Working hard and delivering results for our Clients in the Chicago Metropolitan area and throughout Illinois.
Being charged with a crime is scary. Naturally, you are worried about your family, your job, and, of course, your freedom. At Novelle & Roellig LLC, Tim will put his criminal law experience and skill to work for you right from the outset, giving you the certainty that your case is in the right hands.
You will have questions and Tim and his team will have the answers: from explaining the charges and possible penalties, to breaking down the process and giving you necessary insights to make informed decisions. As the case proceeds, the team will advise you of every development, and provide you with the experienced guidance necessary for a successful outcome.
Client focused
Integrity
Hard work
Compassion
When it comes to the courtroom, we’ve got you covered. Tim has the criminal law experience and skill necessary to take a case to trial and have success. When required, he has the skill and ability to negotiate for reduced charges and a manageable sentence.
With a solid reputation for zealous and prepared defense work that translates into well-earned respect from the State and judges, let Novelle & Roellig LLC put our experienced advocacy to work for you!
Timothy R. Roellig has practiced criminal law since 1996, when he began as an associate on a team of lawyers defending (successfully) a death penalty case in Will County. Mr. Roellig is licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin. In private criminal defense practice for over 20 years, Mr. Roellig has tried dozens and dozens of felony and misdemeanor cases, including cases in Federal and State court. Known for his legal acumen and writing ability, Mr. Roellig is a successful appellate advocate, arguing cases before the Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois Appellate Courts, as well as the Seventh and Eight Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. Roellig is admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois and State of Wisconsin. He has also been admitted to practice law before the following courts:
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division
- United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
Mr. Roellig has appeared pro hac vice (for a single case only) in the State of Indiana, State of Michigan, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, the Southern District of Iowa, the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
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Representative Cases
2018
People v. J.P.
September 2018: Client was charged with felony Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon for allegedly displaying a gun during a road rage incident. After we filed a motion to dismiss the indictment for failing to allege a criminal offense, the State agreed to reduce the charge to misdemeanor reckless driving with two years of probation.
People v. V.H.
September 2018: Client was charged with two Class X (minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 30 in prison) deliveries of narcotics to a paid informant wearing a recording device. Our investigation and motion work forced the State to reveal the identity of the informant and his continuing criminal activity and credibility problems. We also educated the State with case law establishing that Chicago Police were likely not authorized to conduct such an investigation outside of their jurisdiction. As a result, the State reduced the charges to one Class Four simple possession and the client received 12 months of probation.
People v. R.C.
July 2018: Client was charged with allegedly possessing a kilogram of fentanyl, after Chicago Police executed a search warrant at a residence. The mandatory minimum for the charge was 15 years. The search warrant was based on the sworn statements of a John Doe informant. After filing a motion to suppress supported by 72 hours of video evidence, affidavits, and medical records, we proved that John Doe informant lied in the search warrant. The State agreed and dismissed the charges.
People ex rel Cook County State’s Attorney v. $75,540.00 U.S.C., $34,420.00 U.S.C., $37, 260.00 U.S.C., and $23,620.00 U.S.C.
August 2018: Connected to the above referenced fentanyl case, and because a Fourth Amendment violation led to the dismissal of the charges in that case, we were able to obtain the return of all of the funds – more than $170,000.00 – for the client.
People v. F.O.
July 2018: Client, an independent contractor working at a nursing home, was charged with felony Elder Abuse and aggravated battery to a nursing home patient. Our investigation revealed that the police department bungled the investigation. We uncovered a report from the nursing home and the State of Illinois Department of Public Health concluding that the client had done nothing wrong – reports the police investigation never uncovered – causing the State to dismiss the charges.
People v. B.R.
June 2018: Client was charged with felony forgery and theft based on an allegedly altered check. After engaging a hand writing expert and conducting a pretrial hearing into the validity of the allegedly altered check, our expert established serious proof problems for the State. As a result, the State reduced the charges to a misdemeanor and the client received probation.
