If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and you know you need a law firm that actually gets it. At Spodek Law Group, we understand exactly what's at stake: your freedom, your career, your reputation, your family. Federal prosecutions are not some local bar fight case out of the county court–they are full-scale battles against the United States government and every resource at its disposal. When the DOJ targets you, they’re not looking for quick fines or a slap on the wrist. They’re looking for convictions that carry sentences under statutes like 18 U.S.C. §1343 (wire fraud), §371 (conspiracy), §1956 (money laundering), §1347 (healthcare fraud). And those statutes lead to years, sometimes decades, behind bars.

Our rock star defense team — with over 50 years of combined experience — has gone toe‑to‑toe with U.S. Attorneys from New York to Los Angeles, and right here in the Eastern District of Texas. When the Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin) Netflix series aired, you saw a glimpse of what Todd Spodek does under pressure: federal court, national media glare, extraordinary stakes. We know what the spotlight feels like, and we know how to keep you standing when the government is trying to bury you under indictments, allegations, and headlines.

The Realities of Facing Federal Charges in Plano

I’ll be straight with you: if federal investigators are showing up in your Plano neighborhood, knocking on your door, serving search warrants — your life just changed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas does not spend its time chasing parking tickets. Their indictments cover drug trafficking conspiracies with mandatory minimums under 21 U.S.C. §841, securities fraud under 15 U.S.C. §§78j(b), identity theft under 18 U.S.C. §1028A, and cybercrimes with massive restitution orders. These aren’t accusations you shrug off. They are cases designed to remove you from society for as long as possible.

We’ve seen FBI raids in Plano subdivisions where agents hauled out bankers boxes in broad daylight while neighbors whispered. We’ve seen DEA operations at apartment complexes targeting distribution networks. The IRS-CI shows up with forensic accountants, ripping through years of tax returns claiming violations of 26 U.S.C. §7201. ATF does stings in Collin County involving firearms and narcotics combos. The federal government sees Plano as a wealthy, connected hub and they make examples out of people here – sometimes professionals who never even saw themselves as criminal defendants.

What Makes a Case Federal in Plano?

Many clients ask: why isn’t my case being handled in Collin County? Why is it federal? The answer is jurisdiction – and once the feds have a hook, even a small one, they take it. Wiring money to a bank in another state? That touches interstate commerce, therefore wire fraud. Sending packages through USPS or FedEx? That's mail fraud territory. Communicating with people across state lines while discussing potential drug deals? That’s 21 U.S.C. §846 conspiracy.

Plano sits in the Eastern District of Texas, with federal courthouses in Sherman and Plano hearing these cases. Look at United States v. Cengiz Jan Comu – Plano residents caught up in a sprawling securities fraud indictment. They weren’t charged in a local court, they were indicted by a federal grand jury. Once federal prosecutors decide a case is theirs, local law enforcement sits back and the FBI or IRS takes over. That’s the danger – what starts as a simple issue quickly escalates into U.S. Code violations stacked on each other.

Federal vs. State Charges in Texas

Here’s the crucial difference between state and federal. In Collin County, a DA might negotiate probation, deferred adjudication, or at minimum, leave some flexibility. In federal court, AUSAs operate under United States Sentencing Guidelines. They’ve got agents from FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF backing them, and they rarely show leniency. You violate 18 U.S.C. §922(g) (felon-in-possession of a firearm), you’re staring at mandatory numbers. You get convicted on a drug conspiracy involving 500 grams or more of meth – the statute requires 10 years minimum. No judicial wiggle room except cooperation or safety valve, and those aren’t handed out easily.

We've handled defendants in Plano tripped up by something seemingly minor, like missing a probation check-in, which in state court might mean a stern warning. Federal probation violations bring immediate petitions, detention hearings, and sometimes new criminal charges under 18 U.S.C. §1001 if you lie to your probation officer. That’s the difference–federal judges won’t hesitate to send you right back into custody.

Federal Enforcement Patterns in Plano and Collin County

Look, enforcement in Plano is real, it’s aggressive, and it's everywhere. The FBI has run fraud sweeps right out of tech offices near Legacy West. DEA has hit highway corridors where drugs make their way from Dallas through Plano on to Oklahoma. IRS has targeted medical professionals accused of Medicare fraud under complex billing schemes. ATF has made weapons trafficking cases near Plano gun shows. It's not one type of neighborhood or one demographic group. It’s broad, and it’s deliberate.

