In general, federal criminal charges are more serious than state charges in Pennsylvania. While there is overlap between state and federal charges, once you face a serious, federal crime, the sentencing laws change and the prosecutors have more resources against you. At the Law Offices of Campana, Hoffa, Morrone & Lovecchio, P.C, we have extensive experience in defense against federal charges.
In terms of federal cases, the vast majority at over 90 percent of cases, the defendant pleads guilty. Statistics like that tend to frighten people away from taking a federal case to trial. Federal charges do not have to stop a trial before the trial begins.
To face charges of a federal crime, you generally have to be on federal land, commit a crime against federal officers or a federal building. With many different crimes that appear under the federal umbrella, it may be difficult to keep track. The crimes that the federal government takes into account include:
- Weapons violations
- Drug trafficking
- Racketeering
- Conspiracy
- White-collar crimes
- Fraud
These crimes tend to leave the defendant feeling a heightened risk and a sense of urgency to complete the trial. Positive outcomes should still be a possibility, no matter the alleged crime. For federal crimes, there are different courts and different licensing that a lawyer needs. Pennsylvania lawyers may appear in the U.S Middle District Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia and the U.S Middle District Court.
If you catch yourself in the middle of a federal crime allegation, then there may still be options for you. To learn more information, visit our federal charges page.