The Set-Up: Big Brother is already watching you.

If you suspect that you are the target of a federal investigation, understand that the federal agents have been watching you long before they knock on your door. Whether it’s the FBI, DEA, or IRS, if you are accused of a federal crime, it is very likely that:

• Your cell phone and email records have been subpoenaed.
• Your friends, family, co-workers, or employees have been contacted.

Maybe you are aware of this, maybe you are not, but either way, a federal arrest and subsequent indictment can be devastating to your life and to the lives of your loved ones.

Should I try and talk my way out of this?

No. Many a defendant has convicted himself by trying to talk his way out of a federal investigation. It is impossible. No one has ever done it, and for good reason.

Don’t fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. If the federal agents ask to speak with you, refuse. Tell them you want to hire a lawyer and want that lawyer present before you answer a single question. Your case is like a puzzle: there are pieces missing that the feds do not have. Your statements will do nothing more than fill in the missing pieces to that puzzle. When the agents ask to speak to you, they have already built up a case against you. Anything that you say can and will be used against you.

What’s the risk here?

• Your freedom and liberty.
• Your personal assets that you’ve worked a life-time to build up.
• Your license to practice law, to practice medicine, to sell real estate, to sell stock. It took a lot of hard work on your part to earn that license, and now it is in jeopardy.

Who should I hire?

Federal cases require the best lawyers. Consider that for a 12 month period in 2007, there were 2,537 federal defendants in the Southern District of Florida. Of those 2,537, only 137 walked out of the courtroom without being convicted. The rest either pled guilty, or we found guilty at trial. The government has a lot of resources at its disposal that it will not hesitate to use against you. From the field agents to the prosecutors, the government’s common goal is to find you guilty.

The odds are against you and the situation is grim. You need the best lawyer to represent you.

Federal criminal defense lawyer Robert E. Abreu and White Collar lawyer miami