Anyone who has seen the movie “The Untouchables” knows that out of all of the acts Al Capone was alleged to have committed, he was prosecuted for income tax evasion. This was after a long period of cat-and-mouse played out between Capone and U.S. Treasury Agent Eliot Ness.
What we can learn from this film and the real-life case brought against Al Capone is that a federal investigation often focuses on multiple incidents of a person’s alleged criminal activity. The film also demonstrates how a federal agency will wait and carefully build its case against a suspect until it has the evidence it needs to prosecute.
Government entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration may spend years tracking a suspect and collecting information that can lead to a prosecution. Once they start handing out grand jury indictments, they often go to multiple parties who are allegedly involved in the activities being investigated. This means that if you are under investigation, then someone who is close to you may also receive an indictment relating to the crimes that you are suspected of committing.
Federal cases can be built for many different kinds of crimes. These crimes can range from the white-collar variety involving such acts as mail fraud and money laundering all the way up to things such as drug manufacturing and trafficking. In addition, Internet crimes can also incite federal prosecution.
Federal charges are always serious and are served with the weight of the U.S. government behind them. This means that once you realize you are under investigation, you have to respond as decisively as possible.
To see in greater detail what sorts of crimes may bring federal charges and how this firm approaches these charges you can visit our page pertaining to federal criminal defense.