Investigation

If you’ve been contacted by law enforcement regarding an investigation, it is important that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Statements made to law enforcement during this time can potentially be used against you in an investigation or trial, and it is vital that you have an attorney available to review the situation and advise you through any meetings with agents.

Arrest

Once you’ve been arrested, it is pivotal that you get an attorney to represent you immediately, and that your attorney is present any time that you speak with law enforcement. Due to the time-sensitive nature of this stage, our firm strives to be available for consultation on short notice. If you,or someone in your family, has been arrested on federal charges, please contact us immediately.

Indictment

The indictment is the stage where a grand jury has found probable cause that a person has committed a crime. After indictment, you will be brought to court for an arraignment. Our office has experience handling a large number of federal cases, including indictments charging violations of the following:

18 U.S.C. § 2              Aiding & Abetting

18 U.S.C. § 241          Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights

18 U.S.C. § 641          Embezzle, Steal, or Purloin Money of the Social Security Administration

18 U.S.C. § 844          Arson/Conspiracy to Commit Arson

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon

18 U.S.C. § 924(c)      Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking

18 U.S.C. § 1711        Misappropriation of Postal Funds

18 U.S.C. § 1791        Attempt to Provide Inmate with Contraband

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) Possession with Intent to Distribute – Heroin

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) Possession with Intent to Distribute – Methamphetamine

21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) Possession with Intent to Distribute – Oxycodone

21 U.S.C. § 846          Conspiracy to Distribute – Cocaine

21 U.S.C. § 846          Conspiracy to Distribute – Heroin

21 U.S.C. § 846          Conspiracy to Distribute – Methamphetamine

21 U.S.C. § 846          Conspiracy to Distribute – Oxycodone

26 U.S.C. § 5861        Possession of an Unregistered Firearm

42 U.S.C. § 1973        Payment for Voting (Vote Buying)

If you are indicted on any federal charges, please contact an attorney as soon as possible.

Trial/Plea Agreement

After receiving and reviewing discovery in your case, it is important to review all your options. Our office has experience in negotiating plea agreements with the government, which can include elimination of certain charges, in exchange for pleading guilty. We also have federal criminal trial experience, including obtaining “not guilty” verdicts on federal charges. Regardless of the nature of the charges, you need to have an attorney who can review all possible outcomes, and the costs and benefits of a potential plea.

The federal courts use the United States Sentencing Guidelines in evaluating the range of appropriate sentences for a particular charge. The range of sentences depends on a large number of case-specific factors that will be presented in something called a PSR (or, Pre-Sentence Report/Pre-sentence Investigation Report).

Appeal

If you have gone to trial and lost, or entered into particular types of plea agreements that permit appeals, you may need to appeal an aspect of your trial, plea and/or sentence. Remember, there are hard deadlines that have to be met in these cases, so you need to contact an attorney immediately to make sure that you don’t lose your ability to appeal.

Supervised Release / Probation Violation

Our office also has extensive experience in handling supervised release or probation violation hearings. When an individual is placed on probation or supervised release, the Court will impose a series of conditions. If one of these conditions is violated, the United States Probation Office will prepare a violation report and present it to the Judge. The Judge can then call the Defendant back to Court, and can potentially send the Defendant to prison, or impose additional conditions of release. Again, during this period of time, it is essential to have experienced attorneys reviewing the violations and potential sentences.