My Attorney Said Federal Prosecutors Want To Meet – Is This Good Or Bad

My Attorney Said Federal Prosecutors Want To Meet – Is This Good Or Bad

Your lawyer just called with news that makes your stomach drop: federal prosecutors want to meet. They’ve reached out, requested a conference, want to talk. Your mind is racing. Is this good? Does it mean they’re ready to make a deal? Or is it bad – does it mean charges are coming? Why would prosecutors want to meet if they weren’t about to do something that affects your life?

Here’s the truth: a prosecutorial meeting request can mean several different things, some good and some bad. Prosecutors meet with defense attorneys to discuss cooperation possibilities, to convey plea offers, to explain charging decisions, to gather information, or to discuss case resolution. The request itself doesn’t tell you whether the news will be favorable or devastating.

What matters is understanding the possible purposes of the meeting, preparing appropriately for it, and letting your attorney guide you through what comes next. This prosecutorial outreach is significant – but you need more information before knowing what it signifies.

Why Prosecutors Request Meetings

Understanding the possible purposes helps you assess your situation.

Cooperation discussions. Prosecutors may want to explore whether you have information valuable enough to warrant a cooperation agreement. This typically happens when they believe you can help prosecute more significant targets. Cooperation meetings are opportunities – you might avoid charges or receive favorable treatment in exchange for assistance.

Plea negotiation. If charges are coming or have been filed, prosecutors may want to discuss plea resolution. They might convey an offer, explore whether you’re interested in pleading, or discuss the framework for negotiations. Plea meetings are about resolution.

Pre-charge communication. Sometimes prosecutors meet with defense attorneys before deciding whether to charge. They may want to hear your side, evaluate your potential defenses, or assess whether prosecution is appropriate. These meetings are chances to influence charging decisions.

Target notification. DOJ policy encourages informing targets of their status before seeking indictment. A meeting might be to formally notify you that you’re a target and explain what comes next. This is bad news delivered in person.

Proffer discussions. If cooperation is possible, prosecutors may want to discuss proffer terms – the framework for you providing information in exchange for limited protection. Proffer meetings are about structuring potential cooperation.

Case status update. In ongoing cases, prosecutors sometimes meet simply to discuss scheduling, discovery, or procedural matters. Not every meeting involves substantive news.

Information gathering. Prosecutors may want information from you or your attorney – not about your own conduct, but about others or about facts relevant to their investigation. You might be more valuable as an information source than as a defendant.

The tone and content of the meeting request sometimes reveals purpose. Your attorney, based on experience with this prosecutor’s office and knowledge of your case, may be able to assess what’s likely happening.

What Your Attorney Needs To Know

Before the meeting, your attorney needs complete information to represent you effectively.

Everything about your conduct. If you haven’t already provided a comprehensive account of what you did and what you know, do so now. Your attorney can’t navigate the meeting without understanding your situation fully.

What you’re willing to consider. Are you open to cooperation? Would you consider a guilty plea? Are you determined to fight? Your attorney needs to understand your position before engaging with prosecutors.

Your concerns and priorities. What matters most to you? Avoiding prison? Protecting family members? Preserving professional licenses? Understanding your priorities helps shape negotiation strategy.

Questions you want answered. What do you want your attorney to find out at the meeting? What information would help you make decisions?

Prepare for various scenarios. The meeting might bring good news, bad news, or something in between. Being mentally prepared for different outcomes helps you respond appropriately.

If They Want You To Cooperate

Cooperation requests are often favorable – prosecutors don’t typically seek cooperation from people they want to punish maximally. But cooperation has significant implications.

What they want. Prosecutors want information about others’ criminal conduct. What do you know? Who can you testify against? What evidence can you provide? The value of your cooperation determines what you can receive.

What you’d get. In exchange for cooperation, you might receive reduced charges, favorable sentencing recommendations, or even immunity. The specific terms depend on negotiation and what you bring to the table.

What cooperation requires. Cooperating means providing complete truthful information, testifying against others, and potentially wearing a wire or participating in ongoing investigations. It means permanent rupture of relationships with people you testify against.

The risks. Cooperation requires admitting your own wrongdoing. If cooperation breaks down – if you’re found to be lying, if your testimony isn’t useful, if the case doesn’t proceed – you may end up worse off than if you hadn’t cooperated.

Your attorney will help you evaluate whether cooperation makes sense given what you can offer and what you might receive.

If They’re Offering A Plea

Plea discussions mean prosecutors are ready to charge – if they haven’t already – and are willing to negotiate resolution.

Understanding the offer. What charges would you plead to? What sentence would prosecutors recommend? What conditions apply? You need to understand exactly what’s on the table.

