Federal Crimes

Many federal cases in Michigan are filed in:

• the Western District of Michigan (including Grand Rapids)
• the Eastern District of Michigan (including Detroit)

Where your case lands matters for strategy, logistics, and timing. My goal is the same either way: protect you early, test the government’s case hard, and pursue the best outcome available.

When to call a federal defense lawyer

Contact me immediately if you’ve received:

• a target letter
• a subpoena (documents, testimony, or grand jury)
• a request to “come in and talk” with federal agents
• a search warrant execution
• signs that a business dispute, audit, or compliance issue is turning criminal

In federal cases, “trying to clear it up” without counsel is one of the most common ways people make things worse.

What we handle

Federal criminal defense can involve:

• fraud and white-collar allegations (wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud)
• federal firearms offenses
• drug offenses and conspiracy allegations
• internet and computer-related allegations
• money laundering and forfeiture
• tax-related investigations
• supervised release violations

If you’re unsure what you’re dealing with, that’s normal—federal charging theories often expand beyond the label on the first document you receive.

How we build leverage in federal cases

Early case control
We manage communications, preserve information, and prevent avoidable mistakes.

Evidence-driven defense
We scrutinize warrants, searches, statements, timelines, witnesses, and discovery—looking for legal issues and factual gaps.

Motion practice with purpose
Suppression issues, warrant challenges, expert issues, and evidentiary attacks can materially change the posture of a case.

Negotiation only when it helps you
A plea isn’t automatically “the best you can do.” In federal court, the sentencing consequences can be severe and unintuitive. If resolution makes sense, we pursue terms that protect you.

Trial-ready posture
Even when cases resolve, stronger outcomes often come from being prepared to try them.

Federal sentencing is its own battleground

If a case reaches sentencing, the work intensifies. Guideline calculations, enhancements, loss amounts, role assessments, and disputed facts can swing exposure dramatically. I build sentencing advocacy the same way I build trial advocacy: develop the record, challenge the drivers, and present you as a full human being—not a slogan in an indictment.

Digital evidence in federal prosecutions

Many federal cases rely heavily on digital evidence—phones, computers, cloud accounts, messaging apps, location data, images, and metadata. These cases often turn on how information was collected and what it actually proves. We are comfortable challenging the government’s “tech story” when it doesn’t hold up.

Talk to a federal defense lawyer (Grand Rapids or Detroit)