The federal criminal justice system is a bit different from the state system. Defendants in the state system are much more likely to be offered a plea deal than those who are a facing a federal system. Plea deals provide a way for the prosecution to lessen the court's...
Strategic Federal And State Criminal Defense

Federal Crimes
US representative pleads guilty to corruption
A California congressman from the U.S. House of Representatives is planning to plead guilty to misusing campaign funds. Despite previously denying the charges and saying that he was the victim of a witch hunt by the opposing party, California Rep. Duncan Hunter has...
Parent sentenced in college admissions case
A California man who admitted to federal prosecutors that he paid a college admissions consultant $400,000 and a university official $50,000 to secure his two children places at the University of Southern California will spend six months behind bars. The former...
New animal cruelty felony laws coming out of Congress
Many people in California treat their pets like members of the family, and federal lawmakers have taken action to strengthen federal laws against animal cruelty. The passage of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act in the U.S. House of Representatives...
Don’t neglect your federal criminal defense planning
Facing federal charges is a shock to many people. You have specific rights in these cases, so you must ensure that they are being respected. Your criminal defense attorney can help you to find out what these are and how you can work toward them. Just be sure that you...
Anti-gang operation leads to 126 arrests
On Oct. 8, federal authorities announced the arrest of over 120 California residents following a three-month gang enforcement campaign dubbed "Operation Triple Beam". The campaign took place in Fresno County. According to a news conference led by the U.S. Marshals...
Federal charge calls for 20-year sentence for political donor
The wealthy political donor known for contributing to high-profile candidates like Barack Obama and Gavin Newsom could face a mandatory minimum 20-year prison sentence if convicted on federal drug charges. A grand jury in a California federal court indicted the...
Felicity Huffman sentenced in college admissions case
California resident Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison on Sept. 13 for the role she played in the largest college admissions scandal in the nation's history. Huffman admitted in May that she paid a college counselor $15,000 to improve her daughter's...
California man admits to using Bitcoin kiosk to launder money
Federal prosecutors in California have announced that a 25-year-old Westwood man has admitted to using a Bitcoin kiosk to launder approximately $25 million for a list of clients that included drug dealers who used illicit websites to sell narcotics on the dark web....
Method of delivery can impact your defense
The criminal defense strategy you choose can have a big impact on the outcome. One mistake that some defendants make is that they don't take the time to review all the options. Instead, they focus on one without thinking about whether any others could work with it....