Federal Crimes Blog

I've been practicing federal law now for over 25 years and have handled numerous cases around the nation, many jury trials, and I believe that the first thing you need to win a federal criminal case is a solid argument that strikes at the heart of the prosecution's theory against you. In other wo...

Any time you're indicted for a federal case in Los Angeles, or anywhere in the nation for that matter, typically you will appear for your post-indictment arraignment.  You will eventually be assigned a judge and then the prosecutors will be ordered to give all the discovery related to the case to...

These cases are prosecuted more and more at the healthcare level and we're seeing a lot of physicians and doctors being charged both civilly and criminally where they're facing thousands of dollars of fines at the civil level and then the criminal prosecutors get their hands on the case and then ...

For the last 25+ years, I've handled gang-related cases at both the state and federal level.  The feds got involved with prosecuting gangs approximately 15 years ago, especially here in Los Angeles, but not just Los Angeles — across the country. They really have found themselves more suitable to ...

What Are Some Examples Of Charges Brought Under Health Care Fraud By A Consumer, Patient, Or A Doctor? When it comes to health care fraud, especially at the federal level, the government is sending a benefit to somebody that shouldn't be getting that benefit. For example, maybe a doctor is billin...

What Can You Be Prosecuted for By the Federal Government if You're Caught With Child Pornography on Your Computer or Other Device? I've represented these cases since they came into existence and what ends up happening a lot of times is somehow the feds become aware that you are involved with chil...

I call this the modern federal drug conspiracy because I've been doing drug conspiracy cases now for the last 26 years and I've seen them develop in a lot of different ways. The federal government has to keep pace with those individuals who are moving drugs throughout not just California or the U...

What Exactly Is Identity Theft? Is This A Federal Offense? Identity theft can come about in different ways. It can come up at the federal level or filed at the state level. At the federal level, you're usually going to see a level of sophistication involved where somebody is using someone else's ...

In my experience, bankruptcy fraud is usually prosecuted at the federal level. Of course, it has to do with individuals who are trying to utilize the bankruptcy system in a fraudulent manner. For example, making claims that they are not receiving money, don't have money, or filling up paperwork t...

This is an important aspect of any federal case and that is, what the federal government agents are doing before the case is even filed.  I get a lot of clients who come to me pre-filing at the investigative stage and they're really not sure what to do.  They know that the feds are investigating ...

Should I Wait To Get A Federal Defense Attorney Until This Is All Over Or Should I Hire One Now? You should not wait to get a federal defense attorney until Covid-19 is over. We are available if you have a federal case. If either you or a loved one is under investigation, or there is a federal ca...

What ends up happening is somebody gets arrested and then the US Marshals or the FBI or whoever is doing the arresting is typically going to take them into court.  In Los Angeles, they usually get you into court the same day in the afternoon for the 2:00 calendar. Then what happens is the...

I've handled a lot of out of state cases, even though I'm based out of Los Angeles, if people want me to go and represent them, obviously, as long as they can financially afford me and it's the type of case that I enjoy defending. It really doesn't matter whether your attorney is from in or out...

This is an important question because a lot of times people don't want to plead guilty.  They don't want to go to federal prison and serve 85% of the time and the bottom line is, they don't feel like they've done anything wrong. So, they're thinking about taking their case to trial, and obviously...

This is a big question on a lot of people's mind, because once they get arrested and they're either released on a signature bond, a property bond, or even detained — which is horrible while you wait for your case to end — then you want to know how long is this case going to take in order to be fi...

I think this is an important topic that a lot of people don't really understand and the reason they don't understand it is because they've probably never been charged with a federal crime before and they don't know exactly how the system works to even be able to figure out what their attorney's j...

I would say when you're weighing everything when you're thinking about your case and exactly how you're going to handle everything, the judge is probably the most important component of the case. The reason I say that is because in the end if the person is convicted or if the person pleads guilty...

If you or a family member has been indicted in a big federal drug conspiracy case and you're wondering how if there's more than ten individuals indicted that case is going to end up resolving itself?  I can give you an idea having been doing these cases for the past 26 years. Our federal criminal...

Wire fraud is a federal offense due to the different jurisdictions that are involved and the sophistication of those types of cases. Anything that involves computers and moving things across state lines, the feds will usually get involved because they have the ability to tackle criminal issues th...

Can the Federal Government Prosecute Someone For Drug Activity Outside the United States? I do have a number of clients who come to me and ask this question because they're involved with drug trafficking in other countries outside the U.S. and the don't understand how the U.S. government has...

The crime that I see the federal government investigating and prosecuting a lot is these robbery crimes where people are following their victims around, either jewelers or other victims with cash from banks and then they will do some sort of a distraction maneuver.  For example, they'll pop their...

There's a number of scams going on the internet right now involving dating and people who are falling prey to individuals who are posing as legitimate dating sites for individuals who are interested in meeting somebody, and then the person ends up sending some sort of money and/or depositing mone...

Obviously, if you're being investigated by the feds you're going to want to consult an attorney.  The problem is that the feds will come and talk to you and ask you if you want to give some information. They'll start asking you some questions.  Sometimes, they'll tape-record the conversation.  The bottom...

After the client initially appears and the judge determines whether they are to be released or to stay in custody, the client and the attorney are given the indictment in the case, which is the charging document. The prosecutors have to get all the paperwork related to the case to the attorney an...

Where the judges' power is in a federal case is at the sentencing. The judges have complete discretion, tempered by the sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors are the ones who control what the charges are that are filed against the defendant. Judges don't usually interfere with the charges or with...