Criminal Defense Lawyers

San Antonio, TX Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers

San Antonio, TX Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers

Welcome to Spodek Law Group. Our mission is giving you the information you actually need if your facing federal charges in San Antonio—not the sanitized version that makes you feel better for five minutes. The version that might actually help.

Here’s the thing about federal court in San Antonio that nobody puts on there website. Your not dealing with one threat. Your dealing with three seperate prosecution machines that all operate out of the Western District of Texas, and depending on your background—military service, business ties to Mexico, or any connection to local government—your background becomes evidence AGAINST you, not character evidence FOR you. San Antonio federal defendants assume they’re in a normal federal court were military service earns respect and geographic location doesn’t matter. Actually, the Western District of Texas operates as a triple-threat prosecution zone. Military fraud cases get prosecuted harder to send messages to other service members at the five bases here. Border corridor proximity means ANY drug case triggers cartel-connection investigation that adds decades through sentencing enhancements. Public corruption prosecutions target even small-time local officials. The system assumes your guilty of more then your charged with, and makes YOU disprove connections that might not exist.

Western District Numbers Nobody Talks About

OK so lets start with the math because most federal defense content skips over this part. The Western District of Texas has a conviction rate of 98.3%. In fiscal year 2023, federal prosecutors in WDTX charged 1,247 defendants. Twenty-one were aquitted at trial. Twenty-one. Do the math on what that means for your chances if you go to trial.

But heres what makes San Antonio specifically different from the rest of the Western District. The San Antonio division only has 13 active federal judges covering one of the largest geographic districts in the country. Your case gets assigned to whichever judge has availability when your indicted. You get zero choice. And for most pretrial matters, your dealing with magistrate judges who handle the volume because there aren’t enough district judges to go around.

The federal goverment doesn’t bring charges unless they’re confident they’ll win, and in San Antonio, there confidence is backed up by a 98.3% success rate. By the time your indicted, they’ve already spent months—sometimes years—building the case. They’ve reviewed your bank records, your emails, your text messages. They’ve interviewed people who know you, people you worked with, probably people you thought were friends. The investigation happens before you know anything is wrong, and then one day you get a target letter or agents knock on your door and your whole world changes.

The conviction rate isnt just high. Its overwhelming. And what that means is that traditional trial strategy—the kind of defense that works in state court—dosent apply here. Your state court lawyer who handled your DWI or that assault charge probly has no idea how different federal prosecution operates. State prosecutors juggle thousands of cases and regularly dismiss charges because they dont have resources. Federal prosecutors cherry-pick cases there confident about and then bring overwhelming resources to win them.

Five Military Bases, One Federal Trap

San Antonio has five military installations in the immediate area. Fort Sam Houston. Lackland Air Force Base. Randolph Air Force Base. Camp Bullis. Camp Stanley. Thousands of active-duty service members, veterans, contractors, and family members. And heres the trap that catches people completly off guard.

You might be thinking your military service will earn respect from the judge. That your time in uniform shows character. That federal prosecutors will see your service record and offer a better plea deal. Here’s what actually happens.

Federal prosecutors use military service as an aggravating factor. There argument goes like this: “This defendant served in the military. They recieved training in integrity, honor, and following regulations. They knew better than to commit this crime. There military service proves they had the knowledge and discipline to understand what they were doing, which makes there conduct MORE culpable, not less.” The service that was supposed to prove your character becomes proof you knew better. Thats the trap.

In healthcare fraud cases involving TRICARE or VA benefits, prosecutors argue you exploited the very system designed to help veterans. If your a contractor who worked on base and committed fraud, they argue you betrayed the trust placed in you by the military community. Even in cases that have nothing to do with military service—drug offenses, financial crimes—prosecutors find ways to use your service record against you during sentencing arguments.

And if you filed a disability claim with the VA? Any discrepancy in your claim—working a job that seems inconsistent with your claimed disability, social media posts showing activities you said you couldnt do—can trigger a federal fraud investigation by the VA Office of Inspector General. Veterans in San Antonio filing legitimate disability claims sometimes get caught up in fraud investigations because the OIG reviews claims looking for patterns. The benefit meant to help you becomes a prosecution vector.

