Federal Crimes

Criminal Defense Lawyers:
The judicial system in the United States is separated into state and federal courts. Which courts a person accused of a crime will be tried in is determined by what laws were violated and the policies and procedures of the different court systems. Of the millions of felony cases filed each year, close to three percent are filed in the federal courts. Often a criminal action will result in a violation of a state and a federal law.

Will I Be Charged With a State Crime or a Federal Crime?
The way the system is set up, the offender could by tried in both systems for the same criminal action, but this doesn´t happen very often. Generally, state and federal prosecutors will divvy up the criminal charges based on each others current resources, which statute is more relevant, punishment and penalties, and their different policies.

Examples:
A federal crime either breaks a federal law or occurs on federal property. The crime will be investigated by a federal agency such as the FBI or IRS. The federal government only uses grand jury trials to prosecute someone. Federal crimes include serious crimes like:
Terrorism
Espionage
Kidnapping
Cybercrime
Denying civil rights
Major theft of art or jewelery
Tax evasion
White collar crimes
Serial murder
Organized crime