If you're on our website, it's because you're staring down serious federal charges – and you know this isn't the kind of problem you solve with a phone call or a quick guilty plea. At Spodek Law Group, we don’t take cases just to process them, we take them to fight. Federal prosecutions aren’t just paperwork, they’re designed to devastate you. The DOJ and federal agencies don’t press charges unless they think they already have you in a box – and right now, in Missouri, they’re hammering people with indictments. Methamphetamine conspiracies out of Southeast Missouri, fentanyl suppliers getting charged out of Charleston, and sophisticated fraud cases in St. Louis. We’ve even been in the spotlight nationally when Todd Spodek defended the Anna Delvey case – that Netflix turned into a cultural moment – it showed the entire country what it means to go toe-to-toe with prosecutors who think they can’t lose.

We’ve seen it coast to coast, and we’ve seen it right here in Missouri’s federal courts. The Eastern District in St. Louis? We’ve stood there. The Western District in Springfield? Same story. Kansas City dockets, Jefferson City hearings – we know the terrain. These aren’t state courts where things move sloppy and fast. These are federal systems with prosecutors who’ve been waiting years to drop an indictment. You can lose *decades* if you don’t walk in with firepower.

Federal vs. State Charges in Missouri

Most people miss this big fact: federal and state systems don’t play by the same rules. If your case is federal in Missouri, it’s landing in one of two places: Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Hannibal) or the Western District (Kansas City, Springfield, Jefferson City). You will be facing an Assistant U.S. Attorney, not a county prosecutor. You’ll be under federal criminal statutes — 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846 for drug conspiracies, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) for gun cases, 18 U.S.C. § 1343 for wire fraud. Sounds technical? It is. And those numbers… they aren’t abstract, they’re the statutes that will decide how many years you could spend in prison.

Think about this: in state prosecutions, sometimes they file on weak evidence, hoping something sticks. Federal prosecutors don’t move until they’ve already lined up FBI affidavits, DEA surveillance, IRS forensic accounting reports, and ATF weapons tracing. They’ll have *wiretaps*. They’ll have paid informants. They’ll have 500 pages of discovery before the indictment drops. And once you’re charged, you’re going to face federal sentencing guidelines that include mandatory minimums. No parole. None. That’s reality.

I’ll give you a Missouri-specific picture: Springfield federal court saw a man sentenced under 18 U.S.C. § 922(j) for unlawful possession of a stolen firearm. Charleston had nineteen defendants indicted at once in a multi-defendant methamphetamine conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846. These are not traffic tickets, these are deliberate, strategic, wire-driven investigations. And Missouri is ground zero for this kind of enforcement right now.

Top Federal Charges Prosecuted in Missouri

Drug Trafficking & Conspiracies

Let’s be blunt: meth leads the pack. DEA task forces out of Kansas City and Cape Girardeau are running massive investigations, targeting networks that span counties and states. The charges come under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846, and the conspiracy aspect lets prosecutors rope in people barely connected. Suddenly you’re one of 20 co-defendants – charged because someone said your name in a phone call. Mandatory minimum? 10 years, 20 years, life. No exaggeration. And Missouri’s federal judges have been handing down harsher sentences compared to national averages. That’s not scare-talk, it’s data straight from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Firearms Charges

Federal firearms cases aren’t negotiable in the eyes of prosecutors. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) it’s unlawful possession. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking adds five years mandatory, stacked on top of your other counts. Western District judges are strict here. Example: a stolen shotgun tied to a drug deal in Springfield turned into a stacked 20-year case. ATF involvement is deadly serious. Once they’ve got you, cooperation or massive litigation are the only paths forward. Period.

White Collar & Financial Crimes

Wire fraud charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1343. Bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344. Money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956. If investigators think you moved money dishonestly, you’re in danger. People underestimate these prosecutions until they’re staring at guidelines that jump decades based on loss amounts. Remember Anna Delvey? Todd Spodek stood in court and fought back against prosecutors who believed they owned the narrative, and when Netflix made it a global phenomenon, it showed what fearless defense can look like. Missouri has no shortage of embezzlement indictments, healthcare fraud sting operations, and fraudulent PPP loan investigations. In St. Louis, federal prosecutors are laser-focused on corporate and financial misconduct right now.

Child Exploitation & Internet Crimes

Cyber Task Forces in both Missouri districts are flooding dockets with indictments for online exploitation. They use sting operations, undercover agents, interstate surveillance. And under 18 U.S.C. § 2252 and 2252A, possession or distribution can mean 10, 15, 20+ years – first offense. These cases destroy reputations instantly, often before trial even starts. The social stigma alone can ruin employment, families, futures. And prosecutors here? They argue aggressively for guideline maximums. You walk into sentencing without an experienced federal attorney, you’ll walk out with a life-altering sentence.

