(Last Updated On: May 27, 2023)Last Updated on: 27th May 2023, 12:17 pm
When you are charged with a federal crime in Indianapolis, it is like entering a bizarro world where things no longer seem so rosy in life. Your friends may start to distance themselves from you. And your relationships can become strained. It seems like everyone is eager to kick you when you are down and unwilling to provide help. Your only chance of avoiding some of the serious consequences of a federal crime is hiring experienced trial counsel.
Although the trial is no longer the main event in the U.S. court system because plea-bargaining has taken over, the pre-trial work that your attorney puts into the case is critical to obtaining a lenient plea deal or winning at trial with a strong defense. Our law firm has extensive experience in the following areas of federal criminal law:
- Drug trafficking
- Kidnapping
- Computer crimes
- Entrapment defenses/stings
- Safe Neighborhood Act violations
- RICO/racketeering cases
- Identity theft
- Credit card theft
- Terroristic threats
- Immigration
- And many other types of cases …
How Indianapolis Federal Criminal Lawyers Help Clients Throughout the Federal Criminal Process
Because we have decades of experience studying law, we have a working knowledge of critical cases and rules. This spares us the mistakes of novices and helps us to engineer winning defense strategies. We are thorough and will work with you to develop the off-record evidence. Whether we need to hire private investigators, expert witnesses, or we simply have to sit down to discuss events for perspective, we know what to do at every phase of the case.
Statements to Agents/Police
Sometimes, the Feds work with local law enforcement to build a case. Regardless of how they operate, the Feds are known for using tricks to fabricate evidence. One of these tricks may be speaking to you about something other than a crime and then changing the subject. If they arrest you and think that you’ll lawyer up and remain silent, they may try to find other ways of approaching you. And when they discuss anything with you, they may record it and use it as evidence to help eliminate proving many elements of their case.
For example, if you even admit that you were at a location where a crime occurred, you have given them 90 percent of the case right there. They are trying to lock you into a narrative, so that they can find a way to criminalize whatever you may have done. This is why it is important to always call us when you speak with any official regarding anything. They may plead at your concern that something happened somewhere and may not accuse you of anything until they lock you into a script. They may also arrest you and use coercive techniques such as false promises or threats to compel testimony. In any case, having an attorney from our law firm present and remaining silent is your best defense.
Bail Hearings
You absolutely need a qualified attorney to help you during bail hearings. At a bail hearing, we can work to lower your required bail bond and try to limit any conditions of release. Helping you return to work and your daily routine is the most effective way of fighting a federal case. You do your work and let us do ours. Staying in prison can lead to stabbings, sickness, and intercepted communications that weaken your defense.
Plea Bargaining
In order to effectively leverage a deal, we need to consider the strength of potential defenses and evidence in your favor. If we preserve powerful arguments in your favor before a trial is scheduled, this can pressure the prosecutor to release you with the shortest sentence possible. If the prosecutor wants to play hardball, we have issues preserved for appeals.
Trial
We file numerous pre-trial motions to ensure that no unfair evidence practices occur at the trial. The officials will try to fabricate evidence out of thin air when they don’t have a solid case. Hearsay evidence, character assassinations, previous crimes, and even words taken out of context can all be used to inflame a jury when the proof is lacking. Put your trust in our law firm to do everything possible to defend you.
The federal appellate process is not easy to navigate on your own. There are strict filing deadlines and formatting requirements that can make it impossible for novices to stand a chance in obtaining appellate relief. The decades of work that go into researching the contours of a law by the examination of court decisions and the time it takes to engineer winning arguments create a steep learning curve. Therefore, when you file an
appeal in the federal courts, you want only the most active appellate defense attorneys on your case.
Preparing for a Federal Appeal
Preparation for a federal appeal begins at the trial court level. Any errors made in this court must be preserved with enough force for the appellate courts to conclude that relief should have been granted. Therefore, the appeals process is an extension of the defense legal work that was done below. On a direct appeal, the record is closed. You can’t add new evidence, new testimony, or bring up new claims. You can improve your claims by adding additional perspectives, arguments, or authorities.