There’s one more thing about military defendants that practitioners see constantly but nobody talks about. If you recieved legal advice from JAG—Judge Advocate General attorneys—that advice probly wont apply in federal court. The Uniform Code of Military Justice operates different then the federal criminal code. What might work as a defense in a court-martial can make your federal case dramaticaly worse. Federal prosecutors dont care what JAG told you. There not bound by military procedures. And some military defendants walk into federal court thinking they know how the system works because theyve been through military legal processes. They dont.

The Inland Cartel Hub Reality

This is the part were things get significanly worse for anyone facing drug charges in San Antonio. Most people assume border cities—El Paso, Laredo, McAllen—are were cartel activity concentrates. San Antonio is 150 miles from the border. Seems safe, right?

Heres what the DEA’s 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment shows. San Antonio seized more fentanyl in 2024 then Houston and Dallas combined. More then border cities. San Antonio has become the PRIMARY inland distribution hub for fentanyl and other drugs after cartels shifted distribution patterns to avoid border enforcement.

The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel—two of the most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the world—are using San Antonio as there main distribution point for drugs heading to the rest of the United States. Drugs come across the border in Laredo or Eagle Pass, move 150 miles north to San Antonio, and then get distributed from here to Dallas, Houston, Austin, and beyond. San Antonio is the hub.

And heres what that means if your charged with ANY drug offense in Bexar County. Federal prosecutors will investigate cartel connections even if you bought from your neighbor. Even if your case is small. Even if you’ve never been to Mexico and wouldn’t know a cartel member if you saw one. The investigation ITSELF creates exposure.

The federal sentencing guidelines include an enhancement for “involving a transnational criminal organization.” That enhancement adds 10 to 15 years to your sentence. And prosecutors in San Antonio argue for this enhancement based on the SOURCE of the drugs, not your actual knowledge or involvement with any cartel. There argument: “The drugs in this case came from a Mexican cartel. Even if the defendant didnt know that, there purchase funded cartel operations and they should be held responsible for the full scope of the criminal enterprise.”

You never met a cartel member. You might have bought drugs from someone who bought from someone who bought from a distributor who had cartel connections five levels up the chain. Dosent matter. Your sentenced as if you were directly involved. Thats how the geographic reality of San Antonio creates sentencing exposure that wouldnt exist in other cities.

If your charged with drug trafficking in San Antonio federal court, assume prosecutors will investigate and argue cartel connections regardles of the actual facts of your case. Defending against that enhancement requires evidence—proof that the drugs came from a source without cartel connections. How are you supposed to prove were drugs DIDN’T come from? Thats the impossible position defendants face.

Public Corruption in a City That Doesnt Forget

San Antonio has seen its share of public corruption prosecutions at every level. Federal prosecutors in the Western District dont just go after major officials. There targeting city council members, county commissioners, school board officials, anyone involved in awarding contracts or making decisions about public money.

The pattern that catches people: small-time corruption that seems normal in local politics becomes federal prosecution. A contractor gives a council member tickets to a Spurs game in exchange for consideration on a bid. A county official steers a contract to a friend’s company and recieves a consulting fee later. These seem like business-as-usual in local government. At the federal level, there felonies.

Tommy Adkisson, former Bexar County Commissioner, is one example of how federal prosecutors approach public corruption in San Antonio. The feds investigate, build cases, and prosecute even when the amounts involved seem small compared to major corruption scandals in other cities. The message there sending: corruption at any level will be prosecuted.

If your a public official in San Antonio, or if your a contractor doing business with the city or county, understand that federal prosecutors look at business relationships different then you probly do. Campaign contributions followed by contract awards. Consulting arrangements with companies that later recieve government work. Family members employed by contractors. These create exposure for federal honest services fraud charges under 18 USC 1346.

And heres the mechanism that catches people who think there being careful. You dont have to recieve money directly. Prosecutors can charge honest services fraud based on “intangible benefits”—the value of maintaining good relationships, future business opportunities, reciprocal favors. The fraud isnt the payment. The fraud is depriving the public of your honest services by making decisions based on private benefit instead of public interest. Proving what you were thinking when you made a decision? Thats subjective, and prosecutors use your relationships and communications to build that case.

Where You Actually Go

Lets get concrete about what happens if your convicted in San Antonio federal court. Not the abstract “you could face prison time.” Were talking about were you actualy go and how much of your sentence youll serve.

