If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and you know you can’t risk hiring the wrong defense lawyer. At Spodek Law Group, we understand exactly what you’re up against, because we live in this arena every single day. We’re not dabbling in Dallas federal defense – this is our world, and it’s our mission to fight for your freedom, your reputation, and your future when the United States government points all of its power directly at you.

Here’s reality. Federal prosecutions in Dallas don’t come out of thin air. State prosecutors sometimes file cases with shaky evidence, hoping it comes together later. Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Texas? Totally different animal. They investigate for months, sometimes years, before they ever bring an indictment. FBI agents, DEA field officers, IRS-CID investigators — they sit quietly in the background building a file on you while you have no idea. And then one morning, agents show up at your house, or your job, and you're suddenly front and center in the federal system that moves quick and punishes harder than state court ever does.

Why Federal Cases in Dallas Hit Harder

Some people shrug – "a crime is a crime." That’s flat-out wrong. State cases die in plea courtrooms all the time, judges rotate calendars, probations are handed out to clear dockets. Federal cases in Dallas, particularly inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building, are structured, organized, and unforgiving. The Northern District of Texas is one of the busiest federal jurisdictions in America. If you’re indicted here, it’s because your alleged conduct falls squarely within federal statutes: 21 U.S.C. § 841 (drug distribution), 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 922 (firearms offenses), 8 U.S.C. § 1326 (illegal reentry). These are not just codes in a book – these are sentencing hammers.

Just look at the collaboration—FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, HSI. These agencies don’t operate in silos in Dallas. They create joint task forces all the time. Like in Operation Showdown, when federal agents specifically targeted gangs in Oak Cliff for distributing crack and heroin, and tied dozens of people to a conspiracy that stretched across state lines. Or the ATF field office targeting firearms in South Dallas, charging suspects federally even when local cops thought it might stay county level. This is Dallas federal enforcement. It’s coordinated, it’s aggressive, and it is relentless.

What Triggers Federal Jurisdiction?

A lot of regular people want to know – what makes my case federal instead of local? Here’s the simple explanation: it comes down to federal jurisdiction. Conduct that crosses state lines, implicates federally insured banks, or uses interstate commerce (like interstate wires, internet servers, postal service). If you’re accused of laundering money through Wells Fargo in Dallas, that implicates interstate wires, which means federal wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. §1343. If you reenter the country after deportation, that’s automatically 8 U.S.C. § 1326. If agents claim you coordinated drug shipments by phone from Dallas to other states, that’s a drug conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846. And suddenly you’re in federal court, staring at mandatory minimums and sentencing guidelines that don’t forgive.

Examples include:

• Drug conspiracies stretching into neighboring states (21 U.S.C. §§ 841, 846)
• Fraud using the U.S. mail or wire transfers (18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343)
• Gun crimes tied to violent felonies (18 U.S.C. § 924(c))
• Unlawful re-entry after deportation (8 U.S.C. § 1326)
• Money laundering through interstate institutions (18 U.S.C. § 1956)

In Dallas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prioritizes all of these. With the city sitting at the intersection of I-20, I-35, and I-45, and being both a banking hub and a major drug corridor, Dallas is a pressure point. Prosecutors here aren’t waiting around – they’re actively hunting for charges that fall into these federal statutes. And once you’re indicted federally, your life changes instantly.

Federal Charges We Battle in Dallas

Gang & Violent Crime Cases

The FBI Dallas Field Office and ATF work hand-in-hand building RICO charges against gangs. What starts as a local gun possession arrest winds up as a federal conspiracy with enhancements that turn a 5-year case into a potential life sentence. Dallas has seen countless examples – violent street beefs morphing into full-scale indictments with charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1962 (racketeering). One wrong move, and you’re staring down 30 years.

White Collar & Corporate Fraud

Dallas is packed with Fortune 500 companies, federal banks, and healthcare companies. Which means it’s a honeypot for federal white collar investigations. Wire fraud, mortgage fraud, embezzlement, securities fraud, PPP loan fraud – these are filed weekly in this district. Todd Spodek himself knows this world—he was nationally recognized for his defense of Anna Delvey, a case you probably saw when Netflix released a full dramatization. That’s not just attention, that’s proof we’ve been trusted with the toughest fraud allegations in the country. And in Dallas, prosecutors love these cases because they look clean on paper. But here’s the truth: many of these allegations fail when the government can’t prove intent. We know how to attack those gaps and protect your name.

Drug and Firearm Conspiracies

DEA Dallas works undercover for months before they even file indictments. They wiretap, they put confidential informants around you, and then they charge you not just for what you did, but for what your "co-conspirators" did as part of a larger conspiracy. That’s how people in Dallas end up in massive indictment sweeps. Guns make it worse. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), using or carrying a firearm during a drug crime doubles penalties. We’ve seen clients who thought they were facing small possession charges suddenly looking at mandatory 10-year enhancement because a gun was in the same house. It’s brutal. And you need lawyers who know how to dissect conspiracy claims line-by-line.

