Federal Crimes Lawyers & Attorneys In Phoenix Arizona
Federal Crimes Defense Lawyers
Federal crimes are those tried by a federal prosecutor in a federal court. While theoretically a federal court can prosecute any crime for which there is a statute governing the activity, federal prosecutors tend to save their resources to try cases that are particularly important from an economic or political standpoint or those that concern interstate felonies.
An interstate felony is defined as a crime during which the criminal crosses state lines either physically or electronically to commit some illegal act or those that occur on federal land. Examples of crimes that are often prosecuted by federal prosecutors in federal courts are:
- Interstate drug trafficking
- Gun crimes, including illegal transportation or sale of firearms
- Crimes involving Indian reservations
- Wiretapping issues
- Immigration cases such as alien smuggling
- Fraud and embezzlement
- Kidnapping
- Racketeering
- Postal service offenses
- Counterfeiting
- Child pornography
- Federal park game and fish violations
Representing someone in federal court is different from representing a person in state or local court. Federal courts have different rules and regulations governing their operation. They also have different prosecutorial methods and different types of evidence are allowed in the proceedings. Federal cases are often heard in front of a judge without a jury, although jury trials are allowed in federal cases.
It is important for a person accused of a federal crime to have the right criminal defense representation. This means an attorney who is not only admitted to the federal bar so that he or she can appear in these cases, but also an attorney who has experience in dealing with federal prosecutors and handling the different court procedures related to federal criminal trials.
In many cases, federal cases are handled on an individual basis and there may be much more flexibility in negotiating a plea agreement than in localized, typical criminal offenses. On the other hand, federal charges can be much more serious than simple county court charges, and may include the threat of substantial prison terms, tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and other consequences.
If you have been charged with a federal crime or are facing federal prosecution, contact us immediately for a free consultation. It is very important that you begin building a defense to criminal charges as soon as possible in order to give yourself the best chance of negotiating a successful plea agreement or of adequately defending yourself against these serious charges.