If you want to bring up new claims, you have to file for a writ of habeas corpus. This may also lead to a direct appeal in the appellate courts of your circuit in rare cases. For the most part, direct appeals deal with any issue that made the trial or prosecution unfair, issues that were already presented to the trial judge. Because these claims were almost always addressed thoroughly by the lower courts, the statistical probability of obtaining relief in the federal appellate courts is less than 6 percent.
Therefore, an attorney will focus on presentation and choosing the strongest claims instead of chasing every error. If the court ruled against the defendant in the court below, the appellate defense attorney has to consider why and adjust his arguments accordingly. In many cases, it could be a misunderstanding, which makes clarity and the concise use of wording essential to a winning appellate brief.
Indianapolis Federal Criminal Lawyers | Overview of the Federal Appellate Process
Notice of Appeal
In all cases, the appeal is initiated with the filing of a notice of appeal in the U.S. District Court where your trial was held. This simple document contains just a paragraph of double-spaced text that recites the entry of a judgment order, the date of entry, the judge, the court, case number, and parties. The notice of appeal may be due in just 10 days after entry of the judgment order. For this reason, you should advise your trial counsel to file the notice while you are seeking appellate counsel.
Briefing the Merits
Once the case is docketed, the defendant will receive notice to file his appellant brief within 45 days. The appellant principal brief is the main focal point of an appeal. This brief should contain a citation to legal authorities, the essential facts of the case, the pertinent portions of the record, and the correct scope and standards of review. This document must also contain meticulous indexes that layout where each authority is cited in the brief and where particular arguments or facts can be found in the record below and portions attached.
The prosecutor’s office will then have 30 days to file a response. They may ask for an extension by citing a heavy caseload or other reasons. In their brief, they may try to evade the merits of the claims even if you have a strong winning claim. They are trying to build a diversion to confuse the appellate court away from the issues in dispute. Although these tactics can be punished with a motion for sanctions, the appellate courts tend to favor the government attorneys, whom, as a result, act with a callousness of being above the law.
At the end of the day, the courts and prison system are business partners and have conflicts of interest. And the briefs are merely public records that can later be used to expose injustices and demand accountability. For this reason, the appellees (prosecutor’s office) may try to play stupid even when you have rock-solid claims on appeal. Their ignorance creates an excuse for their wanton disregard for your rights if they can play dumb and ignore your claims. Hiring an experienced appellate attorney who knows how things really work is the only way to stand a chance in the federal appellate courts.
There is often confusion about federal criminal appeals. It’s not just clients that have questions, some attorneys find the appeal process for federal crimes somewhat shrouded in mystery. There is a distinct possibility that the lack of clarity concerning federal criminal appeals is by design. While there are aspects of the process that are quite public, such as oral arguments, many elements are designed to be private.
Is evidence reheard in a federal criminal appeal?
One of the aspects of a federal criminal appeal that’s often misunderstood is what actually happens during the appeal process. For instance, some people are under the impression that evidence will be reheard during the appeal. This is actually a misconception because a federal criminal appeal is not an opportunity to re-open and present the facts of the case again. In fact, it’s quite the opposite because there are no similarities between the trial and the appeal.
A federal criminal appeal offers a chance to attack the order of the court on a legal ground. This can in fact be more than one legal ground and it’s usually involving the order of a district court. Another area of confusion is related to the logistics of a federal criminal appeal. The reality is that most of the appeals process occurs in writing. It essentially involves filing of briefs by attorneys on both sides to communicate and respond to legal errors that have allegedly taken place during the district court proceeding.
It’s worth noting that appellate courts do not have juries, witness stands or official court reporters like district courts. This dynamic alone sets the federal criminal appeal process apart from the trial. Another way in which the process is different is that appellate courts typically do not receive testimony or evidence. Instead, they consider and resolve legal arguments. This happens after the facts related to the case have been heard in the district court.
How does the appellate court receive information?
Given that the facts of the case are not presented as they were in a trial, there’s often confusion regarding how the appellate court receives information regarding the case in order to make a decision. Generally speaking, evidence that was received by the district court is transported to the location of the appellate court. This gives the appellate judge an opportunity to examine items that would enable them to consider the legal arguments of the appeal. It’s important to understand that the appellate court does not receive new evidence.
While the appellate court judge is able to review information from the trial, this will not include any new information. In other words, the details of the case probably won’t change. In fact, there isn’t much of a chance that you’ll be able to change anything that’s already on record from the trial.
