If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and you’re looking for the lawyer who will actually fight for your life. At Spodek Law Group, we understand that isn't some slogan, it's a reality. Federal cases are brutal. They are nothing like state court charges in Honolulu. The prosecutors who come after you aren’t just local district attorneys, they’re backed by the United States Attorney’s Office, with the weight of agencies like the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, and Homeland Security behind them. They can, and often do, spend years quietly building a file against you before you ever hear a knock at your door. When that indictment drops, they already think they've got you boxed in.

And here in Honolulu, we’ve seen it time and time again. In August 2025, a federal jury here convicted four defendants in a tax fraud scheme – years of investigation went into that one case alone. Just months before that, the Department of Labor’s OLMS office shut down a union corruption issue right here at the federal courthouse. Real cases, real sentences, real prison time in Hawaii. That’s not theory – that’s the courtroom you’re about to walk into.

Look, federal prosecutors aren’t winging it. They’re charging you under statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (mail fraud), 21 U.S.C. § 841 (drug distribution), 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy), and 18 U.S.C. § 1962 (RICO racketeering). These codes aren’t just numbers. Each one carries decades of prison time and millions in fines. You can’t fight them with a state court mindset. You need a federal strategy. We’re the law firm that has it.

Federal vs State Charges in Hawaii

People confuse this all the time. State charges? Prosecuted by the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney – misdemeanors, state-level felonies, DUIs, assault cases. Serious, of course. But federal is something else entirely. If you’re indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii, you’re up against Assistant United States Attorneys trained to win. They don’t care about deferred pleas or treatment programs; they want convictions. They’ve got federal agents feeding them evidence. The courtroom is different – the rules are different – the sentencing guidelines are federal. No parole. Probation is rare. And the penalties are crushing.

Every federal case runs through the courthouse downtown, at 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, the Prince Kuhio Federal Building. If you’ve never been in there, it’s intimidating – the security checkpoints, the marshals, the jurors drawn not just from Honolulu but from Hilo, Maui, Kauai. That’s a diverse pool with mixed backgrounds, and it changes trial dynamics in ways most local lawyers completely miss. You cannot underestimate that.

Common Federal Charges in Honolulu

We’ve defended clients in Honolulu against every type of federal case you can imagine. Some of the charges we see over and over include:

• White Collar & Financial Crimes: Wire fraud, securities fraud, tax evasion, PPP loan fraud. Remember the August 2025 jury conviction? That was exactly this type of financial crime – multiple defendants, complex IRS investigation, and substantial sentencing exposure.
• Racketeering & RICO: The government doesn’t mess around with these. We’ve seen RICO indictments on Oahu involving gambling, extortion, wire fraud, even labor racketeering. RICO is a prosecutor’s hammer – they throw in everything including the kitchen sink, leaving you facing stacked penalties under 18 U.S.C. § 1961-1968.
• Drug Trafficking & Conspiracy: Let’s be honest – Honolulu is a central point in the Pacific. Federal prosecutors routinely charge people under 21 U.S.C. § 846 for conspiracy, combined with distribution under § 841. We’ve seen ICE and DEA joint operations here, often tied to methamphetamine or fentanyl. Even small quantities, when linked to conspiracy, can escalate into life sentences.
• Immigration & Customs Offenses: Honolulu sees unique cases involving smuggling, human trafficking, and document fraud. Homeland Security agents will investigate for months before filing charges – and then move in fast.
• Public Corruption and Civil Rights: Local officials, law enforcement officers, even business executives have faced federal indictment in this district for bribery, obstruction, or rights violations. Federal court doesn’t care about status or community role – everyone gets treated the same: aggressively.

Inside the Federal Court Process in Honolulu

I’ll be straight with you: your first court appearance can feel like being hit by a truck. You walk in thinking you’ll just hear charges, but you’ll realize quickly the government already has binders of evidence, agents lined up, and a theory of your entire life laid out. After your initial appearance, the grand jury indictment is what really puts you in their crosshairs. Motions follow – suppression, dismissal, discovery fights. Months of legal chess. And at each step, the prosecutors think they’re two moves ahead. Our job is to flip that script.

Jurors here in Honolulu federal court are unique because they represent every island. You’re not just dealing with Oahu residents. You might have someone from Kona, someone from Molokai, someone from Maui – all in one jury box. That mix of cultural perspectives means a defense strategy here cannot be copy-pasted from California or New York federal courts. We know this. We account for it. Most defense lawyers don’t.

Questions People Ask About Federal Cases in Honolulu

How much does a federal criminal lawyer cost?

