If you're on our website, it's because you're staring down the barrel of serious federal charges – and you need a law firm that gets it. At Spodek Law Group, we don’t sugarcoat this. We know the chaos it creates for you, your family, your entire life. Federal charges in Cincinnati aren’t just serious – they’re life-altering. The FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS, HSI – they walk into federal court with massive budgets and endless manpower. They draft indictments that cite 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 21 U.S.C. § 841 (narcotics trafficking), 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) (firearms cases), and countless other statutes most people don’t even know exist until it’s too late. We stand between you and them. That’s who we are.

The Severity of Federal Charges in Cincinnati

You want to understand what makes federal cases different? Simple. Federal sentencing guidelines. Mandatory minimums. Stackable counts. The kind of things that turn a drug conspiracy under 21 U.S.C. § 846 into decades in prison even when the actual drugs weren’t yours. In Cincinnati, we’ve personally seen individuals walk out with 27-year sentences for drug trafficking under 21 U.S.C. § 841. A young man named Glover got slammed with sixty years for a violent spree in Norwood and St. Bernard. These aren’t exaggerations, and they’re not hypothetical law school examples. They happened here in the Southern District of Ohio. This is real.

Our rock star team – with over 50 years of combined experience – fights these battles day in and day out. We’ve handled federal RICO prosecutions, 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (money laundering), 26 U.S.C. § 7201 (tax evasion), cases with multiple superseding indictments, and we don’t flinch. Whether your case is filed in the Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse at 100 E. Fifth Street in Cincinnati, or anywhere in federal courts nationwide, we show up with the same fire. And listen, our loyalty? It’s only to you. Not to the press trying to drag your name. Not to prosecutors. Not to the system. We protect you. Plain and simple.

Federal Criminal Cases in Cincinnati: What You Need to Know

Look, enforcement in Cincinnati isn’t slowing down. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is leaning hard into drug conspiracies and fentanyl prosecutions. The DEA is building massive indictments under 21 U.S.C. § 846. ATF is federalizing gun crimes that used to live in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court – because in federal court they can tack on enhancements and double the time. IRS agents are dragging people into indictments for tax fraud and false statements under 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Homeland Security Investigations is taking on organized smuggling and cyber-based conspiracies. The FBI Cincinnati field office has made child exploitation and wide-ranging cybercrime a top priority.

And here’s the kicker: it all funnels into one courthouse. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio – Western Division in Cincinnati. That’s the room where your fate gets decided. So when we say every step matters, we mean it.

Federal vs State Charges: Why the Distinction Matters

People Also Ask: What's the difference between state and federal charges?

I’ll be straight with you: State and federal are two different planets. State charges? Might be drugs, thefts, assaults, handled by the county prosecutor. Sometimes you can negotiate down. Sometimes probation. You get more flexibility. Federal court? Forget it. When you’re indicted federally, it usually means the feds spent months listening to calls, pulling bank records, flipping co-defendants. State judges might lean into rehab or diversion, federal judges are bound by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. In Cincinnati, we see the same playbook over and over – prosecutors deliberately shove conspiracies into federal court because 18 U.S.C. statutes let them hammer people harder. Ten years mandatory minimum turns into thirty with enhancements stacked on top. State might be survivable. Federal can feel impossible. Unless you have us.

Common Federal Charges in Cincinnati

• Drug Conspiracies & Trafficking: Conspiracies under 21 U.S.C. § 846, possession with intent under § 841. DEA, HSI and FBI all working together. Prosecutors love these because mandatory minimums mean leverage.
• White Collar Crimes: Bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344, healthcare fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1347, wire fraud § 1343. IRS and OLMS have ramped up investigations in Ohio in 2023-2024, leading to major indictments. Don’t think non-violent means easy. In federal court, it doesn’t.
• Weapons & Violence: 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) for using a gun while trafficking drugs can add 5-25 years consecutive. That’s why federal prosecutors salivate over firearm cases, because they can stack and stack. Glover’s 60 year sentence is case in point.
• Sex Crimes & Cybercrimes: Possession or distribution of child pornography 18 U.S.C. § 2252. Cyber and hacking indictments under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. § 1030). FBI Cincinnati has been loud and clear: they’re prioritizing these in 2024.

