Miami Federal Criminal Lawyer

If you’re on our website, it’s because you’re facing major federal charges – and you need a Miami federal criminal lawyer who actually knows how to operate under the weight of the federal system. At Spodek Law Group, we don’t sugarcoat things. Federal charges are brutally serious. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida doesn’t waste time. They’re aggressive, they’re resourced by FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, Homeland Security – you name it – and they will use every federal statute in the book to crush you. This isn’t the same ballgame as Miami-Dade state court. It’s a different level, a different playbook, and if you walk in unprepared, you’re dead in the water.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. A federal indictment is a life-defining moment. The penalties are staggering – decades in a federal prison, fines that wipe out everything you worked for, families fractured. This isn’t hypothetical. It happens every day in Miami. And what most defense attorneys won’t tell you is that by the time you even hear the word “indictment,” the government already has stacks of evidence from wiretaps, subpoenas, confidential informants, surveillance – they’ve been building a case for months, maybe years. That means your only move is hiring a Miami federal defense team that knows how to play offense, not just sit back and react. We’ve spent 50+ years combined doing exactly that. We owe loyalty only to you—not the government, not the media, not anyone else trying to score headlines.

The High Stakes of Federal Charges in Miami

Miami is unique. It’s a magnet for federal prosecutions because of geography and culture. It sits at the crossroads of Latin America and the U.S., which means: drug importation cases under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846, money laundering charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1956, RICO indictments under 18 U.S.C. § 1962. Just because you’re not a cartel boss doesn’t mean you’re safe. The feds indict everyone from street-level players to business owners to professionals accused of white-collar fraud. Recently, celebrity Sean Kingston stood in a Miami federal courtroom and got hammered with prison time. Local drug trafficking crews are getting torched with fentanyl indictments tied to 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(A) mandatory minimums. And gun trafficking cases under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) and § 924(c) are all over Miami-Dade. The message is clear: Miami is one of the hottest federal jurisdictions in America, and no one is exempt.

Federal cases in Miami aren’t symbolic. They’re designed to send messages. Ten years. Twenty years. It’s not just numbers—it’s people vanishing into the Bureau of Prisons. Families—gone. Businesses—done. And the truth is, if you don’t hire a law firm that gets it, you’re not going to survive the process.

Federal vs. State Criminal Cases in Miami

There’s a massive difference between Miami-Dade County court and the federal courthouse. State cases? They’re prosecuted by the local State Attorney. Federal cases? They’re prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office inside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, right in downtown Miami. Different judges, different procedures, different rules of evidence—everything is elevated. The stakes are insane. The sentencing guidelines put together by the U.S. Sentencing Commission essentially dictate what the judge “should” do, but with enhancements and mandatory minimums, judges often have their hands tied. We’re talking about mandatory statutes that leave no room, like 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) adding years—sometimes decades—on top of drug or conspiracy convictions.

Another key difference: federal cases begin with a grand jury. You might not even know you’re a target until you get a subpoena for documents. By the time the U.S. Attorney presents evidence to the grand jury, they’re basically pre-packaged indictments waiting to happen. That’s why you absolutely need a Miami federal lawyer who’s admitted in federal court and knows these players—knows how Assistant U.S. Attorneys think, knows the judiciary, knows how agencies like the IRS-CI or the DEA build cases here.

Federal Charges We Defend in Miami

• Drug & Fentanyl Offenses: Indictments for distribution and conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846 can carry 10–20 years at a minimum. Miami being a trafficking hub makes these prosecutions relentless. Add in firearms enhancements from § 924(c), and suddenly you’re staring down 30 years.
• White Collar & Fraud: Wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343), bank fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344), health care fraud, securities fraud. They sound non-violent, but no one cares—sentences go into the double digits. Todd Spodek’s representation of Anna Sorokin/“Anna Delvey” proved we can stand front and center in these complex trials, cases so big they literally became Netflix series.
• Guns & Organized Crime: RICO (18 U.S.C. § 1962), firearms trafficking, gang indictments—Miami’s loaded with them. Every year dozens of gang members get swept up in conspiracy charges that cover years of activity.
• Immigration Crimes: Miami indictments often involve passport fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1542), illegal reentry after deportation (8 U.S.C. § 1326), and marriage fraud. People underestimate these cases, but the penalties are devastating.
• Tax and IRS Cases: Federal tax violations—26 U.S.C. § 7201 evasion, 18 U.S.C. § 371 conspiracies—IRS prosecutions in Miami are notorious. IRS-CI works hand-in-hand with federal prosecutors to make examples out of professionals and business owners.

