New Mexico Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer

Facing federal criminal charges often involves more than just a few months in jail or a minor fine. These charges often come with lengthy prison sentences and substantial fines that can cause you to deal with extreme financial hardship. At King Law Firm, a New Mexico federal criminal defense lawyer knows how to take on the federal prosecutors assigned to your case and fight for your rights and future.

In some cases, simply being accused of a federal crime causes you to suffer severe impacts on your personal and even professional life. If you are found guilty of these crimes, the consequences you may face are even more harsh and devastating than those dealt with when tried and convicted at the state level. The federal courts are not simple things to navigate, and you need an attorney with the experience necessary to defend you from these charges.

At King Law Firm, our team of attorneys is fearless and passionate when it comes to defending you against a litany of federal criminal charges. We won’t back down without a fight and can do everything in our power to protect your rights, future, and freedoms. Do not wait to seek counsel and representation until it is too late. Instead, as soon as you learn you are being investigated for federal criminal charges, reach out to the legal advocates at King Law Firm.

Types of Federal Criminal Cases We Handle

At King Law Firm, we don’t shy away from tough or demanding cases. In fact, we like to face them head-on and are prepared to fight with everything we have for our clients. We have a firm understanding of federal laws and procedures and can use this knowledge to fight for you. The following are some of the federal criminal offenses we handle.

Federal Gun Crimes

Under the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment, you have the right to purchase and bear arms. However, you must adhere to strict state and federal gun laws, or you can run the risk of criminal penalties and the loss of this right. There are several federal gun charges an individual can face.

One of the most common is the buying, selling, or possessing of a firearm when it has been sold or transported across state lines. Other federal gun crime charges can include:

• Illegally selling a firearm
• Selling a firearm without a license
• Illegally possessing a firearm
• Making false statements while purchasing a firearm
• Using or possessing a gun during a violent crime or while trafficking drugs
• Unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon

Federal Drug Crimes

When you are facing federal drug charges, you need a criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the legal process at the federal level. Drug charges can come with serious penalties, and you don’t want to rely on the counsel and representation of a lawyer who does not work in the federal court system. The most common federal drug crimes King Law Firm handles include the following:

• Trafficking drugs across state lines or bringing them in from another country
• The sale of drugs across state or national lines
• Drug possession
• The manufacturing or cultivating of drugs

Drugs often involved in federal charges include heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, certain prescription drugs, ecstasy, marijuana, and opioids.

Federal White-Collar Crimes

Individuals may operate under the assumption that because victims are not physically harmed in most white-collar crimes, these offenses are viewed as less severe. While they are not as violent or blatant as other federal crimes, the consequences involved can be just as devastating. There are several forms of white-collar crimes charged at the federal level, including the following:

• Money laundering, or passing illegally or unlawfully obtained money through a string of complicated transactions in order to conceal its origin
• Fraud, such as mail, wire, internet, bank, credit or debit card, and mortgage fraud
• Embezzlement is when an individual taxes money or assets entrusted to them by another individual, business, or government body
• Tax evasion

Federal Child Pornography

If an individual is found to be selling, distributing, or in possession of any material that depicts a minor engaged in sexual conduct or represented in a sexual manner, this is a direct violation of federal child pornography laws. This is a serious federal offense, and the penalties involved are severe. There are also several federal offenses related to child pornography crimes, including:

• The sexual exploitation of a child
• Selling or buying a child
• Producing sexually explicit depictions to import
• Mailing obscene material
• Transporting obscene or sexual material depicting a minor for sale or distribution

Federal Immigration Crimes

In the United States, violations of immigration laws are considered federal offenses. The most common federal immigration violations include the following:

• Illegally entering the United States
• Failing to leave the United States after a deportation order
• Forging, counterfeiting, or falsifying immigration documentation
• Entering or attempting to enter the United States after being deported

Federal Internet Crimes

The internet has enabled certain crimes that were not previously possible. The internet also allows easier access to many crimes. Certain internet crimes convicted at the federal level can include the following:

• Solicitation of a minor or engaging with a minor online for a sexual purpose
• Federal sex crimes, such as child pornography production or transportation
• Federal identity theft, which is the misuse of another person’s identity for financial or personal gain, such as using counterfeit credit or debit cards; falsifying a driver’s license; forging a check, credit card, or debit card purchase; or making online purchases with another individual’s credit card
• Federal credit card fraud, which is the theft of someone’s credit card or the creation of a false credit card to be used to make purchases online
• Federal Ponzi schemes, which involve creating a fraudulent investment opportunity or operation that pays investors very high returns from the deposits of other investors instead of paying them from the profits of a valid and legitimate business

What the Investigation Process Looks Like in Federal Criminal Cases

Understanding the process of federal criminal cases is vital in helping you through the justice system and ensuring you are aware of your rights while being investigated for charges. In most federal criminal cases, the stages of your case will include the following:

• Initial Investigation: Being investigated for a federal crime can be frightening and cause one to feel varying levels of uncertainty regarding the stability of their future, rights, and freedoms. The initial stages of your investigation will most likely involve certain federal agencies, depending on the nature of your alleged crime, including the FBI, DEA, and the IRS.

These agencies will most likely conduct wiretaps, witness interviews, search warrants, and surveillance in order to gather evidence in their investigation. Remember that during an investigation, you are still entitled to rights and do not have to answer any questions posed to you by these agencies without your attorney present.

• Filing of Charges: Once the federal prosecutors believe they have enough evidence, they can file criminal charges against you under either an indictment by a grand jury or under a criminal complaint. An indictment by a grand jury will require that you appear in court.
• Initial Hearing: Following an indictment, the federal agents assigned to your case can take you into their custody, and you will need to attend your initial hearing, during which the judge will inform you of all charges being brought against you and ask you whether or not you wish to enter a plea. Bail terms will also be set. However, in a felony case, the judge may deny your bond. Your attorney can advocate for you at this time.
• Preliminary Hearing: This stage in the process allows the courts to decide if there is enough evidence present in your case to warrant an official trial. Evidence presented in these hearings can include documentation, witness testimony, and forms of physical evidence. Your attorney from King Law Firm can cross-examine all witnesses and review any evidence for weaknesses.
• Discovery: If the judge decides there is enough evidence to warrant a trial, the discovery phase will begin, and your lawyer will gain access to all evidence being used against you.
• Plea Bargains: During this step, you and your attorney from King Law Firm can negotiate any plea bargains with the prosecution.
• Pre-Trial Motions: In this stage, your attorney can file any pre-trial motions in order to challenge the legal aspects of your case. This can include filing a motion to suppress certain forms of evidence.
• Trial: During a trial, you will go before a judge and jury who will work to determine the facts of your case, the legal elements, and the admissibility potential of any evidence. If you are found guilty, the judge will review all sentencing guidelines before deciding on your official sentence.
• Federal Appeals: You have the right to seek an appeal of your sentence through the United States Court of Appeals. Your attorney can assist you in this complicated legal process.

Are You Being Investigated for a Federal Crime? Contact King Law Firm Today

If you are being investigated for a federal crime in New Mexico, contact the attorneys at King Law Firm. There is no time to waste, and you need a legal advocate on your side who is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to protect your rights, future, and freedoms. Call our offices today to schedule your initial consultation with our team.