Federal Cases
I have been very successful in fighting federal criminal charges by starting out early in the investigation. The best defense in these cases is to prevent charges from being filed in the first place. In cases where I have been hired early in the investigation, I have been able to head off criminal charges. In Chicago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes drug cases, fraud cases, income tax cases, cigarette tax cases, bank robberies, and terrorist cases. All of these cases are heard at Federal Courthouse located at 219 S. Dearborn in Chicago. Cases in which criminal charges have been filed have to be fought the same way as a case in state court. The case needs to be investigated and reviewed for possible pre-trial motions and evaluated for trial. When evidence is seized illegally, I file a motion to suppress evidence to keep it out of trail. If there are other constitutional issues those are raised in the trial court. In additional to investigation, I often need to hire accounting, fingerprint, or other forensic experts to help in preparing the defense. Many federal drug and federal fraud cases involve overwhelming video evidence, undercover officers, and computer evidence in the form of incriminating records or images. In those cases, my job is to fight for the lowest possible punishment by presenting the court overwhelming mitigation. Mitigation is evidence that shows the judge you are a person not just a defendant. It shows the court you have a family and friends that count on you and all of the positive influences you have had on your family and friends over the years. In these cases the lowest possible punishment is a victory.