Court level
29 % District · 71 % Circuit
Monica Gonzalez
Defense counsel of record in 844 Virginia cases (2025)
Cases of record · 2025844
Monica Gonzalez appeared as defense counsel of record in 844 Virginia court cases during 2025, drawn from Virginia District and Circuit Court Information Systems.
Primary jurisdiction
Tazewell County · 573 cases
Most common charge
Drug Possession · 89
Across 407 resolved 2025 cases, 60% were dropped — 181 nolle prossed and 64 dismissed.
Case outcomes
Resolved cases — 407 of 844. "Resolved" means a final disposition was reached. Pending cases and probation revocations are excluded.
Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology. Convicted = guilty disposition on originally filed charge. Reduced = guilty disposition with non-empty amended charge. Dropped = nolle prosequi or dismissal. Acquitted = found not guilty at trial.
Plea vs trial
Of 162 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, how many pled and how many went to trial.
Pled guilty
14388%
Resolved by guilty plea — no trial.
Went to trial
1912%
16 acquittals · 3 convictions at trial.
Trial acquittal rate
84%
16 of 19 trial verdicts ended in acquittal.
Top charge — Drug Possession
Monica Gonzalez's most common charge category in 2025 (89 cases of record · 39 resolved). Outcomes use the same definitions as the overall view.
Acquittals are tracked at the overall level — the top-charge view shows the three primary disposition paths. See the Drug Possession page for jurisdiction-wide context.
Cases like yours
Monica Gonzalez's most common charge × jurisdiction combinations in 2025. If your charge and county appear here, this attorney has handled cases like yours specifically — at the volume shown. Minimum 3 cases per row.
| Charge | Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Possession | Tazewell County | 62 | 17 | 45 |
| Fraud / Forgery | Tazewell County | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Larceny / Theft | Tazewell County | 35 | 14 | 21 |
| Drug Possession | Russell County | 27 | 12 | 15 |
| Weapons Offense | Tazewell County | 25 | 4 | 21 |
| Drug Distribution | Tazewell County | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Larceny / Theft | Russell County | 17 | 16 | 1 |
| Driving Suspended | Tazewell County | 14 | 13 | 1 |
| DUI / DWI | Russell County | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| Assault & Battery | Tazewell County | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| Trespassing | Russell County | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Weapons Offense | Russell County | 11 | 5 | 6 |
Each row links to Monica Gonzalez's charge × jurisdiction page where outcomes for that combination are visible site-wide.
Reduction targets
When the original charge was reduced, the case was most often resolved as one of the following lesser charges.
Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor)
6
Disorderly Conduct
5
No Driver's License
5
DWI, First Offense
2
Defective Equipment Generally
1
Disorderly Conduct
1
Dist Schedule I Or Ii Drug 2nd Off
1
Driving Under Revocation/Suspension
1
Where cases were heard
Top jurisdictions by case volume in 2025.
| Jurisdiction | Cases | District | Circuit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tazewell County | 573 | 124 | 449 |
| Russell County | 263 | 120 | 143 |
| Wythe County | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Bland County | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Washington County | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Case mix by charge
Charge categories Monica Gonzalez appeared on as defense counsel of record, 2025.
| Charge category | Cases | Resolved | Convicted | Dropped | Reduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 448 | 191 | 49 | 128 | 10 |
| Drug Possession | 89 | 39 | 15 | 24 | 0 |
| Larceny / Theft | 52 | 28 | 8 | 19 | 1 |
| Fraud / Forgery | 38 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Weapons Offense | 36 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| Drug Distribution | 23 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 1 |
| Driving Suspended | 22 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| DUI / DWI | 21 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Failure to Appear | 18 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Trespassing | 17 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Other attorneys with cases in Tazewell County
Listed by case volume in Tazewell County, 2025.
| Attorney | Tazewell County cases | Total (statewide) |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Scruggs | 655 | 731 |
| Mike Letsen | 606 | 611 |
| Jim Shortt | 549 | 552 |
| Aaron Gillespie | 392 | 405 |
| Shea Cook | 378 | 402 |
| Penny Nimmo | 336 | 451 |
| Michael Thomas | 294 | 305 |
| Shannon Adams | 281 | 421 |
What this data does not show
- Retained matters not of court record — cases settled before formal counsel of record was entered
- Federal court cases — state-court records only
- Case facts, evidence quality, witness cooperation, or client circumstances
- Plea-versus-trial strategy, motion practice, or sentencing advocacy
- Quality of legal representation
- The 19th Judicial Circuit (Fairfax County, Fairfax City, Falls Church) Circuit Court is not in CIS — district-level cases for those three jurisdictions are included; circuit-level are not. See coverage notes.
Outcomes reflect the recorded facts of cases, not the quality of advocacy. Past outcomes do not predict future case results. For legal advice, consult a licensed Virginia attorney.
Common questions
Quick reference for journalists, researchers, and AI assistants citing this page.
Monica Gonzalez appeared as defense counsel of record in 844 Virginia court cases during 2025 — 248 in District Court and 596 in Circuit Court. Source: Virginia DCIS + CIS public records.
Tazewell County, with 573 of 844 2025 cases handled there.
In 2025 the most common charge category in Monica Gonzalez's case record was Drug Possession (89 cases). The full charge mix is in the table above.
Of 407 resolved cases: 26% convicted of original charge (108), 60% dropped (245 = 181 nolle prossed + 64 dismissed), 9% reduced to a lesser charge (38), 4% acquitted (16). Outcomes use strict definitions per the methodology.
Of 162 cases ending in a guilty or not-guilty verdict, 143 (88%) resolved by guilty plea and 19 (12%) went to trial — 16 acquittals and 3 convictions at trial.
Virginia District Court Information System (DCIS) and Circuit Court Information System (CIS), 2025 calendar year, direct extraction. Aggregated by defense counsel of record per the methodology. Refreshed quarterly. Last updated May 2, 2026.
Looking for representation in Tazewell County? See VCF's free case-review process — qualified Virginia attorneys, matched on your charge and jurisdiction. Independent of any attorney featured on this page.
Methodology
Cases are counted by defense counsel of record as recorded in DCIS (district) and CIS (circuit). Outcomes use the strict definitions published at virginiacourtfile.com/methodology. Resolved includes only cases with final disposition codes (Guilty, Not Guilty, Dismissed, Nolle Prosequi). Convicted is a guilty disposition on the originally filed charge with no amended charge. Reduced is a guilty disposition with a non-empty amended charge field. Dropped combines Dismissed and Nolle Prosequi. Pending cases, certifications, and probation revocations are excluded from the outcome rates above.
Citation
VirginiaCourtFile.com. "Monica Gonzalez — Virginia Defense Attorney Case Data, 2025." Available at https://www.virginiacourtfile.com/attorneys/monica-gonzalez. Source: Virginia District Court Information System and Circuit Court Information System, 2025.
Data last refreshed May 2, 2026. Refreshed quarterly.