If you're on our website, it's because you're staring down real federal criminal charges – and you know deep inside that the lawyer standing with you in federal court is going to make the difference between years in prison, or walking out with dignity. At Spodek Law Group – we don’t mince words. Federal prosecutors here in Louisiana, whether in the Eastern District, Middle District, or Western District, aren’t playing games. They’re charging cases under statutes like 21 U.S.C. §841 (drug distribution), 18 U.S.C. §1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. §1956 (money laundering), and 18 U.S.C. §922(g) (felon in possession of a firearm). These aren’t minor accusations; they’re charges designed to bury people for decades. Our job—our only job—is to even the playing field and put you back in control.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. Federal criminal law is a different league. Folks keep thinking it’s “just a little tougher” than state court, but ask anyone who’s been through the system and they’ll tell you it’s a whole other universe. In New Orleans federal court (Eastern District), cases involving the DEA and FBI are stacked with mandatory minimums. In Baton Rouge (Middle District), AUSAs are notorious for pushing enhancements on drug conspiracies, even when your role is marginal. Shreveport and the Western District lean hard on organized crime indictments with ATF and U.S. Marshals lining up cooperators against defendants. You’re not dealing with a local DA’s office. You’re dealing with Washington-backed prosecutors who have bottomless budgets, specialized task forces, and no interest in giving you a break.

Todd Spodek became well-known after defending Anna Delvey, sure, but more important is what that proves: complex, high-profile, messy cases don’t scare us. Federal defense is not about cookie-cutter motions, it’s about strategy, relationships, and fighting tooth-and-nail when everyone else in the system would rather see you fold. We’ve handled cases that… look, the point is we win when others don’t. Period.

What Makes Federal Charges in Louisiana So Severe

Here’s what really happens when you’re charged in federal court. It’s not the same statute book as Louisiana Revised Statutes, it’s the United States Code. You’ve got sentencing guidelines that turn what sounds like a 5 year case into a 15 year nightmare once enhancements get added for “sophisticated means” or “role in offense.” And federal judges have discretion—but that discretion cuts both ways. One judge in New Orleans might see probation, another judge two floors up might hand down ten years for almost the same facts. That's the insanity of it. And unless your lawyer has studied those trends, built relationships, and can anticipate the dangers, you’re not just at risk—you’re done.

People underestimate the danger of mandatory statutes like 18 U.S.C. §924(c), which piles decades of prison time on top of whatever underlying crime you’re charged with if the government claims a gun was “in furtherance” of a crime. Or they don’t realize financial crimes like tax evasion under 26 U.S.C. §7201 carry potential 5 years each count, stacked. Each statute is a trap. Each enhancement, each guideline, is another landmine that only an experienced federal lawyer knows how to disarm.

Federal Charges We Commonly Fight in Louisiana

• Drug Cases: Distribution of meth, fentanyl, heroin—statutes like 21 U.S.C. §846 (conspiracy). We see DEA sting ops out of Baton Rouge every single month targeting “multi-kilo” conspiracies. Half the time they inflate quantities using cooperating witnesses to drag you into higher guideline ranges.
• Fraud & Financial Crime: Wire fraud (§1343), mail fraud (§1341), bank fraud (§1344). In New Orleans federal court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has entire units chasing down PPP fraud from the recent years—cases you might think are minor but end up with 20+ years exposure when “loss amounts” get exaggerated.
• Firearms Cases: Felon in possession (§922(g)), straw purchases, even simple possession in conjunction with a drug trafficking indictment. The ATF loves scooping up gun cases, and once they're adopted federally you’re in deep, deep trouble if your lawyer doesn’t know how to handle evidentiary hearings.
• Public Corruption & Tax Cases: Baton Rouge has a history of IRS-led prosecutions, and when they bring indictments tied to political corruption or public officials, they do not relent. Sentences are meant to send a “message.”
• Violent/Organized Crime: RICO statutes under §1962 are real. We’ve seen gang indictments in Shreveport where defendants get slammed for acts other people in the conspiracy committed years earlier.

Every single one of these charges is prosecuted by teams that could include FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, even Homeland Security Investigations. You’re not defending against a lone cop on a witness stand, you’re defending against coordinated agencies with big data, cell tower mapping, informants, and video surveillance you didn’t even know about. And we do this every single week.

Louisiana Federal Enforcement Trends

In Louisiana, federal agencies don’t just wait around. The DEA in New Orleans runs joint operations with local task forces aimed at fentanyl networks. The FBI in Baton Rouge has cyber squads drilling deep into money laundering and internet-based fraud. The ATF out of Shreveport has whole initiatives on gun trafficking linked to gangs. And the IRS? They build cases for years before unsealing indictments, especially against professionals and business owners. It’s open season for them—and you have to know their patterns if you want to survive this.