Plano gets attention because it’s affluent and because of its professional tiers – doctors, executives, IT specialists – people who handle interstate money and data. Those are exactly the people federal statutes are designed to govern. The government does not care if your house is worth $700,000 in a gated community – if they believe you falsified one application or moved one illegal package, the handcuffs come out.

Common Federal Charges in Plano

• White Collar Crimes: Wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, securities violations, healthcare fraud, honest services fraud. We’ve seen Plano executives indicted under statutes like 18 U.S.C. §1343 and §1349.
• Drug Conspiracies: Large-scale DEA conspiracies under 21 U.S.C. §§841, 846 targeting multiple co-defendants and mandatory minimums. Prosecutors lean heavy on cooperating witnesses in Plano cases.
• Cybercrime: Plano’s tech base makes it a magnet for 18 U.S.C. §1030 computer crime prosecutions, cryptocurrency fraud cases, and online fraud schemes investigated by FBI cyber task forces.
• Tax and Financial Crimes: IRS-CI bringing indictments under 26 U.S.C. §7206 for false tax statements, as well as larger conspiracy counts tied to financial structuring.
• Firearms/Drug Mix: ATF operations leading to 18 U.S.C. §924(c) cases – carrying firearms alongside drug trafficking – which carry hefty mandatory consecutive sentences.

Do you need a lawyer for federal cases? Yes, immediately. Going into an FBI or IRS interview without one is like walking into a shark tank covered in blood. You will not outsmart them, and every word out of your mouth can be used under 18 U.S.C. §1001 (false statements). Period.

The Plano Federal Court System

Plano cases are heard in the Eastern District of Texas, usually before magistrate judges first for detention hearings, arraignments, and bond arguments. Then, Article III judges step in for substantive motions and trials. These judges know the federal rules inside and out, they know sentencing guidelines backwards. And bond decisions matter—if you lose that initial hearing, you could be sitting months, even over a year, in custody before trial. A local lawyer without federal experience will struggle here. It's not the same as state court.

We’ve fought trials here. We've stood before juries in Sherman and Plano divisions. We’ve filed suppression motions challenging FBI warrants, IRS subpoenas, DEA search procedures. And we've humanized clients when sentencing guidelines said they belonged away for 20 years, persuading judges to impose something human instead. We’ve handled cases that… look, the point is we win, and we do it not because it’s easy but because we don’t flinch when everyone else runs.

Cost, Risk, and Strategy

How much does a federal case cost? There is no flat answer. Some cases require thousands of documents, wiretap analysis, expert forensic accountants, sometimes jury consultants. Some require private investigators running down witnesses across multiple states. It adds up. But the risk is staggering if you gamble with cut-rate defense, because these statutes–they weren’t written to forgive. They were designed to break defendants.

We’ve watched white collar clients in their mid 50s go away for 25 years, which is effectively life. We’ve seen drug conspiracy defendants hammered with enhancements, like leadership roles under U.S.S.G. §3B1.1. The government front-loads everything in sentencing. That’s why strategy from day one matters. Whether it's suppression of evidence, filing motions forcing disclosure under Brady, negotiating proffers from strength, or building mitigation packages built with family letters, treatment proof, community work, we craft arguments so judges see the person — not just the guidelines grid.

Strategy is oxygen. Wait too long to hire us, and the feds lock you in. Get us in on day one, and we control the fight instead of reacting to the government’s moves. That’s the difference.

Defend Your Future in Plano’s Federal Court

If you’ve got a target letter in your mailbox. If federal agents already paid you a "knock and talk." If you’re served a grand jury subpoena to appear in Plano. The time to act is not tomorrow. It’s not after the indictment drops. It is now. Waiting is surrender, and the government thrives on delay because every day you wait–their leverage grows stronger.

At Spodek Law Group, we don’t sleep on clients. We’re reachable 24/7. Because the FBI doesn’t wait for business hours, the DEA doesn’t stop raiding on weekends, the IRS doesn’t pause subpoenas because it’s a holiday. We’ve defended clients in every major city, and Plano is no exception. We understand the Eastern District, the style of the AUSAs, the patterns of the judges, and the rhythm of this courthouse. And we use all of it to your advantage.

Call our Plano federal defense lawyers today. Stop letting anxiety run your life and start fighting back. We owe loyalty only to you, the client, not cooperating witnesses, not federal agents, not anyone but you. Everything we do is purpose-built to give you the strongest shot of surviving what feels very much like a government machine designed to destroy you. We don’t give up, and we don’t accept “unwinnable” as an answer. Get us in your corner right now—before the system builds a cage around you that you can’t escape.