Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer
When the federal government investigates you for a crime, it may have been building its case long before you ever learn that you are a target. Federal investigators may already have financial records, electronic communications, witness statements, surveillance, search warrant evidence, or information obtained through subpoenas.
That is not the time to learn whether your criminal defense attorney knows federal court.
The attorneys at Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers have more than 70 years of combined criminal law experience. We have defended clients facing serious criminal allegations in federal court and understand that these cases require a different approach from an ordinary state prosecution.
If federal agents have contacted you, executed a search warrant, served a subpoena, or you have been indicted by a federal grand jury, get an experienced defense attorney involved as soon as possible.
Keller Criminal Defense Attorneys offers free initial consultations and is available 24/7.
Call (952) 913-1421.
What Is a Federal Crime?
A federal crime is an offense prosecuted under United States federal law rather than, or sometimes in addition to, Minnesota law. Federal jurisdiction may arise because an alleged crime involves interstate commerce, crosses state lines, occurs on federal property, involves a federal agency or program, or violates a federal criminal statute. Federal crimes prosecuted in Minnesota include offenses involving drug trafficking, bank robbery, fraud affecting interstate commerce, wire and mail fraud, tax crimes, federal firearms offenses, and other violations of federal law.
What makes these cases particularly serious is not simply the word “federal.” Federal investigations frequently involve significant government resources and can be built through multiple agencies, grand jury subpoenas, search warrants, electronic evidence, cooperating witnesses, and lengthy investigations.
By the time you learn about the investigation, the government may already know considerably more about the case than you do.
“As a former prosecutor, I know how criminal cases are built from the government’s side. As a defense attorney, I use that experience to look for what the government may have missed, where the evidence falls short, and what we can challenge.”
~ Max Keller
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What Federal Crimes Does Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers Defend?
Federal criminal law covers a broad range of offenses, from complex financial investigations to drug trafficking and firearms cases. Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers represents clients who are under federal investigation as well as those who have already been indicted or charged in federal court.
Our federal criminal defense practice includes cases involving:
Federal Fraud and White Collar Crimes
Federal prosecutors frequently pursue fraud cases when the alleged conduct involves interstate communications, financial institutions, federal programs, or other areas of federal jurisdiction. We defend federal white-collar cases involving:
- Wire fraud and mail fraud
- Bank fraud
- Mortgage fraud
- Health care fraud
- Securities-related offenses
- Internet and computer fraud
- Identity theft
- Credit card fraud
- Bribery, extortion, and blackmail
- Counterfeiting and forgery
Intent, knowledge, representations made to others, financial records, and the defendant’s actual role in the alleged scheme can all become important to the defense.
Federal Conspiracy Charges
Federal conspiracy is not limited to one category of crime. Prosecutors may allege conspiracy in fraud, drug trafficking, financial crime, and other federal cases involving multiple people. A conspiracy case can also be considerably broader than the conduct of any one defendant.
The government may attempt to connect numerous people, communications, transactions, and events into a single alleged criminal agreement that occurred over months or even years.
Federal Drug Crimes and Drug Trafficking
Federal authorities prosecute serious drug offenses involving allegations of drug trafficking, distribution, possession with intent to distribute, and drug conspiracy.
Federal drug cases can involve controlled purchases, confidential informants, cooperating witnesses, surveillance, intercepted communications, phone records, search warrants, and evidence seized from homes, vehicles, or electronic devices.
The amount and type of controlled substance, the defendant’s alleged role, prior criminal history, and other circumstances can affect the consequences of a federal drug prosecution.
Federal Internet and Child Pornography Offenses
Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers also represents people accused of serious federal internet crimes and child pornography offenses.
A defense may require looking beyond whether a file was found on a device and examining issues such as knowledge, possession, access, control, attribution, and how investigators obtained and analyzed the digital evidence.
Federal Firearms Offenses
Firearms offenses can result in federal prosecution, particularly when the allegations involve prohibited possession, firearms connected to another alleged federal crime, or conduct otherwise covered by federal firearms law.
Federal Tax Crimes
Federal tax investigations may involve allegations of tax fraud, tax evasion, false returns, or other violations of federal tax law. The distinction between an error, questionable accounting practice, and an intentional violation can be critical. When criminal intent is an element of the offense, the government must prove more than the fact that a return or financial record was inaccurate.
Are You Under Federal Investigation?
You do not have to be indicted, or even arrested, to need a federal criminal defense attorney.
In many federal cases, there is an important period between the beginning of an investigation and the filing of formal charges. Getting an attorney involved during this stage can give the defense an opportunity to understand what is happening before critical decisions are made.
You may learn about a federal investigation when FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, Homeland Security, or other federal agents contact you for an interview. Agents may execute a search warrant at your home or business. You may receive a subpoena, learn that associates or employees have been interviewed, or be told that you are a target or subject of an investigation.
Do not assume that talking to federal agents will make your problem go away.
Federal investigators may already possess documents, recordings, messages, financial information, or statements from other witnesses when they ask you questions. Even when you believe you have done nothing wrong, making an inaccurate statement to federal investigators can create additional problems.
Before agreeing to an interview or attempting to explain the situation yourself, speak with an attorney who understands federal investigations.
Why Hire a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer Before You Are Charged?
Some of the most important defense work in a federal case happens before an indictment.
Once Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers becomes involved, we can evaluate what is known about the investigation, communicate with investigators or prosecutors when appropriate, identify evidence that should be preserved, and advise you before you make decisions that could affect the rest of the case.
Early representation also gives us time to start examining the government’s theory.
What conduct is being investigated? Which federal statutes may apply? What records has the government obtained? Were searches lawful? Are investigators relying on cooperating witnesses? Is there digital or financial evidence that can be interpreted differently when viewed in context?
