Federal crimes encompass a broad spectrum of offenses prosecuted at the national level, often involving serious consequences and harsh penalties. Resolving these complex legal matters requires federal defense lawyers known for winning high-stakes federal cases nationally.
Call the federal criminal defense attorneys at Lowther | Walker for decades of experience defending clients in courtrooms throughout the United States.
Federal courts operate under a unified body of law, and Lowther | Walker’s attorneys are admitted to practice in multiple federal circuits and district courts across the country. We represent clients in federal district courts from Alaska to Florida, California to New York, and everywhere in between.
Unlike state criminal defense, which is largely jurisdiction-specific, federal criminal defense expertise translates across all 94 federal judicial districts. Our firm has achieved landmark results for clients in federal investigations and prosecutions nationwide, and we are prepared to represent you in any federal court in the United States.
Primary jurisdictions include the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and federal courts across all U.S. regions. Wherever your federal case is pending, we can help.
When you’re facing the weight of the federal government, experience, strategy, and precision matter.
At Lowther | Walker, we represent clients across the United States in high-stakes federal criminal investigations and prosecutions. Our attorneys are nationally recognized for defending federal cases, including those involving allegations of healthcare fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy, tax, and public corruption.
Our lead federal attorneys, Joshua Lowther and Murdoch Walker, have years of experience exclusively defending federal cases throughout the United States. This nationwide experience includes thousands of federal investigations and federal trials.
When you hire Lowther | Walker’s federal attorneys, you’ll be working exclusively with senior lawyers who work strategically and methodically to resolve your legal issue.
Federal cases can move quickly from the moment you learn about your potential exposure. The government has vast resources, and prosecutors often spend months, sometimes years, building their case before you even know you’re a target. That’s why your defense needs to begin immediately, with a team that knows how to win federal cases.
Choose the federal criminal defense team at Lowther | Walker for:
Our background engaging directly with federal agents or prosecutors can help limit your exposure to enforcement actions and allow our defense team to shape the narrative early in the legal process.
Our analytical work begins the moment you call, establishing all potential penalties, fines, restitution, probation, or incarceration, to protect your best interests and plan your best path forward.
Put our decades of federal experience to work for you in deploying statutory defenses, constitutional protections, and procedural safeguards unique to your case.
We’re fully prepared for every stage if your federal case. We’ll aggressively defend your rights and freedom during investigations, indictments, trials, sentencing, and appeals.
Imprisonment is the most serious penalty in federal criminal cases, and federal sentencing operates under its own structured system. Judges rely on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, statutory maximums, mandatory minimums, and factors listed in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) when determining a sentence.
Federal prison time is often longer than state sentences for similar conduct because parole has been abolished in the federal system; defendants serve the vast majority of their time, typically 85% of the sentence, with good-time credit.
Sentences in federal cases can vary significantly. White-collar offenses, such as wire fraud, mail fraud, and tax crimes, may result in years of imprisonment depending on loss amounts and enhancements for sophisticated means or the number of victims. Drug offenses often carry mandatory minimums ranging from five to ten years or more.
Crimes involving firearms, child exploitation, immigration violations, or public corruption can also result in lengthy terms. Additionally, “stacked” charges under statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) can produce extremely long consecutive sentences.
Financial penalties are a central component of many federal sentences.
Courts may impose criminal fines up to hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, depending on the statute and the severity of the conduct. In fraud cases, fines often correlate with the amount lost. In regulatory or environmental crimes, fines may be tied to the number of violations or the company’s financial gain.
Federal sentencing also allows for Alternative Fines (18 U.S.C. § 3571), which permit fines of up to twice the gross financial gain or loss from the offense.
Corporate defendants face even higher potential fines. These penalties are designed to deter future misconduct, ensure punishment fits the economic harm, and prevent defendants from benefiting financially from the crime.
Restitution is mandatory for many federal offenses under the Mandatory Victim Restitution Act (MVRA). Courts require defendants to repay victims for actual losses, including financial loss, property damage, medical costs, and sometimes lost income. Restitution is not discretionary in crimes of fraud, theft, or other offenses with identifiable victims.
