Federal Criminal Defense is a very specialized area of law. Very few criminal defense attorneys practice in Federal Court. Few have extensive experience in Federal Court. The Federal System is almost entirely different from the State Court System. The Federal System is based on a set of rules known as the Sentencing Guidelines. In recent years, the United States Supreme court determined that these Guidelines are merely advisory. However, they are the starting point for any sentence in Federal Court. Many recent Supreme Court Decisions have interpreted the application of these guidelines. An attorney who practices in Federal Court on a regular basis is going to be familiar with the recent changes in the law and how these changes can assist in the defense of your case. Ms. Bass is in Federal Court on a regular basis and regularly attends seminars and lectures in the law keeping her up to date on all of the latest developments.

The prosecutors and judges in Federal Court are also completely different from those in State Court and having established relationships with those individuals is extremely helpful when defending a Federal Criminal Case. Ms. Bass has developed a solid reputation with Federal Prosecutors and Judges making her a tremendous asset to her clients.

Many cases are filed as Conspiracies in Federal Court. A Conspiracy is simply an agreement between two or more people in engage in criminal behavior and one act in furtherance of that crime. All of the cases listed below can be filed as conspiracies as these cases often involve more than one person or defendant.

Any case which involves "interstate commerce" or the movement of goods, services, money or individuals betweens states can be filed in Federal Court. The use of mail, telephone or internet all involve interstate commerce. Banks are insured by the FDIC and are therefore protected by federal law.

Most "White Collar" cases are filed in Federal Court. Those cases involve:

Bank Fraud
Real Estate Fraud
Wire Fraud
Mai Fraud
Investment Fraud
Tax Fraud
Securities Fraud
Medicare Fraud
Embezzlement
Money Laundering

Other cases filed in Federal Court include:

Narcotics offenses
Bank Robbery
Counterfeiting
Unlawful possession of access devices (otherwise known as Identity Theft)
Alien Smuggling
Weapons Related Offenses

Ms. Bass has handled all of these cases in Federal Court and she has obtained excellent results for her clients in many cases.

If you are aware that you are under investigation by a federal agency like the FBI, DEA, ICE, IRS or ATF, it is critical to hire an experienced Federal Criminal Defense attorney immediately who can contact the U.S. attorney's office to attempt to work out a pre-indictment resolution of your case. Contacting the U.S. attorney prior to the Indictment can limit the charges you are faced with. Additionally, you can often avoid the humiliation of being arrested and can arrange to walk into court of your own accord, rather than in hand cuffs.

Indictment: When the federal agencies and the U.S attorney's office file an indictment they must first present the evidence to the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury then determines whether there is probable cause to believe that the offense was committed and who committed the offense. If the Grand Jury finds that probable cause exists, then an indictment is filed. The Indictment is the charging document in a federal criminal case

For more information, please call Attorney Diane Bass at 949-494-7011 or contact us online today.