Real Federal Prosecutions in Miami

If you think this is theoretical, wake up. Just in the past year: DEA agents indicted dozens on fentanyl trafficking. FBI spearheaded fraud sweeps taking down physicians and clinic operators. ATF pursued weapons trafficking cases that added years to otherwise “smaller” narcotics investigations. IRS-CI charged entrepreneurs with willful tax fraud. That’s real life in Miami federal court. This city is a global stage for the Department of Justice, so they love making examples here. We’ve handled cases that… look, the point is we win where others fold, because we understand how this battlefield actually works.

What’s at Stake in Miami Federal Court

Federal penalties devastate lives. Ten-year mandatory minimums under drug statutes. Firearms enhancements stacking onto those years. White collar crimes pushing sentences sky high depending on alleged financial losses. And—unlike state court—there’s no parole in the federal system. Once you’re sentenced, you serve most of it. Which is why Netflix dramatization is nothing compared to standing in Miami federal court when a judge reads 240 months, 360 months, life imprisonment. This isn’t entertainment. This is the rest of your life.

Choosing the Right Miami Federal Defense Lawyer

Here’s the question everyone asks: who’s the best criminal defense lawyer in America? Depends. The only right answer is hiring a lawyer who’s been vetted by federal battles, trial after trial, not just doing plea deals because it’s easier. Spodek Law Group has over 50 years combined experience—and we’ve taken cases all the way nationwide. We’ve been in California federal courts, New York, Texas, Illinois, and right here in Florida. Our team is a rock star lineup of trial attorneys dedicated fully to federal defense.

People ask other questions too. “How much do lawyers make in Miami?” Wrong question. The only metric that matters: results. “How long does it take to be a criminal lawyer?” Better question: how long has your lawyer fought inside federal courthouses, against U.S. Attorneys who have played this game a hundred times before. We’ve done it for decades. You want that kind of muscle in your corner when the feds come knocking.

Todd Spodek himself has stood next to clients whose cases made front-page headlines worldwide. Anna Delvey wasn’t just a scandal—it was proof that we don’t back down from impossible optics, impossible charges. Strategy is everything. Some cases are won at trial. Some are won before trial even begins—by tearing apart indictments, evidence, or negotiating from a position of real strength because prosecutors know we’ll go to trial and win. That’s how you survive Miami federal court.

Strategic Defense Approaches in Miami Federal Cases

Here’s what really happens. The government builds cases slowly, meticulously, with surveillance, undercover buys, forensic accounting. By the time a grand jury indicts, they’ve already marshaled months of intel. That’s why hiring us early changes everything. We attack flawed indictments, fight illegal searches under the Fourth Amendment, call out Title III wiretap issues, demand discovery under Rule 16. Some cases get dismissed before trial. Others—when trial’s unavoidable—we bring the fight. And juries respect lawyers who aren’t afraid to go toe to toe against the federal government. That’s us.

In Miami, plea deals are common—but don’t get it twisted. The U.S. Attorney isn’t charitable. They only negotiate meaningfully when they know you’re actually ready and able to go trial. Otherwise, they bury defendants. So our posture is always trial-first. And in high-profile cases where the media salivates for scandal, like entertainers or business executives, we manage the reputational battle too. Legal defense + reputation defense. Both matter. Both can destroy you if you ignore them.

Next Steps: Your Future Depends on This

Here’s the reality you might not want to hear. Federal agents may already be circling your case. Maybe they’ve interviewed your co-workers. Maybe they’ve subpoenaed your bank records. You might think you’re safe—until the day a federal agent knocks at your office with a target letter. At that point, the case is already advanced. Every day you wait, you lose ground. Seconds matter. If you’re being investigated in Miami, or charged already, call us right now.

We’ve earned respect nationwide—from Los Angeles to New York federal courtrooms—because we take difficult cases, and we fight brutally hard for clients. We know Southern District of Florida prosecutors, the judges, the quirks of the local rules. We’ve seen guidelines manipulation, we’ve seen stacked enhancements, we know how to crack them down. That knowledge is your weapon. That weapon is only useful if you hire the team that knows how to use it.

Don’t gamble with your life. Don’t think you’ll “figure it out.” You won’t. Hire a Miami federal criminal lawyer who understands the forum, the system, the statutes, the players. Hire Spodek Law Group. We owe everything to one thing: you. And at the end of the day—that’s the only thing that matters.