If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and you need a federal criminal defense lawyer who actually knows what they’re doing. At Spodek Law Group, we get it. We've been doing this for decades. Federal prosecutions in New Jersey are life changing. These aren’t your everyday misdemeanors in a local municipal court. We’re talking about indictments in Newark, Trenton, and Camden federal courthouses that start with exposure of decades in prison, astronomical fines, and media coverage that destroys careers and families. That’s not theory – it’s the reality, and we take it personally, because your freedom is literally on the line.

Look, federal cases aren’t a game. They get the same obsessive public spotlight you’ve seen on Netflix. When Todd Spodek represented Anna Delvey – the so-called “fake heiress” who fascinated the country – that case dominated headlines and turned into a Netflix series. That’s the magnitude of pressure, and here in New Jersey, cases bring that same intensity. Just this year, a Somerset County man was convicted on ten federal counts in Newark, and that wasn’t some unusual fluke. It’s routine. People underestimate how fast these prosecutions move, until it’s too late. That’s why federal defense isn’t abstract – it’s happening in your neighborhoods, in your county, in your city right now.

What Does a Federal Criminal Lawyer Actually Do?

The question we always get: what exactly does a federal criminal lawyer even do? The short answer – everything. The long answer – we defend clients charged under strict federal statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), § 1956 (money laundering), § 922(g) (felon in possession of a firearm), § 841 (drug distribution). That means the government across from you isn’t just some assistant prosecutor with a stack of files, it’s the U.S. Attorney’s Office, backed by the FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, ATF, sometimes Homeland Security, sometimes all of them together. They’ve got almost unlimited budgets, agents who live and breathe building cases, and they don’t move until they’re confident they can bury you. That’s what you’re up against. You don’t call us after indictment, you call us before. We’re handling grand jury investigations, subpoena responses, pre-indictment negotiations, wiretap suppression motions, detention hearings. Most lawyers fall apart in federal court. We don’t. That’s our arena.

Federal Court in New Jersey

Let’s be practical: New Jersey has three main federal courthouses – Newark, Camden, and Trenton. Each has its own character, its own bench, its own way prosecutors push cases. Newark sees huge narcotics and RICO conspiracies, Camden handles a lot of firearms and gang indictments along the I-95 corridor, and Trenton often gets substantial white-collar fraud, political corruption, and tax cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey splits its teams – Health Care Fraud Unit, Organized Crime/Gangs, National Security/Cyber Crimes. You need someone who has stood in those exact courtrooms, under those exact judges, arguing sentencing guideline adjustments and walking clients through proffers with FBI case agents sitting across the table. That’s federal practice. That’s the Spodek difference.

Common Federal Charges Filed in New Jersey

Federal charges in New Jersey come in many forms, but they all lead to the same end: severe punishment if you don’t fight back strategically.

• Narcotics & Firearms: Federal drug trafficking indictments under 21 U.S.C. § 841 and firearm offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 922 are everywhere in Newark and Jersey City. The DEA and ATF are running joint operations constantly. In 2024, 19 alleged gang members were indicted in one single sweep.
• White Collar & Fraud: Wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, securities fraud. Prosecutors out of the Trenton courthouse have been charging executives, accountants, brokers – people who never thought they’d see the inside of a federal cell.
• Public Corruption: These are high-profile. Federal law, like the honest services fraud statute, is triggered the second public funds are abused. And yes, the FBI Division in Newark is constantly watching Trenton politics.
• Cyber Crimes: Whether identity theft networks, cryptocurrency fraud, or computer intrusions prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, cyber cases based in New Jersey almost always end up federal once interstate elements are found.

The truth? You need a federal defense lawyer the second you hear rumors the FBI is asking around, or when IRS-CI drops a subpoena, or when ATF agents show up at your cousin's place. If you wait until indictment, you've already lost valuable ground.

Federal vs. State Prosecutions in New Jersey

This is where most people mess up. They assume “criminal case” is criminal case – it’s not. Federal and state are two very different worlds. In state court, prosecutors often charge quickly. In federal court, the U.S. Attorney's Office only pulls the trigger on indictment when they're 95% confident you'll get convicted. Huge difference. Federal court uses the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, mandatory minimum statutes (for example, 5-year, 10-year, even 20-year miniums on narcotics or firearms charges), and strict evidentiary standards. And the judges – they aren’t writing plea bargains on coffee shop napkins, they are carefully calculating offense levels and enhancements. A federal judge in Newark is deciding your sentence based on guidelines grids, not gut feeling. That’s why the distinction matters, your life depends on it.

