Alexandria Federal Criminal Lawyer

if you have been charged with a criminal charge in the federal court in Alexandria. Don’t worry as an Alexandria federal criminal lawyer I can help you fight your charge in court.

read below details of penalties and defenses of misdemeanors and felonies in Alexandria

Common Virginia Federal Crimes

Some of the more common federal crimes in Virginia are federal traffic charges and drug charges. 

However, crimes such as copyright infringement and tax crimes are also prosecuted by the federal government in federal courts.

Federal traffic crimes in Virginia come from federal highways such as the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the road immediately around the Pentagon. 

Other charges include driving while intoxicated DUI, as defined in the Virginia law section 18.2-266.

Reckless driving on federal roadways in Virginia is the same as reckless driving anywhere else in Virginia.  However, federal reckless driving is more harshly punished.  Being convicted on a federal reckless driving charge can lead to 6 months in jail, a suspension of your driving privileges, and a fine of up to $5,000.  

In addition to traffic laws, federal law enforcement will go after drugs. 

While Virginia recently decriminalized marijuana and made the punishment of up to 1 oz punishable with a mere $25 fine, marijuana is still very much illegal on a federal level. 

While it is less likely to come into contact with federal law enforcement than Virginia law enforcement, federal law enforcement still aggressively enforce federal drug laws. 

Fines for violating these drug laws are steep.  Depending on the quantity of some drugs, a conviction will carry a fine up to $5,000 and up to three years in jail.

Differences Between State and Federal Crimes

There are several major differences between the available resources that state and federal prosecutors and law enforcement have. 

Federal laws are enforced by various departments and agencies such as the DEA, IRS, DHS, FBI, and more. 

These federal arms of law enforcement have essentially limitless resources to spend investigating crimes thoroughly to secure convictions. 

In contrast, state law enforcement is less well funded and staffed.

Additionally, federal law enforcement has much more limited jurisdiction in Virginia than Virginia’s own law enforcement agencies. 

State law enforcement tends to have very broad power and authority to act in their state, but federal law enforcement is more limited to federal property and federal crimes. 

This is why the George Washington Memorial Parkway is a source for many federal traffic crimes.

Federal crimes are also tried in federal court.  American Lawyers Group represents defendants in the Alexandria court for the Eastern District of Virginia. 

Federal courts use their own set of procedures and rules that are distinct from state courts.  You need to get an attorney from the American Lawyers group who has experience in navigating the federal court system for federal criminal charges.

Penalties for Federal Crimes

As mentioned above, penalties and punishments for federal crimes tend to be much harsher than the punishment for state crimes. 

A reckless driving charge in Virginia courts is a class 1misdemeanor.  Class 1 misdemeanors come with jail time up to a year and fined up to $2,500. 

These maximum fines and penalties are almost never handed out to first-time offenders and are frequently negotiated down. 

Reckless driving charged at a federal level can see up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. 

Federal crimes will also be much harder to negotiate down, and federal courts are less likely to willingly lower the sentence for offenders.

The greater discrepancy is seen in drug penalties.  Virginia is increasingly less strict on drug charges. 

This is best seen in the 2020 decriminalization of personal amounts of marijuana. 

Federally, marijuana is still criminally illegal and aggressively prosecuted. 

Federal drug charges can result in up to $5,000 in fines and serious jail time.

Why do You Need to Get an Alexandria Federal Criminal Lawyer?

Federal crimes are aggressively investigated, charged, and prosecuted. 

Federal agencies and law enforcement are incredibly well funded and well-staffed.

In addition, charges are not brought at a federal level unless the government is tremendously confident it can get a conviction. 

As a result, federal courts have a remarkably high conviction rate.  You do not want to be facing a federal criminal charge alone. 

Federal penalties are typically much worse than state penalties, and the appearance of a federal conviction on your record is tremendously worse than a state or local charge. 

Get an experienced Alexandria federal criminal lawyer from American Lawyers Group who understands the federal criminal process and can build your best defense.