Federal Crimes

At Lawyer Legion we created a directory of federal criminal defense attorneys. These attorneys fight cases in federal courts throughout the United States. You can use our directory to search for the attorney by state, city, or zip code. The profiles have information on the attorney's membership and leadership in legal organizations related to criminal justice in federal court, speaking engagements at quality CLE seminars, and participation in specialty certification programs.

The term "federal criminal law" refers to the practice of law relating to the defense or prosecution of individuals charged with misdemeanor and felony crimes in federal trial court, also called a United States District Court. Federal crimes are distinguished from the prosecution or defense of crimes in state court.

Criminal defense attorneys tend to focus their practice in either federal court or state court. When choosing a criminal defense attorney for a case in federal court, talk with the attorney about their training and experience fighting criminal cases in federal court.

Law Enforcement Agencies that Investigate Federal Crimes

The law enforcement agencies that investigate federal crimes include:

• the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI);
• the Secret Service;
• the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF);
• the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA);
• the Criminal Division of the Internal Revenue Service (CID);
• the Federal Drug Administration (FDA):
• the United States Customs Service; and
• other federal agencies.

Types of Federal Crimes

The most common criminal offenses prosecuted in federal courts include:

• crimes that involve Interstate Commerce such as kidnapping, organized crime, interstate drug trafficking, internet child pornography, mail fraud, wire fraud, counterfeiting, and using the U.S. Mails for any criminal purpose;
• crimes that occur on federally owned lands such as a military base or national park;
• crimes against the federal government, post office or other types of federal agencies such as the IRS; and
• crimes involving federal benefits such as Medicare or Welfare fraud.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines

Attorneys focused on a criminal defense practice in federal court should be well-versed in the federal sentencing guidelines. The federal sentencing guidelines are a complex set of rules that set up a uniform sentencing policy that takes various aggravating and mitigating factors into consideration.

The guideline sentencing range is determined by looking the basic offense level and the subjects criminal history. The federal sentencing guidelines provide for forty-three (43) different offense levels.

Finding a Federal Criminal Defense Attorney

At Lawyer Legion we created our directory of criminal defense lawyers to help the public find a qualified attorney in a variety of practice areas such federal criminal defense. We rank attorneys according to the focus of their legal practice, their membership and leadership in organizations related to criminal defense in federal court, and other objective criteria.