Atlanta Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers
If you’re facing federal criminal charges in Atlanta, Georgia, you should contact us to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.
Federal criminal charges can easily ruin your life if you don’t take them seriously. Depending on the severity of the charges, you may be looking at harsh penalties that include decades in prison. You may be facing intimidating amounts of evidence gathered by federal agencies such as the IRS, DEA, FBI, or Department of Justice (DOJ).
Start defending yourself from federal criminal charges by contacting our law office for a free consultation. This will be your chance to get the unique answers you need about your charges. If we represent you as your lawyers, we can provide you with support as your federal criminal charges move through the criminal justice system.
You may want some answers while you’re waiting to hear from us. Below, you can learn more about these cases and how we can help you. First, you’ll learn why our law office has the experience to help you, then you’ll learn how defense strategies are crafted for charges like these and get answers to some common questions.
How Our Experienced Federal Criminal Defense Attorneys Can Help You
The lawyers at Garland, Samuel & Loeb have been representing individuals in federal criminal matters for over 50 years. They have appeared in federal courts in over 20 different states and have argued appeals in the D.C. Circuit, Fourth Circuit, Fifth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, and Eleventh Circuit.
Criminal cases are prosecuted in federal court when the government claims that the defendant has violated a federal criminal law instead of a state criminal law. Federal criminal laws include major drug offenses, mail and wire fraud, health care fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and public corruption offenses such as bribery. This list also includes crimes like tax evasion, embezzlement, tax fraud, and drug crimes. RICO charges may be an added factor.
Many federal criminal prosecutions involve complex white-collar crime cases, though the federal prosecutors also focus on hate crimes, terrorism cases, and gang prosecutions.
Federal criminal cases are prosecuted by the United States Attorney (and the assistant United States Attorneys). The judges are United States District Court Judges who are appointed for life by the President of the United States. These cases are tried in the federal courthouse.
The procedures in federal criminal cases are different from those in state criminal prosecutions. The criminal statutes are different, the rules of criminal procedure and evidence are different, and the laws governing sentencing are also different. Lawyers who specialize in federal criminal cases, including the lawyers at Garland, Samuel & Loeb, need to know the different procedures and laws that govern federal criminal prosecutions.
All of the lawyers at GSL who represent people in federal court are experienced in these areas of the law, having handled federal cases in Georgia, Indiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, South Dakota, Maryland, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Maine.
Here are some of our notable victories in federal court in the last few years:
- Acquittal of doctor in a federal case in Kentucky who was charged with operating a “pill mill” that resulted in the death of several patients
- Acquittal of an alleged gang member accused in federal court of murdering a rival
- Acquittal of Taiwanese woman accused of unlawfully importing millions of dollars of school notebook paper that was manufactured in China but which was labeled “manufactured in Taiwan”
- Plea agreement for marijuana distributors in Oregon accused of transporting thousands of pounds of marijuana to Georgia agreed upon sentence resulted in spending less than one year in custody in federal camp
- Woman charged with money laundering thousands of dollars of her husband’s drug proceeds, sentenced to probation
Federal Conspiracy Charges and Fraud Defense: What to Expect
Defending yourself from charges like these can be difficult. You will need lawyers with years of experience understanding and confronting federal criminal investigations. Lawyers who understand these charges may choose to craft your defense in several ways.
For example, intent is an important component in many charges, particularly charges like conspiracy. Your lawyer may attempt to prove that you did not have any intent to commit a crime. During the trial, they may provide evidence that you were coerced into participating in whatever crime you’re being charged with.
Your lawyer may also defend you by demonstrating to the judge or jury that you did not know the plan (you were charged with participating in) involved illegal activity. For example, you may have been charged as part of an embezzlement conspiracy without knowing that your work or signatures were being used for illegal purposes.
Another possible defense in such cases is that the conspiracy did not exist. In the past, federal agents have been overzealous in crafting conspiracy theories out of unrelated activity. Sometimes, U.S. attorneys or federal agents can engage in schemes that can be considered entrapment.