Unlike fines, restitution is not designed to punish the guilty but to make victims whole. However, the financial burden can last for decades. Restitution judgments remain enforceable until fully paid and cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. The government can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds, or place liens on assets to collect.
After imprisonment, many federal defendants must complete a term of supervised release, which is similar to probation but follows incarceration. Terms can range from one year to life depending on the offense category.
During supervised release, defendants must comply with both standard and special conditions, such as regular check-ins, drug testing, treatment programs, financial monitoring, travel restrictions, and prohibitions on firearms or contact with victims. Violations can result in additional prison time, sometimes up to several years, and courts often impose new terms of supervised release afterward.
Asset forfeiture laws empower the government to seize property connected to federal crimes. This includes criminal forfeiture (as part of the sentence) and civil forfeiture (in a separate proceeding). Property subject to forfeiture includes cash, vehicles, real estate, electronics, bank accounts, cryptocurrency, and any assets purchased with proceeds of criminal activity.
Forfeiture is especially common in drug trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud, and healthcare fraud cases. Courts may issue personal money judgments when property is unavailable, allowing the government to seize substitute assets later. This often creates long-term financial consequences that extend far beyond prison or fines.
Lowther | Walker’s clients include doctors, healthcare business owners, and white collar professionals facing serious criminal charges. Our criminal attorneys travel nationwide, advocating for our clients in the federal courts. This broad federal criminal defense experience includes representing businesses and individuals in cases involving charges brought by the DEA, FDA, the OIG, and the Medicare Strike Force.
Common federal criminal charges Lowther | Walker’s lawyers defend include:
Our healthcare fraud defense attorneys have proven experience defending healthcare professionals facing the following charges:
Medicare fraud involves intentionally deceiving the Medicare system to receive unlawful payments. Common examples include:
Phantom Billing: A doctor bills Medicare for services, equipment, or office visits that never happened.
Upcoding: A healthcare provider bills for a more complex and expensive service than the one actually provided (e.g., billing a simple check-up as a 45-minute comprehensive exam).
Unbundling: Separately billing for steps of a single procedure that should have been billed together at a lower cost (e.g., charging for a surgery and the closing stitches separately).
Medicaid fraud is similar to Medicare fraud but targets the state and federal Medicaid programs, often involving income or eligibility deception. Examples include:
Eligibility Fraud: An individual deliberately underreports their income or assets to qualify for Medicaid benefits they are not actually eligible for.
Kickbacks: A clinic pays a “finder’s fee” to someone for recruiting new Medicaid patients to their facility.
Double Billing: A provider bills both Medicaid and a private insurance company (or the patient) for the exact same medical service.
Audits are official reviews used to ensure compliance and accuracy in the healthcare system.
RAC Audits (Recovery Audit Contractors): Auditors review claims on a post-payment basis to identify and correct improper payments (both overpayments and underpayments) made to providers.
Clinical Audits: A hospital reviews its own patient care records against established standards (e.g., checking if all heart attack patients received aspirin upon arrival) to improve the quality of care.
Fraud Investigations: If data analysis shows a provider is a statistical outlier (e.g., prescribing 10x more opioids than the average doctor), an audit is triggered to investigate potential fraud.
Illegally distributing or diverting prescription drugs for non-medical purposes.
Illegally receiving payment or compensation in exchange for providing a benefit or referral.
Federal laws prohibit physician self-referral, specifically referrals of Medicare or Medicaid patients to entities with which they have a financial relationship.
Submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment or reimbursement.
Using electronic communications to carry out fraudulent schemes or obtain money or property.
Misappropriating funds or property entrusted to one’s care..
Trading securities based on material, non-public information.
Involves deceptive financial conduct requiring knowledge and intent.
Deceptive practices in the trading of commodities (e.g., oil, agricultural products).
Deceptive practices in the buying or selling of securities.
Fraud involving mortgage loans or real estate transactions.
Fraudulently obtaining funds from a financial institution.
Using the postal system to execute a fraudulent scheme.
Evading taxes or filing false returns.
Structuring Financial Transactions
Breaking large transactions into smaller ones to evade reporting laws.
Includes possession, distribution, and trafficking of illegal drugs.
Conspiracy to Commit a Controlled Substances Offense
Planning or agreeing to engage in drug-related offenses.
