New Jersey Federal Crime Attorney
Facing a federal criminal charge is different from facing a charge in a New Jersey state court. The federal court system operates by different rules, and if you are convicted, you could face fines and sentencing that exceed what you might face under New Jersey law. For this reason, you should never try to face a federal criminal charge on your own.
Our experienced and dedicated New Jersey federal crime attorneys at William Proetta Criminal Law know what it takes to protect our clients’ rights and fight for their futures in federal courts. If you were charged with a federal crime in New Jersey, get started on your defense today. Contact our New Jersey federal crime lawyers for a free and confidential consultation.
Most Common Federal Crime Cases Our Law Firm Handles
As New Jersey federal crime attorneys, we have the extensive experience and resources needed to defend our clients against cases involving:
Federal agencies generally investigate interstate crimes (meaning crimes that cross state lines). So if you are accused of trafficking or distributing drugs in multiple states, you could face federal drug charges.
Federal agencies, rather than state or local police forces, investigate certain types of crimes. These crimes include illegally possessing certain guns, transporting guns or ammunition illegally, possessing guns or other weapons on federal property, and using a gun while committing a crime.
Because human traffickers frequently work across state or international borders, investigations into alleged traffickers are usually handled by federal officials.
Pornographic materials involving children are frequently viewed in a different state from where the material is produced. This makes child pornography an interstate crime and, in turn, a charge that often ends up in the federal court system in New Jersey.
Bank robbery is a particular type of property crime that’s usually investigated by federal agencies. If you’re accused of robbing a bank using a deadly weapon, you could face additional charges or penalties.
An attack on anyone who works for the federal government can automatically be charged as a federal offense. This applies to people like FBI agents as well as employees of other government agencies.
“White-collar” crimes include things like defrauding a business or your employer, false accounting practices, corruption, and so forth. Some defendants don’t think these “victimless” crimes carry harsh penalties, but federal authorities take them extremely seriously.
Identity theft is often done using the phone or the Internet, and the perpetrator may not live in the same state as their victim, which makes it a federal crime.
Attempting to cheat on your federal taxes could lead to an investigation by the IRS or the FBI, both of which are federal agencies.
Wire fraud is the crime of defrauding a person or other entity using some type of telecommunication, which includes things like email and other online tools. When wire fraud is committed across state lines, it falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction.
Mail fraud is just what it sounds like: using the mail as part of a fraud scheme. The U.S. Postal Service is a national agency, and using the mail to commit fraud across state lines is a federal crime.
Federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid lose billions of dollars every year due to fraud. Because these programs are run by the federal government, defrauding them is considered a federal crime.
Attempting to conceal money from an illegal enterprise by making it appear to be legitimate income can be charged as a federal crime, depending on where the alleged criminal activity occurred and how the money was laundered.
In certain cases, the federal government can charge you with a crime simply for planning an illegal act, even if you have not committed the act yet. Usually, the crime being considered has to be a federal crime for a defendant to face federal conspiracy charges.
Racketeering is when someone uses extortion, coercion, fraud, or some other illegal means to make money as part of a criminal enterprise, also known as a “racket.” Some crimes that could lead to a federal racketeering charge include bribery, obstruction of justice, money laundering, murder for hire, gambling offenses, and the sexual exploitation of children.
Because the federal government determines who is legally allowed into the U.S., immigration offenses are often considered federal crimes. Federal immigration offenses are usually investigated by the Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or other federal agencies.
Just as assaulting a federal officer is a federal crime, so is committing almost any crime on federal property, such as a national park. It matters because federal sentencing guidelines are often much harsher than the penalty for the equivalent crime under state laws.