Inside Missouri’s Federal Courts

Here’s the ground truth: federal court in Missouri is structured and relentless. In the Eastern District out of St. Louis, we see healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and big federal drug conspiracies. In the Western District, the spotlight is squarely on firearms and methamphetamine. In Springfield, docket after docket is packed with drug conspiracies tied to Southeastern Missouri pipelines. Judges here lean heavily on pre-sentence investigation reports prepared by federal probation officers – and those reports decide lives. You don’t know how to challenge or mitigate those findings, your sentence skyrockets.

We’ve spent hours in sentencing hearings where the difference between 10 years and 30 years came down to our ability to argue against an enhancement. Judges cite U.S. Sentencing Guidelines with precision: §2D1.1 for drug quantity tables, §2K2.1 for firearm enhancements, §3B1.1 for “leadership roles.” A lawyer unfamiliar with these guidelines is in the the dark. And that means you’re the one paying the price.

Federal Defense Strategies That Work

Good defense starts before indictment. We push for pre-indictment negotiations, because sometimes the prosecutor hasn’t fully decided how to charge yet. Intervene early – that’s the game. We file suppression motions, we fight wiretaps, we attack search warrants signed after midnight with flimsy affidavits. We shred confidential informant credibility. We don’t just wait for trial like some lawyers do. We’re active, aggressive.

At sentencing, we dig into departures and variances. Cooperation, safety valve provisions under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), arguments based on the full spectrum of the § 3553(a) factors – nature of the offense, history of the defendant, need to avoid unwarranted disparities. Advocacy at sentencing is storytelling, it’s humanization. Guidelines aren’t math, they’re a tool – and prosecutors want judges to treat them like mandatory, when really they’re advisory. We remind courts of that, relentlessly.

We’ve handled cases that... look, the point is we win when everyone else said there was no chance. We’ve fought the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF. We’ve beaten motions that would have buried clients. And when necessary, we go trial-ready immediately. Prosecutors know who’s bluffing and who isn’t. We don’t bluff.

People Also Ask: Missouri Federal Defense FAQs

How much does a federal lawyer cost?

Here’s the truth: federal defense is expensive, because it’s dozens, sometimes hundreds of hours of work. Gathering evidence, experts, motions, investigations. But balance that against a sentence of 20, 30, or 40 years. Cost matters – but your freedom matters more. And if you try to cut corners, you’ll regret it forever.

Should I get a lawyer for a federal case?

Yes. You’d be playing Russian roulette with your life if you walk in alone. Federal prosecutors convict over 90% – they don’t play games. And there’s no parole in the federal system, so a 15-year sentence means you serve nearly all of it. Do not gamble here.

What is a federal lawyer called?

You’ll hear “federal criminal defense attorney,” but what matters is not the title, it’s the focus. Someone who lives in federal court, who knows Title 18 statutes, who knows the peculiar way Missouri judges sentence. That’s what separates us from a garden-variety defense lawyer.

How to choose the best federal defense lawyer in Missouri?

Frankly, choose someone who’s been in the trenches. Multi-district practice, federal sentencing experience, trial record. If your lawyer has never filed a Daubert motion, challenged a wiretap, or argued a § 3553(a) sentencing variance, you’re hiring the wrong one. We’ve done all of that, and more, from the Anna Sorokin case in New York to multi-defendant meth conspiracies in Springfield.

Why Choose Spodek Law Group

We’re not the lawyer you hire if you want someone to hold your hand and tell you it’s not so bad. We’re the lawyer you hire when you want to fight for your life. We’re a nationally recognized firm, with a team of lawyers who’ve got over 50 years of combined experience, defending in both state and federal courts. And yes, we’ve stood in both Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, going toe-to-toe with U.S. Attorneys who thought they had slam-dunk cases. Our loyalty never goes to anything other than you. Period.

Lots of lawyers throw “federal defense” on their website. But the truth? Their only experience is maybe sitting second chair on one case ten years ago. That’s not us. We handle these matters daily. We’ve gone head first into nationally televised cases. If we can hold our ground in NYC with the world’s media watching, we can more than handle Springfield or St. Louis federal prosecutions. And I’ll be straight with you: our advantage isn’t flash, it’s fight. It’s knowing when to negotiate and when to obliterate the government’s case.

Protect Your Future Today

Every day that passes after indictment, prosecutors build leverage. Don’t wait. Don’t pretend it’ll disappear. Once the DOJ, FBI, DEA, ATF, or IRS is after you, hesitation is basically surrender. You need defense immediately. We bring national experience into Missouri courtrooms. Whether it’s Kansas City, Springfield, Jefferson City, Cape Girardeau, or St. Louis – we are ready. Call us today. Confidential consultation, no nonsense, no wasted time. We’ll hear you out, we’ll build the map for defense, and we’ll stand between you and the government’s machine.