Narco-terrorism
Using drug trafficking to fund or support terrorism.
A federal crime is an offense defined by federal law and prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court. A state crime is an offense under state law prosecuted by a county or state district attorney in state court. Many serious offenses — such as drug trafficking, healthcare fraud, wire fraud, and bank fraud — can be charged at the federal level when they involve federal law, cross state lines, or implicate federal programs or agencies. Federal charges typically carry more severe penalties and are prosecuted with significantly greater resources than state charges.
Federal investigations are typically conducted by a federal law enforcement agency (such as the FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, or HHS-OIG) in coordination with a U.S. Attorney’s Office. Investigations can last months or years and often involve grand jury proceedings, subpoenas, wiretaps, search warrants, undercover operations, and the use of cooperating witnesses. Most people who are charged in federal cases were under investigation long before they were aware of it. This is why contacting a federal criminal defense attorney the moment you suspect any federal scrutiny is critical.
A federal target letter is a formal written notice from a U.S. Attorney’s Office informing a person that they are the target of a grand jury investigation. Receiving a target letter means federal prosecutors have gathered substantial evidence and believe the recipient may have committed a federal crime. You should not respond to a target letter, contact federal investigators, or take any action without first consulting a federal criminal defense attorney. Target letters also present an important window of opportunity — at Lowther | Walker, we have used the pre-indictment phase to convince prosecutors to close cases entirely.
Federal cases vary widely in duration.
A federal investigation can precede charges by months or years. Once charges are filed, federal cases commonly take one to three years to resolve between arraignment and final disposition, depending on the complexity of the case, the number of counts and defendants, the volume of evidence, and whether the case goes to trial. Pre-trial motions practice, plea negotiations, and trial scheduling all contribute to the timeline. Your attorney will provide a realistic assessment of expected timing once they have reviewed the specifics of your matter.
The United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) are a framework used by federal judges to determine appropriate sentences for federal offenses. The guidelines calculate a recommended sentencing range based on the severity of the offense (the offense level) and the defendant’s prior criminal history (the criminal history category).
A skilled federal defense attorney will identify every available basis to argue for a downward departure or variance from the guidelines — including cooperation, acceptance of responsibility, mitigating personal circumstances, and the characteristics of the offense. Sentencing advocacy is one of the most impactful areas where experienced federal defense counsel can make a measurable difference.
Federal misdemeanors are offenses punishable by imprisonment of one year or less.
Federal felonies are offenses punishable by more than one year in federal prison and are classified into five classes (A through E) based on the maximum term of imprisonment. Federal felony convictions carry severe collateral consequences beyond imprisonment, including loss of the right to vote, loss of professional licenses, ineligibility for federal benefits, and permanent damage to reputation and employment prospects. Retaining qualified legal counsel to fight federal felony charges is essential.
Yes. Federal charges can be dismissed at multiple stages of a case. Pre-indictment intervention can persuade prosecutors not to charge at all. Pre-trial motions can result in charges being dismissed due to insufficient evidence, constitutional violations, or prosecutorial misconduct. Charges can also be reduced or dismissed as part of plea negotiations. While there are no guarantees in any criminal case, experienced federal defense counsel will identify every available avenue to challenge the government’s case and pursue dismissal wherever possible.
Federal criminal defense is a specialized area of law requiring significant expertise and resources, and legal fees reflect the complexity and stakes involved. At Lowther | Walker, fees are determined based on the nature and complexity of the matter, the stage at which we are retained, and the scope of representation required. We offer free initial consultations so that you can discuss your situation with an attorney and understand what representation would entail before making any commitment. We strongly encourage anyone facing federal charges not to allow cost concerns to delay seeking legal advice — the cost of inadequate representation in a federal case is almost always far greater.
If you or someone you know is under federal investigation, has received a federal target letter, or has been charged with a federal crime, do not wait. The federal government does not slow down, and neither should your defense.
Lowther | Walker’s federal criminal defense attorneys are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We offer free, fully confidential consultations with no obligation. We represent clients in all 50 states and in federal courts across the country.
If you’re facing federal charges and prosecutors are closing in, call Lowther | Walker to fight back. Our defense lawyers are available 24/7 to respond to your urgent case questions.
