If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and you know this isn't some minor hiccup in your life. At Spodek Law Group, we understand exactly what you're staring down. Federal charges don't just threaten probation or a short county jail term. No, in the Western District of Michigan, in Grand Rapids, these cases carry brutal exposure. Ten years. Twenty years. Sometimes life. Rundy Lamar Williams, right here, 90 months for a felon-in-possession. Kristian Ignacio Feliz – 28 years at age 24. Those are real cases from right here.

And here's the truth: federal charges change your life forever. The U.S. Attorney’s Office loves to announce press releases, make headlines, and show people in Grand Rapids just how "tough" they are on crime. You need to hire a law firm that gets it – not one that dabbles – but a team with a national reputation. That's us. At Spodek Law Group, we bring over 50 years of combined experience. A rock star lineup of lawyers who've walked into courtrooms all across America and fought the DEA, FBI, IRS, ATF, Homeland Security, you name it. If you think just any criminal attorney is enough, you’re already making a mistake. A lot of lawyers here have never even filed a single suppression motion in federal court. They don’t know the judges in Grand Rapids. We do.

Why Federal Charges Are Brutal

Let’s break it down. Federal charges are prosecuted in U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, Grand Rapids Division. That courthouse downtown, across from Calder Plaza – that’s where your future gets decided. The judge isn’t worried about jail overcrowding. The prosecutor isn’t some local ADA. It’s the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They have the FBI and DEA delivering wiretaps, they have the ATF providing ballistics, they have the IRS combing every dollar you ever earned. It’s not a fair fight, and honestly, it isn’t even meant to be.

The sentencing guidelines are a trap. Look up the United States Sentencing Guidelines – they’ve destroyed countless lives. 21 U.S.C. § 841 (drug distribution), 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (felon in possession), 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud). These statutes carry mandatory minimums and enhancements stacked so high that by the time you sit down, you’re staring at decades. And the judges here, they apply them. They don’t play around. This isn't state court where a defense lawyer whispers, and the judge quietly resets. Here, one mistake in sentencing guideline calculations can mean an extra ten years.

We’re blunt. That’s why clients come to us. No sugarcoating, no false promises. Just reality, and how we beat it.

Federal Charges We See in Grand Rapids

The Grand Rapids branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is focused on certain categories of cases. We see the press releases every week. Drugs, firearms, sex crimes, and white-collar fraud. Those are their bread and butter. And that means, if you fit one of those buckets, you’re a target.

• Drug Conspiracies – 21 U.S.C. § 846. Indictments hitting multiple defendants across West Michigan. Just last year, a sweep involving 18 defendants tied up half the docket downtown. They love these cases. Wiretaps, undercover buys, informants – they’ve got it all. Michael Warren Smith Jr. in Kalamazoo? Over 27 years for trafficking cocaine and heroin. That’s not rare. It’s the norm.
• Firearm Offenses – 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Federal prosecutors don’t care if you never fired it. Possession alone. Rundy Lamar Williams, 90 months. I could list a dozen more. Because these are easy convictions for the government, they never pass them up.
• Child Exploitation – 18 U.S.C. § 2251, § 2252A. It doesn’t matter what the details look like, these charges destroy lives. 28 years for Feliz is all you need to know.
• White Collar Crimes – Wire fraud, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, bank fraud. Headlines every time. These are serious federal statutes that can bankrupt someone before trial even begins. Remember Anna Delvey? That was us. Todd Spodek stood in the center of that cultural storm. Netflix filmed a series about it. That’s the caliber of defense we bring into federal fraud cases here in Michigan.

What Our Federal Lawyers Actually Do

Some people think a lawyer just stands up and argues. That’s naive. In federal court, the work happens way before trial. We examine wiretap affidavits. We dissect how the DEA ran the investigation. We subpoena digital evidence. We challenge jurisdiction. We fight searches under the Fourth Amendment when they lacked probable cause. We’ve filed motions to suppress electronic surveillance where the FBI didn’t meet the standards of 18 U.S.C. § 2518. We don’t just roll over. And when trial comes, we call their bluff. We force the jury to watch the government prove every line of their case, beyond a reasonable doubt, because often, their "airtight" cases are anything but.

