LEGAL POWERS, PLLC WELCOMES FORMER PROSECUTOR AND SEASONED TRIAL ATTORNEY LODY POWERS TO THE DEFENSE TEAM
02/06/2025, Franklin, TN // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire //
Legal Powers, PLLC is thrilled to announce the addition of Attorney Lody Powers, a distinguished trial attorney with over a decade of litigation experience, to its legal team. Known for her exceptional courtroom skills and comprehensive knowledge of criminal law, Lody's arrival bolsters the firm's commitment to delivering superior legal representation for clients facing criminal charges in Williamson County and Middle Tennessee.
Lody Powers began her legal career as the first Latina Assistant District Attorney to serve in Davidson County Criminal Court. During her tenure, she gained extensive courtroom experience prosecuting some of the most serious criminal cases handled by the Davidson County District Attorney's Office. As a member of the Special Victims Trial Team she handled complex cases brought to her by specialized investigations of sexual assaults and murders, as a Domestic Violence Team member she prosecuted domestic assault cases, aggravated assault cases, harassment cases, and stalking cases, and as a member of both the Division II and Division VI Trial Teams she handled a variety of serious felony cases ranging from Aggravated Assault to First Degree Murder cases..
Her prior experience as a prosecutor uniquely positions Lody to provide unparalleled insight into how criminal allegations are investigated and how those investigations are then turned into criminal cases in court and prosecuted. This invaluable perspective allows her to develop innovative defense strategies tailored to the specific needs of her clients.
'Lody's impressive expertise coupled with the wealth of insight and knowledge she brings to our clients as a former prosecutor make her an invaluable addition to our firm,' said Ben Powers, founder of Legal Powers, PLLC. 'Her compassionate approach and fierce advocacy align perfectly with our mission to fight for our clients and protect their rights and futures.'
Lody's bilingual and bicultural background further enriches her practice. Born in Colombia, South America, Lody has called Nashville and Middle Tennessee home for over 20 years. Her ability to connect with Spanish-speaking clients and her active role in the legal community—serving as Vice President of the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association and as a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, and Lawyers Association for Women—underscore her commitment to advocating for fellow members of our diverse Middle Tennessee communities.
Legal Powers, PLLC invites you to learn more about how Lody's legal powers helps clients navigate complex criminal charges. Contact Legal Powers, PLLC today for a free consultation.
About Legal Powers, PLLC
Legal Powers, PLLC is a Franklin-based law firm dedicated to providing exceptional legal representation to clients in Middle Tennessee. With a focus on criminal defense, the firm is committed to safeguarding the rights and futures of individuals facing legal challenges.
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Media Contact
Ben Powers
Legal Powers, PLLC
235 3rd Ave N, Franklin, TN 37064

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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
ICE arrested a California union leader. Does Trump understand what that means?
Unions in California are different from those in other places. More than any state in our troubled country, their ranks are filled with people of color and immigrants. While unions have always been tied closely with the struggles of civil rights, that has become even more pronounced in the years since George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. In the subsequent national soul-searching, unions were forced to do a bit of their own. But where that conversation has largely broken down for general society under the pressure of President Trump's right-wing rage, it took hold inside of unions to a much greater degree — leading to more leadership from people of color, sometimes younger leadership and definitely an understanding from the rank and file that these are organizations that fight far beyond the workplace. Which is why the arrest of David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW and SEIU California, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday is going to have a major impact on the coming months as deportations continue. 'They have woke us up,' Tia Orr told me Saturday morning. She's the executive director of the 700,000-strong Service Employees International Union California, of which Huerta is a part, and the first African American and Latina to lead the organization. 'And I think they've woke people up across the nation, certainly in California, and people are ready to get to action,' she added. 'I haven't seen that in a long time. I don't know that I've seen something like that before, and so yes, it is going to result in action that I believe is going to be historical.' While unions have voiced their disapproval of mass deportations since the MAGA threat first manifested, their might has not gone full force against them, taking instead a bit of a wait-and-see approach. Well, folks, we've seen. We've seen the unidentified masked men rounding up immigrants across the country and shipping them into life sentences at torturous foreign prisons; we've watched a 9-year-old Southern California boy separated from his father and detained for deportation; and Friday, across Los Angeles, we saw an anonymous military-style force of federal agents sweep up our neighbors, family members and friends in what seemed to be a haphazard and deliberately cruel way. And for those of you who have watched the video of Huerta's arrest, we've seen a middle-aged Latino man in a plaid button-down be roughly pushed by authorities in riot gear until he falls backward, and seems to strike his head on the curb. Huerta was, according to a television interview with Mayor Karen Bass, pepper-sprayed as well. Then he was taken to the hospital for treatment, then into custody, where he remains until a Monday arraignment. U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli wrote on social media that 'Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers ... Let me be clear: I don't care who you are—if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties.' I have covered protests, violent and nonviolent, for more than two decades. In one of the first such events I covered, I watched an iconic union leader, Bill Camp, sit down in the middle of the road in a Santa suit and refuse to move. Police arrested him. But they managed to do it without violence, and without Camp's resistance. This is how unions do good trouble — without fear, without violence. Huerta understands the rules and power of peaceful protest better than most. The union he is president of — SEIU United Service Workers West — started the Justice for Janitors campaign in 1990, a bottom-up movement that in Los Angeles was mostly powered by the immigrant Latina women who cleaned commercial office space for wages as low as $7 an hour. After weeks of protests, police attacked those Latina workers in June of that year in what became known as the 'Battle of Century City.' Two dozen workers were injured but the union did not back down. Eventually, it won the contracts it was seeking, and equally as important, it won public support. Huerta joined USWW a few years after that incident, growing the Justice for Janitors campaign. The union was and has always been one powered by immigrant workers who saw that collective power was their best power, and Huerta has led decades of building that truth into a practical force. He is, says Orr, an organizer who knows how to bring people together. To say he is a beloved and respected leader in both the union and California in general is an understatement. You can still find his bio on the White House website, since he was honored as a 'Champion of Change,' by President Obama. Within hours of his arrest, political leaders across the state were voicing support. 'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' Gov. Gavin Newsom posted online. Perhaps more importantly, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, speaking for her 15 million members, issued a statement. Huerta 'was doing what he has always done, and what we do in unions: putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow workers,' she said. 'The labor movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our union brother until he is released.' Similar statements came from the Teamsters and other unions. Solidarity isn't a buzzword to unions. It's the bedrock of their power. In arresting Huerta, that solidarity has been supercharged. Already, union members from across the state are making plans to gather Monday for Huerta's arraignment in downtown Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Stephen Miller, the Santa Monica native and architect of Trump's deportation plans, has said the raids we are seeing now are just the beginning, and that he would like to see thousands of arrests every day, because our immigrant communities are filled with 'every kind of criminal thug that you can imagine on planet earth.' But in arresting Huerta, the battleground has been redrawn in ways we don't fully yet appreciate. No doubt, Miller will have his way and the raids will not only continue, but increase. But also, the unions are not going to back down. 'Right now, just in the last 14 hours, labor unions are joining together from far and wide, communities are reaching out in ways I've never seen,' Orr told me. 'Something is different.' Rosa Parks was just a woman on a bus, she pointed out, until she was something more. George Floyd was just another Black man stopped by police. Until he was something more. Huerta is the something more of these immigration raids — not because he's a union boss, but because he's a union organizer with ties to both people in power and people in fear. The coming months will show what happens when those two groups decide, together, that backing down is not an option.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. man who supplied gang with ‘particularly dangerous' drugs began drinking, smoking at 13
At just 13, a Massachusetts boy turned to alcohol and marijuana. By 15, he was hooked on heroin. Now, three decades later, the scars of that addiction run deep — and at 39, he's been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Massachusetts-based drug ring. Brian Gingras, also known as 'Cheech,' was sentenced June 4 to nine years in prison. Gringas pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. Gingras' 'first encounter with the criminal justice system was in 2003, when he was 17 years old. The next 20 years of Defendant's life would be an uninterrupted parade of arrests and criminal court cases,' court documents state. 'Most of these cases did not result in convictions, but the records illustrate in stark relief Defendant's unwillingness or inability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.' Read more: How one machine supercharged illicit drug manufacturing in Mass. In 2019, Gingras' parents bought him a home. Three years later, investigators searched that home 'finding substantial evidence of Defendant's crimes.' Investigators also said the 'unkempt home' was 'in disarray.' 'Drugs were found in nearly every room of the house, some of which were clearly being used,' court documents state. 'Defendant himself appeared to be in distress, and he was removed from the scene in an ambulance.' Thousands of 'particularly dangerous imitations' of Adderall pills that were supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills but were filled with a compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. The pills had become increasingly popular and prevalent in Lowell. They were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall but were typically pressed with methamphetamine by local drug traffickers using pill presses, court documents state. Gingras was the source of the pills and other drugs, such as cocaine and counterfeit 'Xanax bars,' to the Asian Boyz gang, according to court documents. He was distributing wholesale quantities of cocaine and various illicit pills. He had all the equipment necessary to produce the pills himself, including an industrial pill press, which is legal in the U.S. The machines are largely unregulated and available for purchase online. In the garage, officials found a broken pill press covered in drug residue. Historically, pill presses were used in the pharmaceutical