The cost is tricky. We’ll be real: defending a million-dollar fraud scheme is going to cost more than handling a single defendant controlled substance possession with conspiracy tagging along. Some attorneys charge hourly, others charge flat fees. At Spodek Law Group, we believe in clarity. No games. No hidden costs. When we set a fee, it’s because we’ve evaluated the scope of discovery, the number of defendants, the scope of surveillance and the complexity of charges. And here’s the blunt truth, losing a federal case will cost you everything anyway – your freedom, your reputation, your family. The real expense is doing nothing or hiring the wrong lawyer.

Who is the federal attorney in Hawaii?

Every federal case here is run by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. In recent years, Kenji Price was the U.S. Attorney, before transitioning back to private practice. Regardless of who is in charge, here’s what you should know: the office has a full roster of Assistant U.S. Attorneys. These aren’t rookies. Many came from Main Justice in DC or from elite law schools. They bring in FBI case agents, DEA task forces, IRS auditors. They have endless manpower. You need to understand your opponent before you can beat them.

Should I really hire a lawyer?

Absolutely. Don’t think of this like a traffic ticket. By the time you’re charged federally, the government has wiretaps, confidential informants, mountains of financial records. If you’re even thinking of representing yourself, forget it, you will get steamrolled. You hire a lawyer who knows federal law, and more importantly, you hire a law firm that gets it. That’s the only way.

What is a federal lawyer exactly?

This confuses people. “Federal lawyer” can mean two things. The prosecutors—that’s the U.S. Attorneys and their staff. But the defense side, which is what you need, is called a federal criminal defense lawyer. That’s us. Our only job is to protect you from that entire machine.

Why Experience Matters – Especially in Honolulu

Spodek Law isn’t a local shop dabbling in one or two federal cases a year. We are a national firm with over 50 years of combined experience, defending clients everywhere from Manhattan to Miami to Honolulu. Our team? Rock star lawyers who know federal statutes inside and out. We’ve handled massive fraud indictments, international drug trafficking conspiracies, complex racketeering charges. We defended Anna Delvey – yes, that case that became a Netflix series – and we didn’t shy away from the cameras, we delivered actual results. We’ve handled cases that… look, the point is we win. Sometimes in public, sometimes quietly before the indictment even hits the press. Either way, your freedom is our obsession.

Strategic Defense in Honolulu Federal Court

Our strategy isn’t cookie cutter because your life isn’t cookie cutter. We start by dismantling the government’s “evidence mountain.” Was the search legal under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41? Did they violate your Fourth Amendment rights? Did the FBI agent push a wiretap past what was authorized? We work with forensic accountants to rip apart bank records, digital forensic experts to expose holes in “cybercrime” allegations, and private investigators who find witnesses the government conveniently pretends don’t exist. Our internal philosophy is simple: turn every stone twice.

Sometimes we go nuclear – file motions for every little detail, bog down the prosecution, force them to either cut a fair deal or risk losing their neat storyline at trial. Other times, we get involved before indictment and negotiate behind the scenes, stopping your case before it starts. What matters is we never sit on our hands. We move. Fast. Because in the federal system, every day you wait gives the government more room to bury you deeper.

And here’s a mistake people make constantly: waiting to hire us until after they’re indicted. Don’t do that. The smartest clients call us when they sense something is off—maybe an FBI business card slid under the door, maybe an IRS agent asking odd questions about bank deposits, or even an unannounced visit from DEA. Early intervention is sometimes the difference between a quiet resolution and a perp walk in front of cameras.

What Makes Federal Defense in Honolulu Different

Honolulu isn’t New York, but don’t let that fool you: the federal courthouse here is relentless. Because of Honolulu’s geographic position, you get cases that involve Asia, the mainland U.S., and international waters. We’ve seen drug cases tied to shipments from Mexico to Hawaii with connections in Guam. We’ve seen offshore banking activity start in Honolulu and tie to Singapore or Japan. The stakes here are worldly.

Jurors here? They know each other. Small island dynamics mean you can’t play jurors the same way as in LA or Manhattan. It’s a much smaller pond, but the currents are tricky. Local culture mixes into juror attitudes in a way outsiders always underestimate. We don’t. We live it, we fight in it, we win in it. That’s the edge you get hiring us here in Hawaii.

Protect Your Future – Call Spodek Law Group

If you even suspect you’re under investigation in Honolulu, don’t wait. Do not, under any circumstances, talk to investigators without legal defense beside you. You lose rights that way – rights you don’t even realize you’re giving up. At Spodek Law Group, our philosophy is simple: loyalty to you, not the court, not the press, not the public. We know federal prosecution, we know Honolulu federal court, and we know how to fight back. Call us today for a fully confidential consultation. Don’t gamble with your freedom. Not here. Not now.