We’ve handled cases that looked unbeatable at arraignment. Look, the point is we win. Sometimes it’s about dismissals. Sometimes it’s negotiating down 30 years into 2. Sometimes it’s getting a hung jury. Each case has its own strategy. We don’t recycle scripts. We build real defenses.

When to Call Us

I’ll be straight with you. Don’t wait around. If an agent from the FBI or DEA even knocks on your door, that’s when you call us. Not after indictment. Because if you’re seeing an indictment, that means the government already worked for 18 months behind the scenes. They have wiretaps. They have witnesses. They’re confident enough to go public. Pre-indictment intervention matters, and we’ve proven it. More than once, we’ve changed how cases were charged before indictment. Sometimes we’ve kept them from being filed at all. So when people ask "when" – my answer? Yesterday.

What About Cost?

How much does a federal lawyer cost? There’s no single answer. A complex drug conspiracy trial, involving multiple wiretaps and informants, can last years. A white-collar fraud case might require experts, forensic accountants, and document analysis by the thousands of pages. Sex crime cases? You’re talking mitigation experts, psychologists, and ongoing litigation. That costs money. But the real question, the one too many people ignore, is: what does it cost if you don’t? Prison, forfeiture, your family destroyed. Compare that to the cost of defense. It’s not even comparable. Don’t nickel-and-dime your future.

Local Insight: Grand Rapids Federal Court

Federal cases in Grand Rapids are held at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. The judges here know the law cold. They don’t bend. One judge is known to stick to sentencing guidelines like they’re concrete. Another is stiff on firearm offenders. If you’ve practiced here long enough, you know exactly how each one approaches cases. That’s what we bring. Our attorneys know these patterns, we know the prosecutors—these are Assistant U.S. Attorneys committed to hammering out big sentences. They work hand-in-hand with FBI and IRS agents, with full federal resources behind them. That's the battlefield.

Prosecutors here want to make examples. They issue press releases for almost every conviction to scare others into compliance. Part of winning isn’t just fighting in-court, it’s knowing how to manage outside pressure. That’s experience you won’t get with some lawyer who only knows state court procedure.

Choosing the Right Attorney

Honestly, most criminal defense lawyers in Grand Rapids aren’t stepping into federal courtrooms. They talk a good game but they’re handling DUIs and state felonies. Not the same universe. Ask them when was the last time they defended a case under 18 U.S.C. § 1349 (conspiracy). Ask if they’ve defended someone accused by the IRS. Chances are, the answer is silence.

Our firm has been front and center in national level cases. Anna Delvey wasn’t just a case, it was a cultural moment – and Todd Spodek was her attorney. That’s why clients trust us. Because under intense public and government scrutiny, we deliver aggressive representation that balances courtroom strategy with real-world media consequences.

Another key factor: communication. At Spodek Law Group, if you hire us, you hear from us. No silence, no wondering if your lawyer forgot you. We don’t sugarcoat. We don’t hide. We answer the phone. Because when your freedom is on the line, you deserve honesty – even if it stings.

Federal Defense You Can Trust

If you’re reading this, odds are the government is already moving against you. Cases don’t disappear. Agents don’t stop working. Every minute wasted is one step closer to losing control of the outcome. And that’s why we move fast. From the moment you hire us, we strategize, we attack, and we protect. Whether it’s a drug indictment, a firearm charge, child exploitation allegations, or fraud that spans multiple states – we bring our national experience into the Grand Rapids courtroom with one goal: safeguarding your life.

Call us today. Do not wait for the knock on your door. Do not wait for a grand jury subpoena to hit your desk. Federal cases move quick, so we move quicker. At Spodek Law Group, we don’t just represent you, we stand between you and the government’s full weight. That’s who we are. That’s what we do.

Spodek Law Group. If your future is on the line, hire the federal defense attorneys trusted in Grand Rapids and nationwide.