Immigration Crimes (Illegal Reentry)

Given Texas borders, Dallas federal court is saturated with prosecutions for unlawful reentry under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. I'll be straight with you – judges here do not go soft on this. If you were deported once before, and you come back with even a minor prior felony, the guidelines skyrocket. And prosecutors push hard. We see families devastated because someone simply wanted to return, and suddenly faces years locked away. These aren’t cases you can fight halfheartedly. You need attorneys willing to challenge enhancements and argue credibly for leniency.

FAQs People Ask Us

How much does a federal lawyer cost?

Nobody likes talking about money, but you need to hear the truth. Federal defense isn’t cheap. A case could require reviewing thousands of phone records or forensic accounting files, traveling to interview witnesses, hiring expert witnesses for trial. That takes hundreds of hours. Some lawyers charge cheap because they don’t lift a finger and hope you plead. We don’t work like that. Our fees reflect the fact that your life is on the line. And look, your freedom is priceless compared to the numbers. That’s not sales talk – it’s reality.

Should I hire a lawyer in a federal case?

Yes. Don’t even hesitate. Federal prosecutors don’t indict unless they’re confident. Walking into federal court hoping you "explain it" to the judge is walking blind into fire. You need immediate representation because the government is always 10 steps ahead. We’ve had clients call us while they’re under active investigation—we come in, negotiate directly with AUSAs, sometimes even shut cases down before they blow up. But waiting even a week gives the other side more leverage.

What counts as a federal crime here in Dallas?

If it uses interstate commerce, federal banking, or federal land, it’s federal. Drug trafficking I-35, mortgage fraud with a Dallas lender, using the U.S. postal service to submit documents – those are automatic federal charges. If the case is inside the Earle Cabell Federal Building, you’re in the federal arena, period.

Inside the Federal Courthouse

All Dallas federal criminal cases run through the Earle Cabell Federal Building & Courthouse in downtown Dallas. That’s where the Northern District of Texas holds trials. You’re dealing with federal prosecutors—Assistant U.S. Attorneys—not overburdened county lawyers. They’ve got FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF agents sitting at their table feeding them evidence. It’s nothing like state court. Discovery rules are different (what you get, when you get it), bail hearings are tougher, and sentencing guidelines under the U.S. Sentencing Commission apply strictly. There’s no parole in the federal system. Once sentenced, you serve about 85%. No games, no early outs. That’s why Ashley Grayson’s 10-year murder-for-hire case in Dallas wasn’t just theater—she will do years, period.

We know how this building works. We know the way detention hearings play out in front of Dallas magistrates. We know how guideline scores look in front of District Judges. We know the courtroom staff, the AUSAs, even the probation officers who draft pre-sentence reports. Those little things, those relationships – they matter more than people realize.

Why Spodek Law Group

We bring over 50 years of combined experience to these fights. A rock-star team that does federal work coast-to-coast. We've defended people in organized crime cases in New York, complex fraud cases in Los Angeles, massive drug conspiracies in Houston. And we apply all that firepower for our Dallas clients. This isn’t theory – it’s practice, tested in actual federal trials with juries and headlines and real people’s lives on the line.

Look, federal defense is a grind. Weeks of reviewing recordings, nights dissecting forensic accounting spreadsheets, endless status calls. It’s not glamorous, it’s war. We’ve handled cases that—look, the point is we win. Winning doesn’t always mean trial. Sometimes it’s suppression motions, sometimes it’s negotiating down twenty years into probation, sometimes it’s scaring off prosecutors because they realize we’ll tear their evidence apart in cross. That’s winning. And that’s what we do.

One thing you should know—we only have loyalty to our clients. Not the media, not the prosecutors, not anyone else. If you’re hated by the public or painted dirty in the press, we don’t care. We fight for YOU, not for image. That’s what true defense is. And that’s exactly why you need to hire a law firm that gets it 100% when it comes to federal court culture. Dallas AUSAs play rough. We play rougher.

Call Us Now

If you or a loved one are being investigated—or have already been indicted—in federal court here in Dallas, don’t wait. Every day that goes by lets the other side build their case stronger. The clock is already ticking on discovery deadlines, on detention motions, on guideline calculations. Hesitating can literally cost you years of your life.

Call Spodek Law Group right away. We’re available 24/7. We’ll meet you at the Earle Cabell Building, sit with your family, explain the process, and start dissecting the evidence. Don’t gamble, don’t hope it blows over, don’t underestimate federal prosecutions. Pick up the phone, get us on your side, and let us build your defense before they bury you with theirs.