Fort Worth Federal Criminal Lawyer

If you’re on our website, it’s because you’re facing serious federal charges – and you realized quickly that this isn’t just about one court date or one prosecutor. You’re staring down the full weight of the United States government, in a federal courthouse that shows zero mercy. At Spodek Law Group, we’ve spent decades walking clients through that same storm. And let me be blunt—you don’t have room for mistakes right now. One mistake could mean decades behind bars. We take that personally. Our only job: protect your life, liberty, and freedom at all costs.

The Reality of Federal Charges in Fort Worth

Federal prosecutions here in Fort Worth – Northern District of Texas – are no joke. The federal courthouse at 501 W. 10th Street is where futures are made or crushed. The Assistant U.S. Attorneys who work out of that building, they don’t show up for little cases. They come in swinging with indictments involving 21 U.S.C. 841 (drug trafficking), 18 U.S.C. 922(g) (firearms), 18 U.S.C. 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. 371 (conspiracies), and dozens of other code provisions written in a way that traps defendants for conduct most people don’t even realize is “federal.”

Look, I’ll be straight with you—the prosecutors in this district are relentless. They will use conspiracy statutes that allow them to string ten, twenty, thirty people together in one big case. And when they charge conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. 846, suddenly you’re being held accountable for things you didn’t even do, because conspiracy law allows them to pin someone else’s conduct on you. That’s the type of insanity we deal with every single day.

Just think about some of the recent Fort Worth sweeps. Operation Showdown. Operation Legend. Seventy-six individuals yanked out of their homes in coordinated raids by FBI, DEA, and ATF task forces working together. These weren’t small-time busts, these were multi-agency task forces storming entire neighborhoods backed by federal grand jury indictments sealed until the morning of the arrest. That’s what you’re dealing with here—feds with resources to watch, wire, flip, and then hammer people with indictments that read like novels.

Federal vs State Charges – The Key Difference

If you’re from Tarrant County, chances are you’ve seen or heard about state charges. Maybe a simple possession on Belknap Street before a county judge. That’s one world. In federal court, it is an entirely different thing. No parole, only supervised release after serving the vast majority of your sentence. Mandatory minimums that trap judges themselves, because the statutes literally tie their hands. A five-year minimum means five years. Period. You’ll do 85% of it guaranteed under the Bureau of Prisons rules. That means four-plus years, no matter how “good” you behave. State court probation is not a thing here.

• State level: Local DA, plea offers, probation, alternative programs.
• Federal level: Grand juries, sealed indictments, minimum 5-10-20 years depending on substance weight, zero parole, sentencing guidelines calculated by probation officers using the U.S. Sentencing Commission manual.

And here’s the truth nobody tells you: once you’re in that federal building downtown, jurisdiction belongs to the Northern District. You’re not walking across the street to state court anymore. You’re in front of judges like Judge Means, Judge Pittman, Judge O’Connor—people with lifetime appointments. They don’t play politics, they interpret statutes. That’s why your lawyer matters more than anything.

Types of Federal Cases in Fort Worth

Drug and Firearms Offenses

We see the same pattern. Multi-defendant drug trafficking indictments under 21 U.S.C. 841 and 846. Firearm counts stacked on top using 18 U.S.C. 924(c). And the kicker—every firearm count under 924(c) carries mandatory consecutive sentences. That means if you get convicted of two separate firearm counts, you could be looking at 25 years stacked on top of anything else. It’s cruel. It’s how the government forces pleas.

These Fort Worth indictments usually have DEA case agents working in tandem with ATF task forces. They’ll flip co-defendants. They’ll use controlled buys. Half the time, evidence comes straight out of a wiretap under Title III. So if you think this is just about a traffic stop—it’s not. It’s about months, even years, of surveillance the government built up behind your back, before you even knew your name was in a federal file.

White Collar + Fraud Cases

People make the mistake of thinking white collar is “not real crime” compared to drugs or guns. That’s fantasy. Wire fraud, healthcare fraud, securities fraud—these are all bread and butter for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Fort Worth. And here’s the scary part: the statutes are written so broadly that even something as simple as sending a misleading email tied to business can qualify as a federal felony.

Todd Spodek himself defended Anna Sorokin, better known as Anna Delvey. That case wasn’t in Texas, but it showed the exact same thing that happens here: the government builds stories around defendants. They don’t just prosecute “what happened,” they spin narratives about lifestyle, intent, and motives. In Fort Worth, if you’re a local CPA or medical provider accused of inflating billing, suddenly the government paints you as a “master manipulator” in front of a jury. And juries eat it up unless you have a lawyer who destroys that narrative in real time.