profession and by people who make their own dietary supplements, such as bodybuilders or naturopaths. Read more: A Mass. man bought an illegal depressant online and took his life. The seller will go to prison Gingras also maintained a large quantity of the drugs at a commercial storage facility, court documents state. Inside the storage unit, officials found 250 grams of methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogram of etizolam pills, bags of suspected marijuana, boxes of THC extract and edible products and over 30 kilograms of caffeine pills that looked identical to the counterfeit 'Adderall' pills made with methamphetamine. Bill Phim, also known as 'Bonez,' of the Asian Boyz gang, told an undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Gingras. Between May 2022 and September 2022, officials said Gingras met with Phim prior to planned deals to personally deliver pills. In total, Gingras supplied Phim with about 5,200 pills during this time period, consisting of over 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court documents read. Gingras sold the pills for about $1 per pill. 'Phim, in turn, re-sold the pills to the undercover officer for a significant profit, at the price of $3.50 per pill,' court documents read. Phim, 37, of Lowell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release. Read more: Will Mass. lawmakers take action on illicit drug-making machines? Public comment sought. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Erickson Dao, also known as 'Silent,' 32, of Lowell, delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit 'Adderall' pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao's residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit 'Adderall' pills and large quantities of cocaine. Gingras was seen making 'brief visits' to the back door of Dao's house, 'where Dao routinely engaged in drug transactions,' court documents state. Dao was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release. Read more: We bought a machine that makes fentanyl pills. It wasn't hard Gingras said he was not part of the Asian Boyz gang. However, court documents state he was highly associated with them, including knowing one of the leaders. After the seizure of the drugs, investigators suspected that they had completely disrupted Gingras drug operation. Over Facebook Messenger, another suspected Asian Boyz gang member Samnang Son, or 'Smiley,' told Gingras that he was 'poor.' Gingras responded, 'Me too. I went from balling to crawling.' 'Defendant's response was revealing, capturing his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of the demise of his own illicit drug operation,' court documents read. When officials went to arrest Gingras the next day, they found him at a location in Lowell that is 'frequented by drug addicts and known as a place to obtain and use illicit drugs.' Read more: Hidden in plain sight: Where pill presses have been uncovered in Mass. Court documents state his addiction and mental health issues were considered when deciding his sentence. However, court documents state, 'this case suggests that Defendant even embraced a life of crime.' Officials hopes the nine years in prison gives Gingras 'significant opportunity to participate in the programming available,' including Bureau of Prison's Residential Drug Abuse Program. Netflix movie with well-known comedians needs paid background actors How pink heart shaped fentanyl led to Mass. father's 18-year prison sentence Botulism cases linked to Botox injections under investigation in Massachusetts ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti Mass. State Lottery winner: Father will take children to Disney with $100K prize Read the original article on MassLive.


UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Dozens arrested in ICE raids leading to LA protests
June 7 (UPI) -- Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used riot gear as they clashed with protestors during a series of raids in Los Angeles where they ended up detaining more than 40 people. Separate raids by ICE agents earlier this week at a Home Depot and two separate clothing outlet stores drew crowds of protestors on Friday. In some instances, the federal agents carried shields, military-style rifles and shotguns while conducting the raids. Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday. Let... U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) June 7, 2025 The department later confirmed it was executing four federal search warrants at the three locations. "Approximately 44 people were administratively arrested and one arrest for obstruction," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told KTLA TV. "The investigation remains ongoing, updates will follow as appropriate." Service Employees International Union leader David Huerta was among those detained. The SEIU local president was charged with obstruction of justice. "Federal agents were executing a lawful judicial warrant at a LA worksite this morning when David Huerta deliberately obstructed their access by blocking their vehicle. He was arrested for interfering with federal officers and will face arraignment in federal court on Monday," U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli wrote on X. "Let me be clear: I don't care who you are -- if you impede federal agents, you will be arrested and prosecuted. No one has the right to assault, obstruct, or interfere with federal authorities carrying out their duties," he wrote. People can be heard on video yelling at the crowds in Spanish, and telling them not to sign paperwork or speak to federal officials. By Friday evening, the Los Angeles Police Department declared unlawful assembly near the Civic Center in the northern part of the city's downtown core, issuing a city-wide alert that forced all officers to remain on-duty. LAPD officers were later forced to use tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse crowds in the city. At one point, protesters were reportedly throwing large pieces of concrete during the unrest The alert was cancelled around midnight Friday. "As mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X. "These tactics sew terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. My office is in close coordination with immigrant rights community organizations. We will not stand for this."