Our Federal Crime Practice Areas
We serve clients in the state of California and throughout the United States. When the federal government and its agents come knocking, and everything is on the line, there is no question that you must find the best federal criminal defense attorneys.
In Los Angeles federal courts, our track record is unmatched. We have successfully handled countless federal criminal cases over many years of successful criminal defense practice in Los Angeles. Attorney Ronald Hedding decided to stand firm in defense of those clients who must guard their reputations, rights, and freedom at all costs. Read our message, review our credentials, and then come in for a face-to-face consultation in absolute privacy and decide who is the best.
Our Los Angeles-based federal criminal defense firm has the experience and background to defend your case with a skill set that is unrivaled within any state in the United States. Whether your federal case requires a savvy negotiator or skilled trial attorney, we have the federal criminal defense knowledge to represent you or your loved one best.
If you have a federal criminal case in Los Angeles or anywhere in the nation, you must sit down with us face to face and allow us to educate you on how the federal criminal defense system works and design a plan to put you back on the road to a normal life. Several criminal offenses can be charged in federal court.
When a federal prosecutor takes on a case, the situation gets more serious, and the consequences of a conviction get harsher. The federal criminal lawyers at the Hedding Law Firm represent clients in federal federal cases nationwide.
How The Federal Criminal Defense System Operates
Federal law enforcement agents investigate individuals they believe are involved in criminal activity in violation of federal laws. The FBI, DEA, ICE Agents, Secret Service and Homeland Security are part of the investigative arm of the federal government related to the investigation of federal crimes. They gather evidence for federal prosecutors in federal cases.
Federal prosecutors, known as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs), are tasked with the responsibility of enforcing federal laws and prosecuting those who break them. They will typically meet with federal agents and review the evidence gathered in a federal investigation.
If they believe there is enough evidence to prosecute someone for a federal crime, they will usually file a federal indictment with the United States District Court that has jurisdiction over a particular federal case. The prosecutors and federal agents will then work hand in hand in prosecuting a federal case in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the country.
Federal judges are primarily responsible for sentencing an individual who has committed a federal offense. A federal judge must consult the Federal Sentencing Guidelines before sentencing someone in a federal case.
The probation department, assistant United States attorney, and federal criminal defense lawyer will all file sentencing position papers regarding what each believe an individual charged with a federal crime should receive. Ultimately, it is up to the sentencing judge to make the final decision and up to us to point out any and all downward departures.
Pre-Indictment Intervention in a Federal Criminal Case
If you feel that you are under investigation by the feds, you definitely want to get an attorney involved with your case immediately. Never a good idea to try to handle it yourself. Now's not the time to pinch pennies and not hire an attorney immediately.
Basically, pre-indictment intervention has to do with before the feds indict you, which is their filing document where they're filing criminal federal charges against you. You can intervene and you can use an attorney to either investigate the case to show that you're innocent or to investigate the case to try to get information on your behalf to either mitigate or reduce the charges.
Another thing your attorney can do is talk to the prosecutor involved with the case before an indictment is filed and see if anything can be done to avoid an indictment, or at minimum, to be able to represent your interest while the United States Attorney is trying to figure out exactly how they're going to handle your case.
What they're going to do — whether they're going to arrest you in front of your friends and family or whether you might be able to just turn yourself in at a designated location, then your attorney can argue to try to get you released without you being in custody for a significant period of time.
Realize in the federal criminal system, once you get arrested, there's a possibility you could just be detained without having the ability to post a bond. They don't have bail bondsmen in federal criminal cases, so you definitely want to get an attorney before you're indicted for trying to make some moves on your behalf so you can end up with the best possible result.
I've handled a lot of cases pre-indictment, dealing with the prosecutors and letting them know my client's position right from the beginning. This is an important thing to do, and it can benefit a criminal defendant in many different ways.
So, if you're being investigated or you suspect you might be being investigated before you get indicted, pick up the phone. Make the call. I've been doing this for 26 years. I'm sure I can help you strategize what you're going to do moving forward, what moves you're going to make, and what I'm going to do on your behalf with the prosecutors so you end up with the best possible result in your federal criminal case.