Federal Agencies Running Cases in New Jersey

The IRS is hammering tax evasion charges in Middlesex County, DEA is sweeping narcotics hubs in Newark and Elizabeth, FBI task forces have internet crime units operating out of Newark, ATF cases involving firearms straw purchases are constant in Camden. Each of those agencies assembles cases for months, builds stacks of discovery, and hands it to federal prosecutors ready to hit you with conspiracy, substantive counts, forfeiture. You don’t get a six month heads-up. They come to your house one morning with a warrant. That’s how federal arrests really happen here.

Federal Enforcement Trends Right Now

Follow the news. In the last year the District of New Jersey has indicted 30+ people in one single firearms conspiracy case; prosecutors stacked fraud counts in Somerset leading to decades of exposure; healthcare executives in Bergen County were charged under federal anti-kickback statutes. Sentencing enhancements are applied for leadership roles, use of sophisticated means, obstruction of justice, you name it. What should’ve been a 5-year max case turns into a 20-year sentence. We’ve seen it countless times. I’ll be straight with you: the playbook is charge high, stack counts, apply enhancements, threaten decades – and dare you to fight it. Most fold. We don’t.

How Federal Sentencing Works Here

Federal sentencing is one of the most complicated, devastating parts of the process. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines create a scoring chart based on offense levels and criminal history, then add enhancements – firearm possession, amount of drugs involved, financial loss amounts, obstruction of justice enhancements. Suddenly what looked like 5 years is 30+. Yes, technically guidelines are advisory post-Booker, but in Newark and Camden, judges rely on them heavily. Then you add 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) factors: deterrence, protection of society, promoting respect for law, avoiding unwarranted disparities. If your lawyer doesn’t know how to argue mitigating factors under 3553(a), you’re going away for most of your adult life. We’ve used cooperation, safety valve, minor role adjustments to crush decades down to single digits. We’ve fought sentencing hearings tooth-and-nail. That’s the fight you want us in.

What About the Costs?

People always ask: how much does it cost to hire a federal defense lawyer? More than a local state DUI attorney. That’s just reality. Federal cases require massive review of documents, wiretaps, expert witnesses, jury consultants. I’d be lying if I said it was cheap. But the real question is: what’s your life worth? We’ve handled multimillion-dollar wire fraud cases, sprawling narcotics conspiracies across multiple states, healthcare companies under DOJ investigation. That’s not a “charge per hour” equation. That’s betting everything. You’re investing in results, in strategy, in federal trial experience. When you hire us, you’re hiring a rock star team with 50+ years of combined courtroom battles. We know cross-examining FBI agents, challenging DEA chemists, negotiating sentencing with hard-line federal prosecutors. That’s not something you pick from the Yellow Pages, that’s experience you can’t fake.

How to Choose the Right Federal Lawyer

You don’t pick your lawyer off a Google ad, you look for real federal trial experience. You want attorneys who have stood in front of federal juries in Newark, Trenton, Camden, cross-examined cooperating witnesses, and argued guideline disputes till midnight. You want a lawyer who understands not only national scale cases, but also the subtle differences in how New Jersey federal courts function. We’ve handled cases that... look, the point is we win. The District of New Jersey knows us, prosecutors respect that we fight hard, judges recognize we won’t roll over. That matters.

Why Choose Spodek Law Group

Spodek Law Group is not your average defense firm. We’re a national law firm, yes, but with deep roots in New Jersey federal litigation. From defending high-profile cases that make their way onto Netflix, to representing professionals blindsided by IRS or FBI raids in the suburbs, we do it all. What sets us apart is loyalty, period. We’re loyal to you – not the system, not politics, not pressure. We fight only for your future. Aggressive, proactive, unafraid of trial. Some lawyers make their career out of pleading things out. That’s not us. If trial is the right move, we’re in. We’ve won cases everyone thought were unwinnable. And when it comes to federal court, that kind of record is what you need.

Call to Action: Protect Your Future Now

This part is simple: if you’ve been contacted by FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, or if you’re already charged in the District of New Jersey – do not wait. Federal agents don’t pause their investigations because you’re hesitating. They have your wiretaps, your text messages, your bank accounts. They have cooperating witnesses lined up. Every day you stall means evidence piles higher. Call Spodek Law Group today. Schedule a consultation. Let us step in now, not next week. The earlier we enter, the more leverage you have, whether it’s avoiding indictment, securing release, negotiating terms, or preparing for trial.

We fight, and we fight only for you. Don’t gamble with your life in federal court. We know the District of New Jersey, we know the prosecutors, we know the game. Call us right now and let’s get ahead of them before it’s too late.