State v. M.T.
May 2018: Client was charged in Wisconsin with three controlled buys of narcotics to a law enforcement informant, and was facing up to thirty years in prison. A search warrant executed at the Client’s purported residence uncovered more cocaine and multiple firearms. Our investigation uncovered that the paid snitch had lied to the police, failed to disclose several convictions/arrests, and was likely involved in the sale of contraband, all while working as a paid informant. The State, as a result, dismissed all charges.
People v. A.H.
January 2018: We filed a post-conviction petition on behalf of our Client alleging that his original lawyer failed to advise him that his guilty plea to a drug charge would result in his deportation. The trial court dismissed the petition and we appealed. The Second District Appellate Court agreed with us and reversed the trial court, remanding for further post-conviction proceedings.
2017
People v. O.T.
December 2017: Client, who was not represented by our firm in the trial court, had received a 25 year sentence for Aggravated Battery with a Firearm, after a negotiated plea of guilty. We handled the appeal and obtained a reversal, with a remand to allow the client to seek to withdraw his plea and, failing that, request a new sentencing hearing.
People v. O.O.
May 2017: Client, an independent contractor working at a group home, was charged with felony abuse of a patient with mental disabilities on a theory of accountability, and with failure to report the offense. We hired an expert who did a forensic analysis of the client’s smart phone and gave it to the State. The phone analysis established that our client reported the offense to her superiors as soon as she discovered it. The State, as a result, dismissed the case.
People v. F.E.
2017: Client was charged with residential burglary. After convincing the State that they had significant proof problems in the case, we negotiated a plea to misdemeanor theft, restitution, and 12 months of supervision.
State of Michigan v. O.F.
January 2017: Client, originally from Chicago, was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, a felony carrying significant jail time. After litigating and winning a motion to suppress an alleged confession, we successfully negotiated a plea to second degree child abuse and a minimum two year prison sentence – a lesser offense disposition that avoided mandatory sex offender registration requirements for the client.
2016
In Re Forfeiture of $42,000.00 U.S.C.
November 2016: Client had a search warrant executed at his residence by the Cook County Sheriff’s office. No drugs were found but officers seized $42,000.00 in U.S. currency. We filed a claim with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office for the money and took the proactive step of providing the State with rental receipts, tenant affidavits, and rent rolls establishing that our client had lawfully obtained the cash from his rental properties. After a short investigation by the Cook County Sheriff’s office to verify our investigation, the State returned all of the funds without requiring us to go to Court.
U.S. v. A.G.
September 2016: Client was charged in Federal court in Kentucky with conspiracy to distribute multiple kilograms of heroin, and was facing a ten year mandatory minimum sentence. We were able to negotiate a dismissal of that charge and a plea to an information charging money laundering, taking into account the Client’s immigration situation, and attempting to avoid deportation. He received a reduced sentence of 37 months in prison.
People v. K.M.
September 2016: Client was charges with residential burglary in Cook County, Rolling Meadows. Police officers had placed a GPS device on a certain vehicle, pursuant to a search warrant issued by a Du Page County judge. Pursuant to the GPS tracking, the police stopped the truck and our Client and two other individuals were inside. The police also found evidence they claimed was related to a residential burglary. We filed an 11 page motion to quash and suppress, pointing out all the different ways the search warrant violated the Fourth Amendment. When we set the case for hearing and brought in the witnesses, the State relented and dismissed the case.
People v. T.T. and M.A.
January 2016: Represented two Clients charged in Kendall County with video and audio recorded controlled buys of Class X (minimum of 6 years to 30) amounts of narcotics to the Kendall County Task Force and DEA. After demonstrating to the State that the officers involved had promised the clients probation in exchange for their cooperation, and providing the State with Illinois case law holding that such promises were enforceable, clients pleaded guilty to 24 months of felony drug probation, with charges reduced to Class Three and Class One offenses.
2015
People v. S.E.
