If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges, and you’re searching for a law firm that gets it. Not a lawyer dabbling in state court misdemeanors, not someone good at cutting DUI deals in Kern Superior Court, but a federal defense team that knows exactly what happens inside the Fresno federal courthouse. At Spodek Law Group, we don’t mince words. Federal prosecutions are brutal. They come at you with massive resources, and they don’t care about fairness—they care about convictions. Our loyalty is to YOU, and only you. We don’t answer to the prosecutor, the judge, or anyone else. Just you.

The Harsh Reality of Facing Federal Charges in Bakersfield

Here’s the bottom line: federal indictments are built in silence, behind closed doors, while you go about your life thinking everything is fine—until one morning you wake up with FBI agents at your door, a DEA team ripping your house apart, or IRS CI agents freezing your bank account. By the time you hear your name in an indictment, they’ve already pulled months of wiretaps, subpoenaed your emails, flipped confidential informants, and prepared statutes like 21 U.S.C. § 841 (controlled substances), 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), or 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (firearms). These aren’t just accusations—they’re federal law with mandatory minimums that ruin lives. And the Fresno Division of the Eastern District of California, the court that covers Bakersfield cases, sees them every single week.

Look, we’ve watched Bakersfield residents walk into that Fresno courthouse facing 25 years on a narcotics conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846, or dealing with IRS agents in fraud indictments under 26 U.S.C. statutes. Not theory. Real cases. Real people. Shackles on their wrists. Families in tears. The federal government loves building its numbers through Bakersfield—drug pipeline prosecutions, immigration-related charges, farm labor fraud, you name it.

Why Bakersfield Federal Cases Aren’t the Same as State Cases

I’ll be straight with you, a state felony in Kern County looks like a speeding ticket compared to federal charges. Kern County D.A. might cut deals to save resources, and judges have broad discretion. But in federal court—different game. You’re sentenced under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, with enhancements stacked for role in offense, drug quantities, firearm possession, leadership role. Assistant U.S. Attorneys don’t negotiate out of sympathy, they negotiate if you give them leverage. And that means we have to fight for leverage from the start.

Different forum, different judges, different jury pool—totally different battlefield. The Eastern District of California (Fresno Division) is where Bakersfield’s federal cases end up. Courtroom 4B, Judge so-and-so presiding, your fate decided by jurors often commuting from small agricultural towns with traditional views on law enforcement. You can’t just walk in saying “I’ve handled DUIs” and expect success. This is federal law. It’s cutthroat. Frankly, it’s unforgiving.

Bakersfield Federal Agencies You’re Up Against

When you hear “federal case,” know this: you might be looking at investigations by the FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, ATF, or even Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Here’s the kicker—these agencies work together. Bakersfield is a corridor. DEA links drugs moving up from Southern California. IRS tracks the money, flagging suspicious cash deposits under 31 U.S.C. § 5324. ATF links firearms trafficking. FBI handles conspiracy ties. And DHS uses Bakersfield as a spillover monitoring hub for cross-border enforcement. If you think one agency is tough, imagine them all pooling agents, analysts, and federal prosecutors against you. That’s the hammer dropped on Bakersfield defendants every single day.

Recent Enforcement Examples in Bakersfield

Two Bakersfield residents indicted on methamphetamine trafficking. A Bakersfield man pleading guilty in a $25 million fraudulent refund case. Another one—pointing a laser at a law enforcement helicopter—yes, that escalated to federal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 32 (aircraft sabotage). The point? You don’t need cartel ties or Wall Street background to land in federal court here. Bakersfield is under scrutiny because of its agricultural routes, large immigrant workforce, and access to I-5 corridors. Every one of those factors triggers federal interest. You can be a regular working resident and suddenly—boom—you’re facing Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Fresno.

Typical Federal Charges Filed in Bakersfield

• Drug trafficking & narcotics conspiracy – 21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846
• Mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud – 18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, 1347
• Firearms charges – 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), 924(c)
• Immigration violations – 8 U.S.C. § 1324 (bringing in/harboring undocumented individuals)
• Money laundering – 18 U.S.C. § 1956

We’ve handled cases that involved multiple statutes crossing over into RICO charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1962, and look, the point is we win, because we know how to dismantle the government’s narrative step by step. Even if your case feels hopeless, it isn’t. That’s why we’re here.