Types of Federal Criminal Cases We Defend
Federal criminal conduct usually falls under several categories, many similar to those found in State Courts. Some of the most common federal cases we have dealt with include the following:
- white collar crimes,
- alien reentry,
- antitrust violations,
- attempt and conspiracy,
- attempted murder or manslaughter,
- bankruptcy fraud,
- bank fraud,
- blackmail,
- consumer fraud,
- copyright infringement,
- counterfeiting,
- evade reporting,
- first offenders act,
- insurance fraud,
- mail or wire fraud,
- medicaid fraud,
- medicare fraud,
- money laundering,
- mortgage fraud,
- food stamp fraud,
- healthcare fraud,
- tamper with consumer products,
- transport stolen property,
- trespassing,
- identity theft,
- wire fraud,
- mail fraud,
- classified documents,
- real estate fraud,
- election fraud,
- honest services fraud,
- witness tampering,
- forgery,
- extortion,
- bribery,
- social security fraud,
- embezzlement.
Federal drug offenses normally involve selling, manufacturing or distributing controlled substances, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or other illegal substances. Most federal drug offenses involve the transportation of narcotics over state lines. We handle cases of drug smuggling and drug trafficking that often involve transporting drugs from one state to another in a motor vehicle or other means of transportation.
Child pornography and Internet sex crimes are federal offenses that typically involve trafficking, selling, distributing, or possessing child pornography through the use of computers and the Internet. Due to the fact that using a computer and the internet are almost always crucial factor in the case, your federal defense attorney has to have experience in dealing with these types of cases.
Other federal crimes we handle are bank robberies which are always charged as a federal crime, computer crimes, conspiracy, property crimes, carjacking, gang crimes, hate crimes, probation violations, immigration violations, insider trading, kidnapping, hostage taking, passport fraud, public corruption, tax evasion, video voyeurism, stalking, weapons charges, assault a federal officer, a felon with a firearm, coin mutilation, and organized crimes known as the Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
If you are under a federal criminal investigation or already arrested for a federal crime, contact our federal criminal defense lawyers to review the details of your case and legal option. Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in Los Angeles County at 16000 Ventura Blvd #1208 Encino, CA 91436.
Best Strategies for Federal Criminal Defense
Federal criminal defense is an important topic because if someone is charged with a federal crime, they face many months in federal prison.
The feds usually don't get involved in criminal cases unless it's severe and sophisticated, and they're coming to exact a harsh punishment against the defendants being charged. So therefore, obviously, you're going to want to find the best criminal defense attorney that practices federally in the jurisdiction where your case is pending.
I've been doing this now for 30 years. I've handled federal cases all over the nation, and I think it's essential that you meet with and talk to your attorney and go over the details of your case.
Be honest with the attorney so they can give you a fair and accurate assessment of what may happen to you moving forward with a federal case. This gives you peace of mind and control, so you understand precisely what you face.
There is something called the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. That is what all the judges nationwide use when they sentence someone. So they're going to look at those guidelines, which will be the base for what a person is facing as far as their punishment.
So, strategy-wise, you want first to hire the best attorney you can find. The next thing after hiring your attorney is that you want to see what you can do to help your attorney achieve the best possible result.
Many times I have my clients provide character letters on their behalf. Also, I have my clients sit down with me, and we develop a particularized strategy based on the case we find ourselves facing. First, we'll go over all of the discoveries in the case.
Then, I will talk to the prosecutor to see their position, and then we'll decide if this is the type of case we will fight or the kind of case, we will try to resolve. If we fight the case, we will obviously do a full investigation, get all the information we can, and prepare the case for trial.
If, on the other hand, we're going to negotiate the case, I'll have the prosecutor send us a plea agreement where they're offering to settle the case. They want you to plead guilty to certain charges or a charge in the indictment, and then you'll be facing a certain amount of time in custody depending on precisely what the charges are and what enhancements might apply.
So, I think the biggest thing when discussing strategies for federal criminal cases is understanding the system, getting an attorney with much experience, helping that attorney prepare your case, and assisting that attorney in finalizing everything.
If you need the best, you've come to the right place. Pick up the phone. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding. Let me put my 30 years of experience to work for you.
Related Content:
- Federal Sentencing Memorandum
- Federal Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
- Discovery Process is Federal Criminal Cases
- Pretrial Motions in Federal Criminal Court
- Transportation of Minors
- Interstate Violation of a Protective Order
- What Is the Statute of Limitations for Federal Crimes?
- What to Do When Facing Federal Criminal Charges
- Aggravating and Mitigating Circumstances in Sentencing
- False Claims Act