Federal & High-tech Crimes
What are Federal crimes?
Federal Crimes can be any criminal problem that falls under federal jurisdiction. Typically a Federal crime is considered more serious than state charges. This is mainly because the U.S. Attorney's office typically prosecutes larger cases. This website is not designed to go into all the different intricate details of various Federal Crimes. Please feel free to contact us for more information. Examples of Federal cases are White Collar Crime, Fraud and Conspiracy cases, Counterfeit goods, Money Laundering and structuring, Tax evasion, immigration related cases, Weapons cases, etc...
BACK TO TOPWhat are high-tech crimes?
High Tech Crimes are any criminal type problems related to the High Tech Industry. Since the rise in the High Tech industry has occurred so rapidly during the past few years, a number of criminal problems have arisen as a result of this new industry. These crimes range from thefts of chips and other hardware, stealing of trade secrets, complicated hacking schemes, to security system breaches. The area has attracted much attention and many police agencies, including local agencies, have special units designed to address this area. Hacking has become an area of much interest during the last few years. The laws dealing with hacking have not been updated sufficiently to adequately deal with the problem. I think we will see a few updated statutes very soon in order to strengthen the criminal penalties in this area.
BACK TO TOPIs there a difference between State and Federal charges?
Yes, the State and Federal system are very different. Many lawyers avoid Federal Court all together because of the serious nature of most proceedings. It is generally thought that Federal Court penalties can be more severe. Whether a person is charged in State or Federal Court will depend on which court has jurisdiction and whether or not the federal agency wants to prosecute the case. If the case is small, it is unlikely that the Feds will want to prosecute, thus leaving it to the local DA.
BACK TO TOPWhat should I do if I am suspected of committing a crime?
Contact us online or your lawyer immediately. There is no substitute to good legal advice when you are suspected of committing a crime.
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Tom O'Leary is an Austin, Texas attorney who served for over 10 years as a prosecutor before beginning his private practice in 1992. He has represented hundreds of individuals in a variety of criminal matters.
If you have any questions, please contact us online or call us at 512.441.9941.