Evaluating the terms. Is this a good deal? Answering this requires knowing your likely exposure if you fight the charges – what you’d face at trial and what sentence you’d receive if convicted. Your attorney can analyze whether the offer is favorable relative to alternatives.

Negotiation room. Initial offers aren’t always final. Your attorney may be able to negotiate better terms – reduced charges, lower sentencing recommendations, or other favorable modifications.

The alternative. If you don’t accept a plea, what happens? Trial? What are your chances at trial? What sentence would you face if convicted? Understanding the alternative to plea helps you evaluate the offer.

Plea decisions are among the most consequential you’ll make. Take time to understand your options fully before deciding.

If They’re Informing You Of Target Status

Being informed that you’re a target of a grand jury investigation is bad news – but it’s not hopeless.

Target status means likely indictment. Prosecutors don’t typically designate someone as a target unless they intend to seek charges. Target notification is a courtesy warning that prosecution is coming.

You may have opportunities. Some prosecutors use the target notification meeting to hear from the defense – to give you a chance to present information that might change their minds. This is your opportunity for pre-indictment advocacy.

Timing matters. If you’re notified before indictment, you may have time to negotiate, cooperate, or prepare. Target notification provides some warning.

Prepare for what’s next. Following target notification, expect indictment and arrest. Work with your attorney on preparation – financial arrangements, personal affairs, case strategy.

Target notification is serious but provides valuable information. Use the time between notification and indictment wisely.

How To Prepare For The Meeting

Your attorney will attend the meeting on your behalf. You typically won’t be present unless specifically required (like for a proffer session). But you should prepare as if your future depends on it – because it might.

Full disclosure to your attorney. No surprises. Your attorney needs to know everything before walking into that room. Information gaps create vulnerability.

Clear instructions. Tell your attorney what you want them to find out, what positions you’re comfortable taking, and what you’re unwilling to consider. They need guidance to negotiate effectively.

Availability afterward. Be available to discuss what happened immediately after the meeting. You may need to make decisions quickly based on what transpires.

Mental preparation. Prepare yourself for various outcomes. Good news, bad news, and ambiguous news are all possible. Being mentally ready helps you respond thoughtfully rather than reactively.

Document preparation. Your attorney may need documents, records, or other materials to bring to the meeting. Gather anything they request promptly.

What Happens At The Meeting

Prosecutorial meetings typically follow a pattern.

Introductions and ground rules. The meeting begins with introductions and establishing the framework – what’s being discussed, what rules apply, whether anything said is confidential.

Prosecutor explains their position. They’ll describe the investigation, your status, and what they want. This provides crucial information about where things stand.

Your attorney responds. Your lawyer presents your position – defenses, mitigating circumstances, cooperation possibilities, or challenges to the government’s theory.

Discussion and negotiation. If the meeting involves potential resolution, discussion follows about terms, conditions, and possibilities.

Next steps. The meeting typically ends with clarity on what happens next – further meetings, offers to consider, deadlines for decisions, or upcoming events.

Your attorney will report back to you promptly with everything that occurred. Be prepared to discuss and make decisions based on that information.

After The Meeting

What your attorney learns at the meeting shapes your next steps.

If cooperation is offered, you’ll need to decide whether to pursue it. This requires careful evaluation of what you’d provide, what you’d receive, and the risks involved.

If a plea is offered, you’ll need to evaluate it against your alternatives. Your attorney will analyze whether it’s favorable and whether negotiation might improve terms.

If bad news was delivered, you’ll need to prepare for what’s coming. Indictment, arrest, prosecution – these require preparation and strategy.

If information was gathered, you’ll need to assess what prosecutors learned and how it affects your situation.

If the meeting was ambiguous, you may need to wait for further developments. Sometimes meetings don’t resolve anything immediately.

Whatever the outcome, the meeting provides valuable information about where you stand and what’s likely to happen. Use that information to make informed decisions.

The Bottom Line

A prosecutorial meeting request is significant but not inherently good or bad. It means prosecutors are engaging with your case – they want something, have something to say, or are considering something. What exactly depends on your specific situation.

Trust your attorney to handle the meeting and extract maximum value from it – whether that’s favorable terms, useful information, or clarity about what’s coming. Prepare by providing full information, clear instructions, and availability to respond to developments.

Prosecutors wanting to meet is better than prosecutors acting without communication. The meeting creates opportunity for dialogue, negotiation, and potentially favorable outcomes. What you make of that opportunity depends on your preparation, your attorney’s skill, and the underlying facts of your case.

The call came – prosecutors want to meet. Now prepare, trust your attorney, and face what comes with as much readiness as you can manage.