If you're on our website, it's because you're staring down serious federal charges – and you already know you can't roll the dice with just any lawyer. At Spodek Law Group, we’ve built our careers on fighting federal cases nationwide, and right here in Mobile, Alabama. We understand exactly what this pressure feels like. Federal is different. It’s stricter sentencing. It’s prosecutors with unlimited DOJ resources. It’s judges who follow the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines to the letter but who also have discretion when we push hard enough. And our only loyalty, our only obligation, is to you – not to the judge, not to the prosecutor, not to public opinion. We fight for you inside the **Southern District of Alabama federal courthouse** in downtown Mobile, where lives and futures are decided every single week.

The Weight of Federal Charges in Mobile

When federal agents knock – FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS, Homeland Security – it's never small. It's never minor. This is federal court. The sentencing math is cruel, decades not years. We’ve seen defendants in Mobile sentenced under 21 U.S.C. § 841(b) for drug distribution, with mandatory 10 years that couldn't be erased. We’ve seen white collar clients charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 for wire fraud with exposure to 30 years. So let's be clear: going up against the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama is not a county matter. It's federal. And that means the consequences are massive. Your family, your career, your freedom – they're all in jeopardy the second you're indicted.

In fact, just look at the case of Quenton James Franklin – a 28-year-old who thought it was just another drug conspiracy. Mobile-based federal prosecutors dropped a hammer on him. Assistant U.S. Attorneys don’t compromise unless you make them. That’s the reality here. When the government has a 95% federal conviction rate, experience isn’t just helpful, it’s survival.

Why Federal Cases in Mobile Are Different

Look, here’s the bottom line. State charges and federal charges are night and day. State court in Alabama might mean probation, drug court options, sometimes a county jail stint. But once the **FBI Mobile Field Office** or **DEA Mobile Resident Office** steps in, you're in another game entirely. Suddenly, parole is gone. Federal doesn’t allow it. Instead, you’re hit with mandatory minimums under the U.S. Code, the 2024 Sentencing Guidelines, enhancements for firearms, enhancements for leadership roles, enhancements for prior felonies. And every single enhancement means years added on top of what you’re already facing.

We’ve seen Mobile clients blindsided. Thinking the case would mirror state penalties. Wrong. The prosecutor runs the numbers on the guidelines: offense level, criminal history category, relevant conduct, and suddenly that 5 year "maybe" turns into 20 or more. The system stacks against you fast, and without a lawyer who lives and breathes federal practice, you’re buried before trial even starts.

How Federal Enforcement Works in Mobile

Federal enforcement isn’t just one agency swooping in. Down here in South Alabama, it’s endless joint task forces. We know, because we’ve fought them. **FBI Mobile partnered with Baldwin County deputies**. **DEA and HSI patrolling Dauphin Island**. Even ATF and IRS-CI working alongside Homeland Security in smuggling operations. Just last year, an operation spanning Mobile and Pensacola ended in countless indictments tied to firearm trafficking and narcotics. It’s coordinated. It’s layered. And it moves quickly—resources, manpower, technology, all directed at building a federal conspiracy count that ropes in as many people as possible.

Sometimes it starts small. Local arrest, small time possession. Then DEA picks it up, does months of surveillance, builds wiretaps, stacks evidence. Suddenly that ounce turns into multi-kilos attributed through conspiracy law. You didn’t sell it? Doesn’t matter. Under 21 U.S.C. § 846, conspiracy law lets them make you responsible for acts of others. That’s the trap. And in Mobile, we’ve seen the the same playbook worked again and again.

Common Federal Charges We See in Mobile

• Drug Conspiracies & Trafficking: These dominate in South Alabama. Under statutes like 21 U.S.C. § 841 and 21 U.S.C. § 846, sentences can start at 10 years and only go up. Even loosely tied into an organization, prosecutors will argue you’re part of a conspiracy—responsible for kilos you never touched, only because you knew someone. That’s how the law works federally.
• White Collar Crimes: Wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), bank fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344). We’ve represented clients facing indictment exposure of 50 years or more. Big cases mean headlines. Just like when Todd Spodek represented Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin). That case wasn’t just law—it was navigating global attention, media heat, reputational damage. We thrive in that arena too, whether in New York or Mobile.
• Immigration Offenses: South Alabama has constant immigration stings. We’ve seen HSI Mobile and Border Patrol teaming up in Baldwin County, charging illegal reentry cases under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. These cases are tough—detention without bond is common, and the punishment is rarely small.
• Firearms Crimes: Felon in possession violations under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), or weapons tied to drug crimes under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c). The kicker? Those firearm enhancements are stacked. You get 5 years for the gun, then 10 years for drug conspiracy, sometimes served consecutive. Brutal.
• Tax and Financial Crimes: IRS-CI agents operate in this district constantly. Charges under 26 U.S.C. § 7201 for tax evasion or 18 U.S.C. § 1956 for money laundering can crush business owners who thought mistakes on returns wouldn’t matter. They do, federally, and they bring indictments fast.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines and What They Mean Here

