Federal Criminal Defense
Federal cases are different from state cases. The investigators are FBI, DEA, IRS, and HSI agents who have been building a case for months or years before you know about it. The prosecutors are Assistant United States Attorneys with resources that county DAs can only envy. The rules are rigid: federal sentencing guidelines, mandatory minimums, and a conviction rate above 90% (more about that later).
We defend people charged with federal crimes. We have tried federal cases to juries, negotiated federal plea agreements, and argued federal sentencings. We know the Southern District of Texas, and we practice in federal courts across the country.
What we handle
White-collar crimes. Bank fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, mortgage fraud, money laundering, identity theft. Federal white-collar investigations often begin with a grand jury subpoena or a target letter. What you do before indictment can determine the outcome.
Drug crimes. Drug conspiracy, distribution, trafficking, importation. Federal drug cases almost always involve cooperating witnesses, wiretaps, or both. The mandatory minimums are severe: five years for five grams of methamphetamine, ten years for fifty.
Violent crimes. Bank robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, assault on a federal officer, racketeering violence. These cases carry substantial prison time and are prosecuted aggressively.
Sex crimes. Child exploitation, child pornography, sex trafficking. Federal sex offenses carry mandatory minimums and lifetime supervised release as well as sex-offender registration. The collateral consequences follow a person forever.
Firearms offenses. Felon in possession, straw purchases, possession in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Section 924(c) adds five to thirty years consecutive to any other sentence.
Aiding and abetting, and conspiracy. Federal law holds people responsible for crimes they helped plan or facilitate, even if they never pulled the trigger or touched the drugs. The exposure is the same as for the person who did.
Federal sentencing
Federal sentencing is its own discipline. The guidelines are complex, the mandatory minimums are rigid, and the judge has broad discretion within the guideline range. A federal sentencing memorandum can mean the difference between years and decades. We write them well.
Talk to us
If you have been convicted, we handle federal appeals.
713-224-1747.