If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and need the best possible federal criminal lawyer in Las Vegas to fight for you. At Spodek Law Group – we get what this means. Your freedom, your family, your reputation – everything can vanish in a federal courtroom if you don't have the right defense team. Federal cases are not like state charges in Clark County. The people prosecuting you are the U.S. Attorney’s Office, backed by the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, and endless resources. We're here to tell you – you can fight back, but you cannot walk into Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse unprepared.

The High Stakes of Federal Charges in Las Vegas

When it comes to federal criminal cases, the stakes are higher than almost anything. We’re talking about statutes like 21 U.S.C. § 841 (drug trafficking), 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (felon in possession of a firearm), 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (money laundering). These statutes are unforgiving. Federal prosecutions involve mandatory minimums, sentencing guidelines that tie judges’ hands, and prosecutors who can stack charges under conspiracy statutes like 21 U.S.C. § 846 – and then argue “relevant conduct” to double or triple your exposure. The government doesn’t play fair. They play to win. Just look at United States v. David Saffron, et al. – with sentencing hearings already scheduled years down the road, into December 2025. That’s how federal court moves. Slowly, relentlessly, crushing defendants under the weight of the system. Unless you hire someone who can actually push back.

How Federal Criminal Cases Work in Las Vegas

Every single federal criminal case in Las Vegas is prosecuted in the District of Nevada, Southern Division, at 333 S. Las Vegas Blvd. It’s the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse. You’ll see prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office who live and breathe nothing but federal law. You’ll stand in front of judges like Gloria Navarro, Andrew Gordon, James Mahan – judges who expect federal practitioners to understand the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure inside out. The agencies involved here? DEA pushing fentanyl investigations, FBI running fraud task forces, IRS Criminal Investigations Division focusing on concealed income or tax crimes, ATF hammering firearm offenses. And it’s important: federal cases are not run like state cases. In fact, federal court is dominated by written motion practice, strict pretrial orders, grand jury indictments, Rule 16 discovery, and sentencing guidelines under the U.S.S.G. that can feel like math problems with your life on the line. One mistake—failing to file a suppression motion before the deadline, not understanding Rule 11(c) plea agreements—can blow up an entire case.

Common Types of Federal Charges in Las Vegas

• Drug Crimes & Conspiracies – Las Vegas is absolutely central to DEA’s fight on drug distribution. You see 21 U.S.C. § 841 prosecutions for fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine. Rarely small street sales. Instead it’s "multi-defendant conspiracies" with undercover buys, wiretaps under Title III, confidential informants, and task forces sweeping entire neighborhoods. Just months ago the U.S. Attorney announced indictments in a fentanyl conspiracy where a single defendant received more than 6 years, and others awaiting 10+. They pile everyone into conspiracy counts because it gives the government leverage, plain and simple.
• White Collar Crimes – Wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), bank fraud (§ 1344), securities fraud, embezzlement, PPP/COVID relief frauds. The Las Vegas docket is loaded with these cases. I’ll be straight with you: federal prosecutors love these cases because they can show a jury a paper trail, bank statements, emails, and try to paint it as some elaborate criminal scheme. It can feel like you’re in an HBO drama, but this is real. And the penalties go beyond prison—they want restitution, forfeiture, destruction of everything you’ve built.
• Weapons & Firearms Offenses – Think felon in possession charges, straw purchases, armed drug trafficking. The ATF pushes 18 USC § 924(c) charges—possession of a firearm in connection with a drug crime—which carry brutal mandatory minimums of 5, 7, even 10 years consecutive to everything else. Prosecutors love stacking these counts, because judges have no discretion once a § 924(c) conviction hits.
• Cyber & Internet Crimes – Cases involving digital fraud, hacking, cryptocurrency schemes, internet exploitation. These are the cases the FBI Cyber Task Force and IRS CI are pouring money into right now. You’ve seen the headlines about crypto fraudsters. That’s not hype—that’s what’s filling Las Vegas federal indictments at this moment.