December 2015: Client was charged with non-probationable Residential Burglary, Class One, and a Class Four felony of False Personation of a Public Employee. After our thorough investigation that included three alibi witnesses, the State dropped the residential burglary and agreed to allow the client to plead to the False Personation charge. The client received 12 months of probation.
2014
People ex rel Cook County State’s Attorney v. $3,570.01 and Misc. Jewelry ($20,865.00 in value)
December 2014: Client had certain valuables seized during a residential burglary investigation. The State sought to forfeit the items under the Illinois Money Laundering statute’s forfeiture provisions. We filed a motion to dismiss, asserting that the State could not establish any connection between the items seized and a fraudulent financial transaction, as required by the statute. After reviewing our motion, the State agreed and voluntarily dismissed the forfeiture action, and we were able to get everything back for the client.
People ex rel Cook County State’s Attorney v. $12,372.00 U.S.C.
November 2014: Client was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to deliver and the above referenced cash was seized as a result. At the forfeiture trial, we established that the State could not prove any connection between the currency and the seized drugs. Our investigation also revealed that the drug sniffing dog used in the case was not certified at the time of the search, making the results unreliable. As a result, all of the currency was ordered by the judge to be returned to the client.
People v. R.H.
November 2014: Client charged with DUI and two minor traffic tickets in Du Page County. The case involved an accident where the airbags deployed. We tried the case and the nurse treating the client testified that any display of disorientation by the client was likely the result of the airbag impact. The court, at a bench trial, found him not guilty of the DUI, guilty of the lesser tickets, and gave him 12 months of conditional discharge.
People v. Y.H.
November 2014: Client was charged with domestic battery against her husband in Du Page. She claimed self-defense from the beginning, claiming that he had struck her repeatedly, but for some inexplicable reason, the police charged her with the offense. Our investigation revealed that the husband had physically assaulted the client and his child on two separate prior occasions, witnessed by the neighbors. We successfully convinced the trial court to admit those prior acts as part of the self-defense case at trial. The “victim,” upon finding out that he would be questioned about these reprehensible acts, refused to show for trial and the State dismissed the case.
People v. R.C.
2014: Client, a high school student, was charged with felony disorderly conduct for supposedly communicating a threat of violence at school. We challenged the charge by filing a motion to dismiss, arguing that the statute violated the First Amendment, was overbroad and unconstitutionally vague, and violated substantive due process. As a result, the State dismissed the charge and the client agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for supervision.
People v. R.E.
May 2014: Client, ten years prior, had been convicted of a felony drug case in Winnebago County. Federal immigration, in 2013, was trying to deport him because of the conviction. Our investigation revealed that the conviction was based on a false claim by the investigating officer that an informant had information tying the client to drug dealing. We even got an affidavit from the supposed informant where she swore she wasn’t the snitch. The State concurred and the court entered an order vacating the conviction and dismissing the case. The client was on a bus getting deported to Mexico when the court entered the order. He was then freed.
People v. R.R., S.E., and R.E.
April 2014: Our clients were arrested on the mere suspicion that they had committed a residential burglary, and eventually charged with this non-probationable felony by the State. The police department involved was so disparaging of our clients in the news media, we were able to get a gag order entered by the Judge ordering them to stop talking about the case. Through our investigation, including hours of surveillance video, we established that none of the clients went into the residence and nothing was taken. The State relented and offered all of the clients misdemeanor trespass convictions with two years of probation.
People v. R.F.
April 2014: On behalf of a Client we filed a 28 U.S.C. §2255 motion seeking to vacate his federal sentence, and a State court post-conviction in Cook County seeking to vacate his state drug conviction. We did not represent the Client in his original state or federal cases, but convinced a state court that the Client had not received benefit of the bargain when he plead guilty to a state charge that negatively impacted his sentence in a separate federal case. We were able to get his state charge vacated, and as a result the federal court granted the §2255 motion and resentenced the Client to a lesser sentence.