything in writing, and when I asked him to, he told me it was not necessary. I self-incriminated myself by giving a voluntary statement. Then, the State offered a plea bargain that Secare accepted without even contacting me. When I told him I wanted to take it to trial, Secare said that he would not take it back. He then threatened he wouldn't be my attorney any more if I don't agree to the plea. He also refused to move back the date of my court appearance which was only two days away so that I could have more time to consider. Secare did not get ANY of the discovery (save the initial police report) because he said "it was not important." What?! Are you kidding me, Mr. Secare? I hope you are reading this one day. At one point, Secare told me he thought I was lying right in front of the Prosecutor...He later told me he was doing that for my benefit...I know, you, any person reading this, must think I'm an idiot, but I really didn't know any better. After I plead guilty, I instructed Mr. Secare to file a motion to rescind, but Mr. Secare refused. He assured me it was the "best deal" we could get. The plea was for 5 years in prison! Well, fortunately, I decided to get the opinion of a second attorney. And guess what? The second attorney got me NO JAIL! Something Secare COULD have done.