Not every investigation results in an indictment, and no attorney can promise that charges will be avoided. But waiting until federal agents have finished their investigation can mean losing valuable time to protect yourself and prepare a defense.
What Happens After You Are Charged With a Federal Crime in Minnesota?
Federal criminal cases follow procedures that differ from Minnesota state prosecutions. Although the exact path depends on your case, a federal prosecution will generally move through several key phases.
PHASE 1 — Complaint, Arrest & Initial Appearance
A federal case may begin with a criminal complaint and arrest warrant. After an arrest, you generally appear before a United States magistrate judge, where you are advised of your rights and the court begins addressing whether you will be released or detained while the case is pending.
Our Strategy: Protecting your rights from the beginning and determining what the government is alleging.
PHASE 2 — Detention or Release
If federal prosecutors seek detention, the court may hold a detention hearing. The judge determines whether you will remain in custody or be released, potentially subject to conditions, while the federal case proceeds.
Our Strategy: Fighting for your release when appropriate and addressing proposed conditions of release.
PHASE 3 — Grand Jury & Indictment
Federal felony charges are generally presented to a grand jury. The government presents evidence, and the grand jury determines whether probable cause exists to return an indictment.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. It is a formal accusation. The government still bears the burden of proving its case.
Our Strategy: Understanding your charges, evaluating the government’s theory, and preparing to attack the evidence behind it.
PHASE 4 — Arraignment, Discovery, & Pretrial Motions
After an indictment, your case moves into arraignment and pretrial proceedings. The defense can review the government’s evidence and determine what factual, evidentiary, and constitutional issues should be challenged.
Pretrial litigation may involve searches and seizures, statements made to investigators, electronic evidence, identification evidence, or other legal issues.
Our Strategy: Finding weaknesses in the government’s case and determining whether evidence can be challenged or suppressed.
PHASE 5 — Negotiations, Dismissal, or Trial
Some federal cases are resolved through negotiations and a plea agreement. Charges may be dismissed in appropriate circumstances. Other cases proceed to trial.
If your case goes to trial, federal prosecutors must prove every element of the charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Our Strategy: Evaluating every available option while preparing your case to fight at trial when necessary.
PHASE 6 — Federal Sentencing
If there is a guilty plea or conviction at trial, your case proceeds to sentencing. The court considers the applicable federal statutes, the United States Sentencing Guidelines, your history, the circumstances of the offense, and other legally relevant sentencing factors.
Our Strategy: Challenging disputed sentencing issues and presenting the strongest available case for a favorable sentence.
Your Defense Should Start Before These Phases Do
You do not have to wait until an arrest or indictment to hire a federal criminal defense lawyer. If you know that federal agents are investigating you, getting an attorney involved during the pre-charge investigation may provide valuable time to protect your rights, preserve evidence, and prepare for what comes next.
How Keller Law Offices Defends Federal Criminal Cases
Federal defense starts with understanding exactly what the government believes happened and then testing that theory against the evidence and the law. As a former prosecutor, Max Keller understands how the government builds criminal cases. On the defense side, that means looking beyond the indictment and examining the evidence the prosecution intends to use to prove it.
Depending on the allegations, we may examine financial records, emails, text messages, search warrant affidavits, electronic data, recorded communications, surveillance, witness interviews, business records, forensic evidence, and statements made to investigators.
We also examine how the government obtained its evidence.
Federal agents are still bound by the Constitution. When evidence was obtained through an unlawful search or seizure, an improper interrogation, or another constitutional violation, the defense may have grounds to challenge its use in court.
In complex fraud and conspiracy cases, another issue is often context. A transaction, email, business decision, or relationship may appear suspicious when viewed in isolation. The defense must understand the larger factual picture rather than simply accepting the government’s characterization of the evidence.
When the government’s case depends on a cooperating witness, we want to know why that person is cooperating, what benefits the witness expects to receive, whether the account has changed, and whether independent evidence supports it.
The government gets to make its allegations. It does not get to avoid proving them.
Can Federal Charges Be Dismissed or Reduced?
Federal charges can be dismissed or reduced in appropriate cases, but the outcome depends on the evidence, applicable law, and circumstances of the prosecution.
Your defense attorney may challenge whether the government can prove an element of the offense, seek suppression of unlawfully obtained evidence, dispute the government’s interpretation of financial or electronic evidence, challenge witness credibility, litigate legal issues, or negotiate with federal prosecutors.
No attorney can guarantee that federal charges will disappear. What an experienced federal defense attorney can do is identify the weaknesses in the government’s case, protect your rights, and put you in the strongest position available under the circumstances.
Why Choose Max Keller for your Federal Criminal Case?
Max Keller is a former prosecutor. That prosecutorial background matters because defending a serious criminal case requires more than reacting to the government’s allegations. It requires understanding how prosecutors evaluate evidence, where they look for leverage, how witnesses and investigators fit into the government’s theory, and where weaknesses in that theory may exist.
At Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers, we investigate the facts, scrutinize the government’s evidence, identify legal and constitutional issues, prepare for negotiations when negotiations serve the client’s interests, and prepare to fight when the case needs to be fought.
Federal prosecutors have the resources of the United States government behind them.
You need someone focused on protecting you.
Contact Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers
If you are being investigated by the FBI or another federal agency, have been indicted by a federal grand jury, or are facing federal criminal charges in Minnesota, contact Keller Criminal Defense Lawyers.
We offer free initial consultations and are available 24 hours a day. Call our federal criminal defense lawyers at (952) 913-1421 or contact us online today.
Your future may be on the line. Get an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your side.