We’ve seen how they prosecute: they overwhelm you with thousands of pages of "discovery," including digital forensics, phone dumps, financial spreadsheets, everything. A local lawyer with no federal experience tries to skim it—next thing you know the the government runs circles around them at suppression hearings. We don’t let that happen. Our team goes through it line by line, and we don’t quit until we find weaknesses.

How Federal Court Works In Louisiana

You’re scared about what’s next. Let me walk you through it:

1. Indictment: Usually by secret grand jury. Trust me, by the time you hear of it, the government has already spent months preparing.
2. Arraignment and Detention: Bail isn’t easy here. Judges in Louisiana federal courts weigh “risk of flight” and “danger to the community.” Way harsher than parish courts.
3. Discovery & Motions: This is where we work. We file suppression motions on illegal searches, wiretap issues, violations of the Fourth Amendment and Fifth Amendment.
4. Plea vs Trial: Most cases plead out—but the way the plea is negotiated makes life-or-death difference. A plea to §1343 with stipulated loss under $550,000 is not the same as a plea with a “sophisticated means” bump. Details matter. Negotiations matter. And honestly, guts matter.
5. Sentencing: Every enhancement, every criminal history point, every mitigating factor counts. Federal sentencing in Louisiana has been trending harsher than the national average—so unless your lawyer can argue for variances under §3553, you’re in trouble.

FAQs On Federal Cases In Louisiana

Do I really need a federal lawyer, not just a local one?

Yes, absolutely. Federal prosecutors eat inexperienced lawyers alive, it’s the truth. A local “criminal lawyer” who’s never even filed a federal sentencing memorandum will get you smoked. Hire a law firm that gets it – like us – or pay the price later in life with years you can never get back.

How are fees set?

Every case is different. A quick gun possession case in Shreveport doesn’t carry the same workload as a sprawling fraud case in Baton Rouge with IRS spreadsheets going back ten years. We put serious time into these cases, and our rates match the work—no sugarcoating.

What statutes get charged the most?

Honestly, it’s 21 U.S.C. §841 (drugs), 18 U.S.C. §922 (firearms), 18 U.S.C. §1343 (fraud), and §1956 (money laundering). We see them weekly. They combine them, stack them, and they weaponize them against defendants who aren’t ready.

Strategies We Use in Louisiana Federal Courts

• Suppression Motions: Challenging wiretaps, illegal searches, and defective warrants. We’ve thrown out DEA phone data because of sloppy affidavits.
• Plea Structuring: Negotiations to avoid enhancements like “organizer/leader role” or “possession of a firearm,” which cut decades. This isn’t about rolling over—it’s about smart tactical choices to save you time.
• Sentencing Advocacy: We push for downward departures, argue mitigating family conditions, and sometimes fight for time-served when guidelines suggest years. Judges listen when they trust the lawyer knows how to present it.
• Trial Wins: Sometimes you fight. And we fight hard. Louisiana juries see through federal overreach. We’ve beaten charges when no one expected it, because we know how to connect with ordinary jurors.

And remember—one slip in federal sentencing strategy can mean losing half your life. We’ve seen careless lawyers botch fraud cases by not challenging “intended loss” calculation, ending up with 30+ year sentences. That won’t happen with us, because we anticipate it before the government even files their memo.

Why Pick Spodek Law

Spodek Law Group isn’t just another criminal firm. We’ve got over 50 years combined experience, nationwide reputation, and we go straight into courts other lawyers fear to enter. Todd Spodek himself has been in the spotlight—but it’s not about celebrity, it’s about trust. Anna Delvey’s case? That was proof of fearlessness.

In Louisiana federal courts, we’ve defended in all three districts—New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport. Every courthouse has different judges, different AUSAs, different tendencies. Knowing those nuances, the personalities, the unwritten rules? That’s power in your defense. That’s Spodek Law.

And look, we treat clients like people, not docket numbers. No one-size-fits-all. Some clients need aggressive public trial defense, others need quiet negotiation. Every case we touch gets white glove treatment. That’s not a marketing slogan—that’s literally how we operate.

Immediate Help Now

You don’t have time to hesitate. Federal indictments don’t wait. Mistakes in early stages—detention hearings, proffers, even what you tell probation in a presentence interview—can destroy your defense. You need us now. Call us today for a confidential consultation. Whether your case is New Orleans, Baton Rouge, or Shreveport—we’re ready, right now.

Hire a law firm that gets it. Hire Spodek Law Group. We protect your future like it’s our only mission—because it is.