Texas has multiple federal prison facilities, and San Antonio defendants typically end up at one of three:

• FCI Eden – Medium-security facility about 200 miles northwest of San Antonio
• FCI Bastrop – Low-security facility about 150 miles northeast in Bastrop, Texas
• FCI Big Spring – Another facility in West Texas
• FPC Bryan – A minimum-security prison camp for low-level offenders

Your security designation depends on your offense, criminal history, and various factors the Bureau of Prisons calculates. Drug trafficking with violence in your record? Your probly going to medium-security or higher. Non-violent fraud with no criminal history? You might qualify for low-security or camp. But you dont get to choose, and the BOP’s designation process dosent always make sense.

Heres the part that makes federal sentences different then state sentences. Theres no parole. The federal parole system ended in 1987. You will serve a minimum of 85% of your sentence. If your sentenced to 10 years, your doing at least 8.5 years. The good time credit is capped at 15%, and you only get that if you follow all rules and complete programs. There is no early release for overcrowding like in state systems. Federal time is real time.

And if your charged with mandatory minimum offenses—drug trafficking with certain quantities, firearms offenses, certain fraud schemes—the judge has no discretion to sentence below the mandatory minimum unless the goverment files a 5K1.1 motion for substantial assistance. That means cooperation. Providing information that leads to other prosecutions. Wearing a wire. Testifying against codefendants. The only way to get below a mandatory minimum is if prosecutors agree you’ve earned it, and there the ones who decide if your cooperation was valuable enough.

What Actually Works in San Antonio Federal Court

After everything Ive described—the 98.3% conviction rate, the triple-threat prosecution zones, the cartel enhancements, the mandatory minimums—you might be wondering what defense attorneys can actualy do.

First, early intervention matters more in federal cases then any other type of criminal case. If your under investigation but havent been charged yet, an experienced federal defense attorney can sometimes prevent charges from being filed. We can communicate with prosecutors, present mitigating information, and shape the narrative before the goverment commits to an indictment. Once your indicted, the leverage shifts dramaticaly against you. Most people wait until there arrested to hire a lawyer. By then, its often to late to prevent the worst outcomes.

Second, understanding the specific judge assigned to your case matters enormously. Different judges in the Western District have different sentencing philosophies, different tolerance for certain arguments, different track records on departures and variances. An attorney whose appeared before your judge multiple times knows what works and what dosent. That local knowledge is invaluable.

Third, if cooperation is on the table, having an attorney who understands cooperation strategy is critical. Timing matters. Preparation matters. Understanding what information is actualy valuable to prosecutors matters. A proffer session done correctly can result in a 5K1.1 motion that takes decades off a sentence. A proffer done wrong—proffering to early before your attorney has reviewed all the evidence, proffering without understanding what the goverment wants, making statements that create new exposure—can add charges and destroy defenses. Some defendants rush into proffer sessions because there scared and think cooperation is there only option, and then they make there cases dramaticaly worse.

Fourth, federal sentencing is were experienced defense attorneys earn there value. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are technical and complicated. Calculating offense levels, criminal history categories, specific offense characteristics, role adjustments, acceptance of responsibility, departures and variances—every factor matters because each one can mean years of your life. An attorney who knows how to argue for mitigating role, how to challenge enhancements, how to present compelling reasons for variances below the guidelines—that expertise creates outcomes that general practice attorneys cant achieve.

Todd Spodek and the attorneys at Spodek Law Group have represented clients in federal courts throughout the country, including cases in the Western District of Texas. We understand that San Antonio federal defense isnt about courtroom drama. Its about strategic positioning from the moment you learn your under investigation. Its about knowing when to fight and when to negotiate. Its about understanding how the triple-threat prosecution reality in San Antonio creates exposure that dosent exist in other federal districts.

If your facing federal charges in San Antonio, or if federal agents have contacted you and charges seem likely, dont wait. The federal goverment has been building there case for months or years. Every day you delay is a day they get stronger and your options get fewer. Call 212-300-5196 for a consultation. We’ll give you an honest assessment of were you stand and what your options actually are—not what you want to hear, but what you need to know.

Federal cases in San Antonio are serious. Treat them that way.