Need Information on Federal Cases and Criminal Charges?

In the United States, a federal crime or federal offense is a crime that is either made illegal by U.S. federal legislation or a crime that occurs on U.S. federal property. Crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government most often involve large amounts of stolen money, bribery, drug trafficking, and illegal acts which have crossed state lines.

Being charged with a federal crime is much more serious than a state crime which means penalties and sentences can be far more harsh and severe.

Criminal attorney Lisa Pelosi has defended federal cases and can handle federal criminal cases in all states in the U.S.

Federal Lawyer Cases

Drug Offenses

  • Possession For Sale
  • Drug Manufacture
  • Importation
  • Attempts to Sell
  • Cultivation and Sales
  • Transportation
  • Distribution

White Collar Crimes

  • Credit Card Fraud
  • Bad Check and Schemes to Defraud
  • Google Fraud and Internet Fraud Crimes
  • Perjury
  • Money Laundering
  • Alien Smuggling
  • Fraud
  • Bankruptcy Fraud
  • Theft
  • Criminal Enterprises
  • Drug Trafficking

Violent Crimes:

  • Murder and Homicide
  • Elder Abuse
  • Kidnapping
  • Manslaughter
  • Rape
  • Child Abuse
  • Solicitation to Murder

Sex Offenses:

  • Lewd Conduct
  • Child Pornography
  • Child Molestation
  • Sexual Battery
  • Domestic Violence

Understanding Federal Criminal Attorney & Case Processes:

The judicial process in a federal lawyer case involves the U.S. government attorney (the prosecutor) and the grand jury. The U.S. government attorney represents the United States in most court proceedings, including all criminal aw prosecutions. The grand jury will review evidence presented by the U.S. government attorney and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to charge a defendant and require them to stand trial. After a person is arrested on federal charges, the court pretrial services office or probation officer will immediately interview the defendant and conduct an investigation of the federal criminal attorney defendant’s background. The resulting investigation by the probation officer or pretrial services office will be used to assist a judge in deciding whether to release the defendant before trial and dismiss charges, and whether to impose conditions of release.

During an initial appearance, the judge will advise the defendant of the charges filed and consider whether the said defendant should be held in jail until trial. The judge also will determine whether there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and the said defendant has committed it.

If a defendant is unable to afford a criminal defense federal lawyer, they are advised of their right to a court-appointed government attorney and then the court may appoint either a federal criminal attorney public defender or a private criminal defense federal lawyer who has agreed to accept such appointments from the court. In either type of appointment, the federal criminal attorney will be paid by the court government funds.

Federal Criminal Attorney … What to Expect

Your federal criminal lawyer will inform you of what to expect during the federal law process. If there is probable cause to bring charges, sometimes the judge will release a defendant before trial and required to obey certain restrictions, such as home confinement or drug testing. The judge also may require the defendant to make periodic reports to a pretrial services officer to ensure appearance at trial. At an arraignment (pre-trial hearing) the defendant enters a plea to the charges brought by the U.S. government federal lawyer. Most defendants (more than 90%) plead guilty rather than go to trial. A plea bargain is when a defendant pleads guilty in return for the government attorney agreeing to recommend a lenient sentence or to dropping certain charges. Keep in mind if a defendant pleads guilty, the judge has the option of imposing a sentence at the time, but most of the time the judge will schedule a hearing to determine the sentence at a later date. In most felony cases the judge waits for the results of a pre-sentence investigation and report (done by the court probation office), before sentencing a defendant. If the defendant pleads not guilty, the judge will proceed to schedule a trial.

Understanding Federal Criminal Courts

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the federal judiciary. Congress has established two levels of federal courts under the Supreme Court: the trial courts and the appellate courts.

Understanding the structure of the federal courts in the United States means understanding trial courts, appellate courts and United States Supreme Court.The US court of Appeals consists of 12 regional circuit court of appeals and 1 US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.Trial Courts consist of US District Court (includes 94 judicial districts and US Bankruptcy Courts), US Court of Federal Claims and US Court of International Trade.

Federal Lawyer Trial Courts

The United States district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. The district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters. There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each district includes a United States bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court.