Internet and Exploitation Cases

We’ve represented clients in some of the darkest charges imaginable—child pornography, exploitation statutes under 18 U.S.C. 2251 and 2252. These charges come down heavy. Judges have little discretion because the statutes include mandatory minimums of 15, 20, even 30 years. And enhancements—for number of images, use of a computer, prior record—stack like dominos. I’ve seen Fort Worth juries convict in under an hour. If your lawyer doesn’t know how to file suppression motions, challenge search warrants from Fort Worth FBI cyber task forces, and negotiate with Main Justice in D.C. when needed—you don’t stand a chance.

What a Federal Criminal Lawyer in Fort Worth Does

This is about way more than showing up in court. We attack search warrants executed by DEA in South Fort Worth. We demand discovery from IRS agents who seized tax documents. We analyze charging documents citing statutes like 18 U.S.C. 1956 for money laundering, 18 U.S.C. 1349 for fraud conspiracies, and 21 U.S.C. 841(b) for enhanced drug penalties. We come into those federal courtrooms ready to fight motions that can change the outcome entirely.

And negotiations are critical. Sometimes, the best defense move comes before indictment. We’ve persuaded prosecutors in the Northern District not to indict clients at all, through proffer sessions and strategy. We’ve taken cooperating witnesses apart, and used the government’s own evidence to show why an indictment wouldn’t stick. And sometimes we go toe-to-toe at trial in that Fort Worth courthouse. We decide case by case—because every fact pattern is different.

Cost of Federal Representation

Clients always ask—what does this cost. Here’s the truth: federal criminal defense is not cheap. It involves discovery in the hundreds of thousands of pages. Digital evidence from FBI computer forensics labs. Financial records from IRS-CI. Depositions, hearings, forensic experts who charge $500 an hour. A 12-defendant conspiracy case means dozens of motions, joint discovery hearings, status conferences that go on for months.

So yes—retainers can be significant. But you have to think of it as an investment in your life. The comparison isn’t “lawyer fees vs some little fine.” It’s lawyer fees vs a 20-year mandatory minimum without parole. That’s the brutal comparison, and it’s why clients hire us: because when the stakes are life-altering, you don’t gamble on cut-rate representation.

Signs You Need a Federal Defense Lawyer Immediately

• You’re arrested by FBI, DEA, ATF, or IRS agents here in the Fort Worth area.
• You receive a target letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
• Your home or office is raided, or you get served a subpoena demanding documents or testimony.
• A co-worker whispers “they asked about you” after federal agents interviewed them.

Delaying at this point is suicide for your case. Every day you wait, agents are gathering more statements, more digital records, and strengthening a federal indictment that becomes impossible to unwind.

Choosing the Right Federal Attorney in Fort Worth

Here’s the reality not every lawyer will admit: most criminal lawyers in Fort Worth do state cases. Maybe assaults, DWIs, thefts. That’s fine—but federal work is an entirely different universe. You need someone who knows how the Northern District prosecutors think, who’s read the Sentencing Guidelines cover to cover, who’s argued motions before judges who’ve been on that bench for twenty years. Not someone dabbling in a random federal case once a decade.

This is what sets Spodek Law Group apart. We don’t just litigate—we create a narrative, a strategy, a defense ecosystem. We know how to handle cases that get local media coverage, and when necessary we know how to work quietly to keep things out of the spotlight. We’ve had cases where hundreds of discovery documents and multiple witnesses lined up against us… look, the point is, we win when winning seems impossible.

Why Spodek Law Group

Spodek Law Group isn’t a local office that dabbles—we are a national defense firm with the credibility, knowledge, and experience to walk into federal courts in cities like Fort Worth and make an impact. We’ve defended clients against indictments carrying 50 years, even life, and we’ve negotiated outcomes that let those people walk free.

Our team is often described as a rock star team. Over 50 years combined experience, aggressive at trial, calculating at negotiation tables, relentless when the government tries to stack enhancements. And above all, our loyalty is to YOU—never to courts, prosecutors, or anyone else. Your life comes first.

We offer bilingual representation for Fort Worth’s diverse community, because communication matters. And when you hire us, you’re hiring more than just “a lawyer.” You’re hiring a team who lives and breathes federal defense every single day, and who knows how to fight the narrative—just like Todd did in Anna Delvey’s case. That’s the difference: creating a strategy, telling YOUR story, and not letting the government define your entire life in a courtroom filled with strangers.

Protect Your Future—Act Now

If you’re being investigated, subpoenaed, or indicted in Fort Worth federal court, the single worst mistake you can make is waiting. Every call you don’t make, every day you hesitate—it’s another day the government gains numbers, evidence, and leverage. Do not let that happen.

Call Spodek Law Group. We pick up the phone 24/7. We’re ready to fight today, not tomorrow, not “next week.” We serve clients across the Northern District of Texas—Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Plano, everywhere federal cases are being filed.

Your life matters. Your case matters. And right now, what matters most is hiring a law firm that gets it—because when your back’s against the wall, only the right lawyer can turn things around.