What’s a “Notice of Appeal”?
There is a document called a “Notice of Appeal” that seems to be another area of confusion. Based on the title of the document, it’s understandable that some people would think it’s confirming an actual appeal. However, that’s not what the document represents. In fact, a “Notice of Appeal” and an appeal are entirely different. The notice serves the purpose of informing the appellate court and the district court that a party in the case intends to appeal. There’s a requirement to file the notice within ten days of the judgment being entered.
Generally speaking, it’s best to make a decision right away about whether or not you intend to appeal a case. You don’t want to wait until the last minute and endure unnecessary difficulties. Although the lawyer from the case has an ethical obligation to assist with preserving the client’s appellate rights, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will file the notice of appeal for the client.
Experience the Bold Difference of Indianapolis Federal Criminal Lawyers
When you find yourself charged with a federal crime in Indianapolis, it’s like entering a bizarre, unforgiving world where life suddenly isn’t so rosy. Friends may distance themselves from you, and relationships can become strained. It seems like everyone is eager to kick you when you’re down and unwilling to lend a helping hand. Your one glimmer of hope in avoiding the serious consequences of a federal crime lies in hiring an experienced and skilled trial counsel.
Although trials are no longer the main event in the U.S. court system due to the rise of plea-bargaining, the pre-trial work your attorney puts into the case is critical to obtaining a lenient plea deal or winning at trial with a solid defense. Our law firm has decades of experience in a wide array of federal criminal law areas:
| Drug trafficking |
Kidnapping |
Computer crimes |
| Entrapment defenses/stings |
Safe Neighborhood Act violations |
RICO/racketeering cases |
| Identity theft |
Credit card theft |
Terroristic threats |
| Immigration |
And many other types of cases … |
How Our Lawyers Help Clients Through the Federal Criminal Process
We have decades of experience studying law under our belts, giving us a critical knowledge of key cases and rules as well as invaluable insight into the criminal justice system. This means we’re able to recognize the common pitfalls faced by those new to the field and help to engineer winning defense strategies. We work closely with you to develop crucial off-record evidence, be it hiring private investigators, expert witnesses, or sitting down to discuss events from a different perspective. At every phase of the case, our expertise is your strongest weapon.
The Importance of Calling Your Lawyer Early
It is essential you contact us when speaking with any officials regarding anything related to your case. Sometimes, federal agents work with local law enforcement to build cases and use tricks to fabricate evidence. One such trick involves talking to you about something unrelated to the crime and then, out of the blue, changing the subject. They may use anything you say to them as evidence and help eliminate any need for them to prove anything against you.
For example, if you admit you were at a certain location at a certain time, you have given them a head start in building their case against you. Always call us when interacting with any officials. If they arrest you, having an attorney from our law firm present and remaining silent is your best defense. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it the most that’s what we’re here for.
Journey With Us Through the Complex World of Federal Criminal Appeals
The federal appellate process can feel like a labyrinth for prosecutors, clients, and even attorneys alike. It is chock-full of strict filing deadlines, complex formatting requirements, and more than its fair share of mystery and confusion. Our experienced appellate defense attorneys have years of expertise to cut through the fog and navigate the complex twists and turns of the federal courts.
After decades of in-depth research and hard-won legal knowledge, we know exactly how to build a strong case that highlights your rights and demands justice for your situation. Whether you need assistance with a Notice of Appeal, need guidance on how the appeal process works, or have any questions about the particulars of your case, trust in our law firm to do everything possible to defend and support you.
Why Choose Our Federal Criminal Defense Team?
When entering the treacherous world of federal criminal defense, you need a team of experienced and knowledgeable lawyers by your side, dedicated to vigorously fighting for your rights and future. Our legal team is passionate about your case, and they will put their decades’ worth of expertise to work for you. Let us navigate the complex process of federal criminal defense on your behalf.
Allow the bold and driven attorneys of our law firm to lead you safely through the federal criminal process, ensuring punishment isn’t the end of life but just a temporary setback. We’re here for you, every step of the way, providing you with the representation you deserve. Take control of your situation now, and contact us to receive the vital assistance you need.
We Know How To Win Cases
By Spodek Law Group
June 18, 2019
