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Tucson Federal Conspiracy Attorney

Have you been charged with criminal conspiracy?

If you are arrested for any criminal offense, it is natural to wonder what type of penalties you could face if you are convicted and what defenses could be available to you to help you avoid conviction. It’s possible to be arrested by local or state authorities, but facing prosecution at the federal level is especially daunting.

Experienced Defense Counsel for Federal Conspiracy Charges

Various federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), conduct all types of criminal investigations throughout the United States on a regular basis. If you are arrested on federal conspiracy charges, this means that the federal government has likely been building a case against you for some time and has finally gathered the evidence it believes necessary to ensure a conviction. This is a precarious situation for anyone, and it is vital to know your rights and your options for defending yourself if you wind up in this type of situation.

The attorneys at Ralls & Wille, PC, have cultivated a very strong professional reputation as a leader in criminal defense in federal court. We know how the various federal agencies handle criminal cases and conduct their investigations, and we know the procedural rules that apply to your federal conspiracy case. Our team can provide comprehensive defense counsel from the time of your arrest through all the proceedings ahead of you. The sooner you reach out to our team, the sooner we can begin guiding you through the difficult case ahead with confidence.

What Are Federal Conspiracy Charges?

The term “conspiracy” is somewhat vague and can be applied to any situation in which more than one person agrees to commit a crime and takes steps in the furtherance of the crime. At the federal level, a conspiracy charge can apply whenever two or more people agree to commit a federal offense and take steps to further the offense.

One of the most challenging aspects of defending yourself against federal conspiracy charges is the fact that conspiracy is not the only offense that will be cited in your case. Most federal conspiracy cases are built on other crimes and then applied to all members of the group participating in these illegal activities. For example, if multiple parties engage in a drug trafficking operation across state lines, this can open the door for federal conspiracy charges against each party, along with additional charges for specific drug trafficking-related events.

If you are charged with any type of federal conspiracy offense, it is also essential to understand the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This federal statute applies to criminal conspiracies at the federal level, ensuring that every member of a conspiracy faces consequences for any role they may have played in facilitating other members’ illegal activities. It is important to remember that RICO can apply to you even if you do not engage in an overt act. This also means that you could be liable if a member of your drug trafficking conspiracy committed a felony murder, RICO even if you did not directly participate in the murder solely based on your involvement in the same conspiracy.

This is just one example of how complex federal criminal statutes can be and the stakes that could be in play in any federal conspiracy case. If you are charged with federal conspiracy, you are likely to face additional criminal charges, and you need experienced defense representation on your side to reach the optimal conclusion to your case.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Criminal Conspiracy Charges?

The statute of limitations is the time limit in which the government must file criminal charges after an illegal act has been committed. For most federal crimes, the statute of limitations is five years from the date of the last overt illegal act committed by the accused. If the government does not file charges within this five-year window, the statute of limitations passes, and the accused cannot be prosecuted.

It’s important to note that a federal conspiracy case may involve legal statutes that effectively override the statute of limitations. Specifically, many conspiracy cases involve “continuous criminal efforts,” meaning that by the nature of the conspiracy, the members involved are continuously furthering their illegal operations.

A common point of contention raised by defense attorneys representing clients charged with federal conspiracy is the applicable statute of limitations. A defense attorney may argue that the statute of limitations has passed for the charges, while the government prosecutors argue that the law provides an alternate statute or that the defendant’s actions constitute continuous effort and that no overt act is strictly necessary. Disputes such as these require the attention of experienced defense counsel.

Potential Penalties for Conviction for Federal Conspiracy

It’s natural for anyone to wonder what penalties they could face if they are convicted in federal court. When it comes to federal conspiracy charges, there is no set minimum penalty solely for conspiracy. Instead, the potential penalties for a convicted defendant largely depend on the underlying offense within the conspiracy case.

For example, if you are charged with federal conspiracy regarding drug trafficking, your penalties will be determined from the starting point of the penalties typically assigned for federal drug offense convictions. If RICO applies and you are charged with felonies committed by other members of the conspiracy in which you participated, this can escalate your sentence dramatically.

Many individuals charged with federal conspiracy face decades in federal prison due to the nature and severity of the underlying charges in their cases. It’s important to remember that many federal criminal offenses carry mandatory minimum sentences, so if convicted, these will entail the bare minimum of the penalties the person could face, and their actual penalties are likely to be much greater.

Hiring an experienced federal defense attorney skilled in conspiracy cases is the optimal method of reducing your potential penalties for conviction. Your attorney will know how to argue for you to have your penalties reduced as much as possible, and it is even possible for a good attorney to help their client have specific charges dropped and other charges reduced. Ultimately, every person faces entirely different circumstances, but any individual benefits by having experienced legal counsel they can trust to advise them.

Choosing the Right Attorney to Defend You

It is essential to find legal counsel you can trust for a federal conspiracy case. You could be facing decades or even the rest of your life in prison, and your case is likely to be multifaceted and involve multiple charges. Not just any defense attorney will do in this situation. You not only need a defense attorney with years of experience in criminal defense procedure but also one who understands federal criminal statutes and the rules that apply to complex conspiracy cases.

The attorneys at Ralls & Wille, PC, have gained a professional reputation as one of the most accomplished defense firms. After successfully defending clients in high-profile federal cases in Arizona and throughout the United States, we have gained the experience and professional resources necessary for handling the most challenging federal cases. We know what your impending federal conspiracy case may entail and how to help you develop an effective strategy for confronting the proceedings ahead.

What to Expect from Your Federal Conspiracy Defense Attorney

When you need an experienced federal conspiracy defense attorney for your case, it’s important to know what you can expect in terms of the legal services they can provide. Your case is likely to take a long time to complete, and there may be long gaps between courtroom appearances. The pretrial phase is often very long, and suspects may remain in federal custody as they await trial. Your federal conspiracy defense attorney should be well-versed in various aspects of federal defense representation, including:

Pretrial motions. Your defense attorney may need to submit motions to have certain types of evidence barred from presentation in court. It’s also possible to file motions to seek changes in procedure, and an experienced federal conspiracy defense attorney must be adept at writing compelling, detailed pretrial motions for their clients.
Statutory procedure. If any type of misconduct occurs in the early stages of your case, this sometimes is enough to have the charges against you dropped or reduced. Your attorney must be keenly aware of all early proceedings and the statutes that apply to your specific case so they are ready to seize any opportunities the prosecution may provide that could benefit their client.
Plea agreements. Federal prosecutors can be just as risk adverse as criminal defendants. Plea agreements are a form of risk mitigation for both sides. Through confidential negotiations, a skilled conspiracy defense attorney can help prosecutors understand the problems they are likely to face if they have to try to prove their case. Using this leverage, an experience defense attorney can negotiate a favorable agreement for the accused, allowing the accused to accept responsibility but avoid the severe penalties associated with their original charges.
Discovery and litigation support. Your attorney must be prepared to handle all aspects of the discovery process, and once litigation begins in earnest, they should be able to provide ongoing support for each courtroom session.

These are just a few examples of the services your attorney must be able to provide. It’s important to remember that federal conspiracy cases are typically built gradually, and federal agencies do not move to arrest suspects until such time as they believe they have more than enough evidence to secure a conviction. You need defense representation you can trust in this situation, and the team at Ralls & Wille is ready to assist you. Contact us today and schedule a consultation to learn more about the legal services we provide.