What a Federal Criminal Lawyer Does

People Also Ask: When do you need a federal criminal lawyer?

Immediately. No hesitation. If you hear whispers that FBI agents, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, or ATF are sniffing around – you pick up the phone today. Because federal cases are built long before the indictment drops. By the time you find out, agents already ran grand jury subpoenas, already wired up cooperating witnesses, already have thousands of pages ready to bury you. We know how they play.

Our job? We don’t just show up to trial. We fight from the second you hire us. Suppression motions to attack wiretaps. Motions to dismiss defective indictments. We go head to head with Assistant U.S. Attorneys. We battle pretrial detention so you’re not stuck in Butler County jail waiting. And sentencing? That’s where seasoned lawyers really make the difference. We build comprehensive mitigation packages – family support letters, psychological evaluations, deep dives into the guidelines to argue for variances and departures. We know what Judge Dlott might tolerate, what Judge Black considers persuasive, how Judge Cole approaches enhancements. That knowledge matters – more than any textbook ever could.

Costs and Value of Federal Defense in Cincinnati

People Also Ask: How much does a federal criminal lawyer cost?

I’ll be blunt – this isn’t cheap. A federal conspiracy with a dozen defendants, 100,000 pages of discovery, electronic surveillance, and weeks of trial can mean retainers of $25,000 to $100,000+. Sometimes more. It depends on the scope. But think about it: you’re facing 20, 30, even 50 years in some cases. What’s your life worth? Public defenders are talented but overworked – caseloads stack so high they can’t always give each case the oxygen it deserves. With us, you’re buying time, strategy, experience. Our goal is simple: protect you, defend your future, avoid the iron bars.

Todd Spodek represented Anna Delvey in what the press called an unwinnable case. And look, we know Netflix glamorized it, but from the trenches the lesson was simple – even when the entire world is watching, we fight, and we win. Many Ohio clients come to us after others told them to plead. We take those cases seriously, because impossible isn’t in our vocabulary.

Federal Court in Cincinnati: Local Insights for Your Defense

You’re in Cincinnati, which means if your case goes federal it’s at 100 E. Fifth Street, downtown. This courthouse has seen some heavy sentences:

• Multiple drug conspiracies sentenced to 20+ years under the guidelines.
• Tax fraud and OLMS-labor cases ending with felony pleas in 2024.
• High-profile firearm convictions with stacked § 924(c) counts.

We know these judges, we know the probation office personalities, we know which AUSAs go for maximum penalties and which ones leave a little room to negotiate. That’s the inside info you only get by doing this for real – not stuff you find on Google or some anonymous forum. When you hire us, you get our experience, our relationships, and our strategy in this specific courthouse.

Choosing the Best Federal Defense Lawyer

People Also Ask: How do I choose the best federal criminal defense attorney?

Start with results. Does the lawyer actually have federal experience? Not “some related cases” but real 18 U.S.C., 21 U.S.C., 26 U.S.C. prosecutions defended. Has the lawyer dealt with the FBI, DEA, IRS agents, and gone toe to toe with the Assistant U.S. Attorney? And let me be clear: being comfortable on a high-profile stage matters. Todd Spodek handled Anna Delvey – national headlines, Netflix camera crews. If we can handle that scrutiny, your case in the Southern District of Ohio isn’t going to intimidate us.

We’ve defended federal narcotics conspiracies, RICO indictments, fraud, cybercrime, gun charges, child exploitation cases. We’ve walked clients out of court who thought the rest of their life would be spent in prison. And I’ll be honest, not every case ends in dismissal, sometimes the job is shaving 20 years off the sentence, sometimes it’s convincing a judge to give probation on a felony fraud count. But at every step, the mission is clear – protect you. Hire a law firm that gets it. That’s Spodek Law Group.

Final Thoughts – Call Us

If you’re sitting there in Ohio, wondering whether to call – do it now. Don’t wait to see if you get a target letter. Don’t wait for an indictment. Because by then, it’s already too late to undo the prep the government has done. Every single day you wait, you lose leverage.

At Spodek Law Group, we provide confidential consultations. Call us. Email us. Walk into our office. We defend federal clients here in Cincinnati, and across the nation. We protect reputations, protect families, protect futures. And above all, our loyalty is to you – and that’s a promise we won’t break, not today, not ever.