Federal vs. State Crimes – Why It Matters

Here’s the thing: facing federal charges is an entirely different world than facing state charges in Nevada. A local DA might prosecute a bar fight or theft, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office is backed by the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations too. Federal sentencing guidelines (the U.S. Sentencing Commission revised certain guideline enhancements as late as November 2023) create penalties that no Clark County judge could ever impose. And yes, believe it or not, you can face both state and federal charges for the same act. Example: a firearm case prosecuted by Clark County can ALSO be prosecuted federally under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). That means you thought you were facing maybe probation in state court, and instead you're looking at 10 years mandatory in federal court. Double jeopardy doesn’t protect you here. If you don’t hire a law firm that gets it, you’re gambling with your life. No exaggeration.

Choosing the Right Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer in Las Vegas

We know you’re asking: how much does a federal lawyer cost, and is it really worth it? Look, every case is different. Some lawyers bill hourly, some charge flat fees, some even mix. The truth? If you’re choosing based on price, you’re in trouble, because the "cheap" lawyer isn’t going to be the one who knows how to negotiate a Rule 11(c)(1)(C) plea that caps your prison exposure, or how to argue downward variance under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Should you hire a lawyer in federal court? That’s not really optional—you show up without one, the judge will appoint CJA counsel, but those lawyers are overloaded with cases. Is there such a thing as a “federal attorney”? Technically no—but yes, because real federal defense lawyers like us who appear in that courthouse week after week are who you need. How do you choose the best lawyer? Track record. Reputation. Being comfortable standing in front of Judge Boulware or Judge Navarro and arguing sentencing guideline calculations. We’ve done it. We didn’t just read about it. We lived it.

Las Vegas Federal Court Insights

The federal docket in Las Vegas is overstuffed. Hearings set months, sometimes years, out. A sentencing hearing this December, another pretrial motion hearing not until 2025—it’s common. Discovery deadlines matter. Screw them up; your defense collapses before trial even starts. The U.S. Probation Office writes Pre-Sentence Reports that can add enhancements you never imagined (two levels here, four levels there, suddenly your guideline goes from 37 to 151 months). Judges here don’t tolerate excuses. They do not care that your lawyer “didn’t know” or “didn’t understand.” That’s why we emphasize federal practice—it’s unforgiving. And federal prosecutors use this delay tactic where they’ll drown you in paper while quietly getting superseding indictments. Without someone on your side who knows how to keep pace with federal procedure, you get steamrolled.

Media, Federal Trials, and National Spotlight

Netflix and Hulu glamorize trials. You watched "Inventing Anna" maybe—you saw how media ate up the story. Todd Spodek was right there. Representing Anna Sorokin, the so-called “fake heiress.” And yes, Netflix turned it into a buzzy miniseries, but here’s reality: in Las Vegas federal court, no cameras, no retakes, no glamour. You’re looking at 20 years in prison—flat. Mandatory supervision after release. Collateral consequences that follow you forever. So while headlines make trials sound sexy, you need a defense that’s not entertainment. This is survival. Period.

Why Spodek Law Group

The Spodek Law Group is a nationally recognized defense law firm with **50+ years combined experience**. We are not a local generalist office juggling DUIs and divorces—we’re federal criminal defense lawyers who appear in federal courts across the country. Including Nevada. We’ve handled high profile, almost impossible cases, and gotten results when “experts” said there was no chance. We’ve fought money laundering indictments involving millions, RICO cases (18 U.S.C. § 1962), massive fentanyl conspiracies under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841/846, wire fraud cases that stretched across multiple states. And we won. Or we got results prosecutors did not expect. We’ve handled cases that... look, the point is we win. Our loyalty is to one person: the client. Not the courtroom spectators, not the press, not even the judge. We fight for you—and only you.

Call to Action: Protect Your Future

Federal prosecutors already built their case against you, they’ve lined up witnesses, flipped your alleged co-conspirators, subpoenaed your bank accounts, combed through your texts. They always start ahead. Every single day you wait, their case gets stronger. Don’t sit on your hands. Don’t think you have "plenty of time." Call us now. Schedule a private, confidential consultation. We will step into Lloyd George Courthouse with you, file the motions that matter, go blow-for-blow with the FBI, the DEA, the IRS, the ATF. We fight back and we do it relentlessly because we know what’s on the line—your freedom, your business, your family. **Your future can’t wait.**