Sentencing happens the same way nationwide, and Mobile is no different. Judges calculate under the guidelines. The presentence investigation report (PSR) lays it out. Drugs measured in grams, firearms attached, role enhancements considered, criminal history counted. Every line item moves your number up or down. It’s mechanical. But it’s not hopeless.

Here’s where it matters: We’ve filed motions for downward departures under §5K, argued safety valve under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), and we’ve battled for variances based on personal histories the guidelines don’t care about. We’ve petitioned Mobile judges to see the life, not the math. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it’s reduced decades. And that ability—knowing what matters rhetorically to federal judges in this courthouse—comes only with decades of experience doing it, not dabbling.

These aren’t small wins. They’re years shaved, futures recovered. You need a team who knows how to make the sentencing process work for you, instead of against you.

The Cost and Value of Federal Criminal Defense

People in Mobile call us and ask, "how much does it cost to hire a federal lawyer?" The truth: it costs more than local state charges. Federal cases demand more filings, more strategy sessions, longer trials. Retainers usually start in the five figures, can be way higher depending on the allegations. But cost is relative. What’s the price of keeping your career? What’s the price of raising your child outside of prison walls rather than inside? That’s what you’re fighting for. I’ll be straight with you—this is not a place to cut corners.

Another question: Should I even hire a federal lawyer? The answer is so obvious, but people still ask. Yes. Always yes. Because Assistant U.S. Attorneys are seasoned, serious, and backed by the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, Homeland Security. You don’t go into that arena without someone equally skilled on your side. And the cliché but true line—hire a law firm that gets it. That’s what we are.

And then the myths: Which lawyer wins most federal cases? None. No lawyer wins “most.” The conviction rate is sky high. What matters is mitigation, negotiation, and knowing the judges and prosecutors personally. The difference between doing 30 years or 5. The difference between a straight plea and a dismissed charge. Winning at federal level looks different than what people think. And we know because we do it.

Why Choose Spodek Law Group for Federal Charges in Mobile

Here’s the difference. We’re not a local Mobile shop tinkering in federal law now and then. We are a national law firm with a footprint in federal courts coast-to-coast. The **Spodek Law Group** has 50+ years of combined federal defense experience, and a reputation for taking impossible cases and making them possible. We’re the team other lawyers call for advice when things spin out of control. And yes, sometimes we’re blunt. We don’t sugarcoat. We tell you what the fight really looks like, then we walk in the battle with you.

Remember Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin)? Netflix turned that case into a cultural phenomenon. Todd Spodek stood as her lawyer in the spotlight, under insane pressure, while media swarmed. That wasn’t just about arguing law, it was managing optics, perception, jurors swayed by tabloid coverage. That’s the level of poise Spodek Law Group brings—because federal cases in Mobile can be just as life-defining for you, even without the cameras. We thrive when everything is stacked against us.

And let’s be honest. Most lawyers bend to prosecutors. They don’t want to make waves. Not us. We owe loyalty to you, not them. Federal government can dangle threats of 50 years, but we fight, we negotiate, we push, and yes, we win—dismissals, acquittals, reduced sentences, outcomes people swore were impossible. We’ve handled cases that… look, the point is we win when everyone else would have just pled out quickly.

Protect Your Future in Federal Court

If **FBI Mobile**, **DEA**, or the **Southern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office** is already looking at you, your freedom is hanging by a thread. Don’t wait until indictment drops. By then, they’ve already prepped your case for years. Every day you delay means prosecutors get further ahead with discovery, wiretap evidence, co-defendant pleas.

Our team is available 24/7. We walk into the Mobile federal courthouse with you, not behind you. We file aggressive motions. We challenge the discovery. We go blow-for-blow in bail hearings, sentencing hearings, trial. And I’ll be blunt again: You cannot face the full resources of the federal government alone. They have too much money, too many agents, too much leverage. Your best weapon is us. And your best shot starts today, not next week.

Spodek Law Group – Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers Fighting for You in Mobile and Nationwide.