Real Questions Bakersfield Residents Ask Us

How much does a federal lawyer cost?

I’ll be blunt—it’s more than a DUI, more than a local burglary case. Federal litigation eats resources. Experts, investigators, endless pre-trial motions, reviewing terabytes of discovery. You might pay $25,000+ just to fight through the early stages. More if trial drags on. But ask yourself—what does 20 years in prison cost? What does losing your career, your family, your freedom cost? The money is about survival, and we take that seriously.

Is federal conviction rate really that high?

Yes. Above 90%. Why? Because the feds don’t indict until they already built an airtight case. They cherry-pick wins. That’s why you can’t mess around with a lawyer who thinks reading a couple Sentencing Guidelines notes is enough. You need a rock star defense team to find leverage the government doesn’t expect. Our strategy isn’t to play defense—it’s offense. We push back, exploit weaknesses, challenge the agents’ credibility.

What’s the difference between a federal defense attorney and a state criminal lawyer?

There’s a night and day difference. State lawyers may never file a single federal motion under Rule 29, or know how to argue departures under U.S.S.G. § 5K2. Federal procedure is its own beast—timeframes, discovery, grand jury secrecy, sentencing. Not every lawyer “licensed in federal court” is battle-tested in federal cases. It’s like saying you can fly a commercial jet because you drove a car. Two different worlds. hire a law firm that gets it.

How do I choose the best Bakersfield federal lawyer?

Experience. Proven results. Media-tested cases. Judges know who we are. Prosecutors know we fight hard. Todd Spodek’s work in federal courts from New York to California includes multi-million-dollar frauds, massive drug conspiracies, and one case you may have heard of: Anna Sorokin, aka Anna Delvey—that Netflix series wasn’t fiction, it was real, and Todd was her lawyer. That should tell you something about high-pressure, high-profile defense. We don’t flinch when the spotlight is on us—we welcome it because it forces prosecutors to play the case by the book.

The Bakersfield Factor: Why Local Insight Makes a Difference

When we defend in Bakersfield federal cases, we bring two things: national recognition + local insight. Fresno federal juries aren’t drawn from Beverly Hills—they’re drawn from small towns surrounding Bakersfield. Agricultural, conservative, blue-collar, deeply skeptical of “criminal excuses.” If you don't know how that affects jury selection—if you don’t know which arguments fly with jurors who’ve worked oil fields their entire lives—you’re at a disadvantage before trial even opens. We live this reality. And federal sentencing in Fresno? Harsh but predictable if you know the history of every judge. That knowledge lets us push aggressively for variances, departures, or leverage in plea talks.

More Than Just Bakersfield

Spodek Law Group isn’t confined to one city. Our cases span nationwide. We’ve fought in SDNY, EDNY, Central District of California, and EDCA here in Fresno. We’ve been written about in Forbes, New York Post, and national headlines. The Anna Delvey case—Netflix, global attention—wasn’t easy. But it showed one thing: we thrive when the entire world is watching. That same intensity goes into defending Bakersfield clients. No case is too small for us to bring that fight, because to you—it’s your whole life on the line.

I’m telling you this because too many lawyers sell comfort, not results. We don’t do that. We fight. Whether it’s a $25 million fraud case or a meth pipeline from Mexico through Bakersfield, we’re in it. We’ve taken on RICO, immigration stings, hacking cases. Some won, some reduced, some beat outright. Results matter, and our record speaks for itself.

What Do You Do Right Now?

If the FBI is knocking, or DEA is sniffing around, or IRS agents just froze your accounts—you stop talking. You shut your mouth. You call us. Don’t think you can “explain” it away. Don’t think cooperation without counsel saves you. It won’t. Federal agents are trained to use your words against you under statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (false statements). One wrong word, even unintentional, and you’ve dug your own hole. Bring us in instantly. That’s the first rule of survival.

Charged federal in Bakersfield? We bring over 50 years of combined trial experience, a team that national media calls a rock star group of attorneys, and we don’t fold when pressure is on. We work with you from day one. Discovery review, pre-indictment negotiations, sentencing reductions, trial prep—we run it all. And we fight like your life depends on it, because it actually does.

Call Spodek Law Group now. Confidential. Aggressive. Relentless. We answer to you—and nobody else.