Unlike state crimes, federal crimes are violations of laws that are handed down by the United States Congress. These crimes are then prosecuted in various federal districts around the United States.
Federal crimes are also different from state crimes because they are an entirely different system, and they involve an entirely different level of training for the judges and the prosecutors. For example, federal crimes are prosecuted by United States attorneys, who are well-trained and often have a vast amount of resources at their disposal including experienced federal investigators, FBI agents, and countless support staff to help them build their cases.
With these numerous resources at the typically serious penalties that accompany federal crimes, it is critical that anyone facing a federal charge in Atlanta consult with an Atlanta Federal Criminal lawyer, to help build a defense. An experienced defense attorney in Atlanta can help investigate the evidence against those accused and make sure the individual’s rights are protected throughout the legal process.
Federal crimes are generally violations of federal law. Some of the most common federal crimes that are seen in Atlanta are drug trafficking at a serious level, mail fraud, wire fraud, and copyright infringement. Additionally some little-known but high-volume federal offense are crimes committed in national parks which can be either misdemeanors or felonies. However may people don’t realize that when they are booked for a traffic ticket in a national park it is considered a federal crime thereby warranting attention from a federal attorney in Atlanta.
The difference in the beginning is the violation of state law or violation of federal law, however the biggest apparent difference is the arena and system in which an individual is charged. State prosecutors work differently than the federal prosecutors and typically have more resources at their disposal. With this in mind, having an Atlanta federal criminal attorney who has experience in federal crimes is very important, as an attorney can walk their client through the process and get them through with the best results possible at the end of their case.
Most of the time, it is the violation of the federal law as opposed to a violation of the state law. However, in certain cases, such as drug trafficking, the United States Attorney’s Office might pick up a case that might have been a simple violation of the state law if there are federal considerations that go with the case in context of gang activity, trafficking drugs across the state lines, or more complex drug cases, In these cases, it is fairly common for the feds to get involved in what might otherwise initially be a simple violation of the state drug laws.
One of the first things that an federal criminal attorney in Atlanta will do after interviewing their clients for the first time is pick up the phone and make contact with the lead investigator to listen to what they have to say and to see what the basis is in the investigator’s mind for the charges.
Shortly thereafter, the lawyer will attempt to arrange a meeting with just the attorneys and the investigators of the United States Attorney’s Office to determine the viewpoint from the prosecutor’s perspective and from the investigating police agent’s perspective—often a member of the FBI, but sometimes an investigator from the USDA or the DEA depending on the case.
Most often, the investigators and prosecutors handling federal cases are going to lay out their case to the attorney and to make an initial attempt to resolve the case at the federal level and come up with solutions that will benefit the client. The Atlanta federal criminal attorney evaluates the case from the prosecution’s perspective and determine if it is worth fighting or not. It depends on each individual case, the individual set of facts, and the circumstances to determine what the options are going to be for that particular client.
The federal system is a completely different level than the state system. Everything from the rules and the courts to the prosecutors and judges is different in federal court. For this reason, it is imperative to have an Atlanta federal criminal attorney who is experienced, knows the system, and has been there before.
An experienced attorney will know potentially what range of punishments the clients are facing when charged with a federal crime and when to take a plea offer or go towards a sentencing hearing. A lawyer will also know when to contest the United States attorney and refuse to take a plea and to make the United States attorney prove the case or dismiss it. To learn more or discuss how a lawyer can benefit you, call today.
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