If you're on our website, it's because you're facing serious federal charges – and need the best possible federal criminal lawyer in Providence to protect your freedom. At Spodek Law Group, we understand the gravity of your situation, and we don’t take it lightly. Federal cases are not like state cases – they’re tougher, faster, and carry devastating mandatory sentences. We’ve built a reputation on handling the cases no one thought could be won – and winning them. We've handled cases that lawyers laughed off, cases everyone thought were dead in the water... look, the point is we win when others just walk away.

We’re nationally known for high stakes cases – Todd Spodek himself represented Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin), whose story led Netflix to create a hit series. That case was high profile, yes, but here’s the truth: federal charges in Providence can crush you harder than any headline. These cases don’t end in a Netflix deal, they end in decades behind bars if you don’t hire a law firm that gets it. These prosecutions are not just legal issues, they are full blown assaults on your life and everything you built.

The Reality of Facing Federal Charges in Providence

Look, I’m going to be brutally honest with you: federal charges in Providence are nothing like state charges. They’re driven by the full weight of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, and prosecutors here push hard for maximum sentences because that’s what makes careers in federal law enforcement. In January 2024, Juan Gonzalez, 47 of Providence, pled guilty to 21 U.S.C. §846 conspiracy and was slammed with over a dozen years in prison. A few weeks later, a 31‑year‑old man got hammered with 60+ months for just fentanyl possession and intent to distribute under 21 U.S.C. §841. Federal time is real time – there’s no parole, it’s not like state where you maybe serve 1/3. You serve about 85% of your sentence in federal.

And don’t think it can’t be you. One minute you’re reading the news about someone serving 14 years, and the next minute, it’s your name in the headline. Prosecutors will call you a “leader” or a “career offender” if they can, even if you’re barely involved. They will stack charges – attempt, conspiracy, possession with intent, weapons enhancements – until you’re staring at life. That’s the playbook. They want leverage and they use it.

Why Federal Charges in Providence Are Different

I’ll be straight with you, a lot of people underestimate how federal cases work. You think, “Okay, I’ll get bail, I’ll work out a plea, maybe probation.” Wrong. In federal court, bail is the rare outcome, especially when drugs or firearms are involved under 18 U.S.C. §924. These investigations don’t start the day you’re arrested. They started months, sometimes years ago, usually with FBI wiretaps, DEA stings, IRS tracing money, ATF monitoring firearms purchases. By the time agents show up at your door, they’ve got wiretap transcripts, cooperating witnesses, even task force surveillance reports stacked against you.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, downtown on Kennedy Plaza in Providence, is where these cases land. Judges here apply the Sentencing Guidelines strictly. Federal prosecutors show up with binders, slides, charts, and entire teams backing them up. And the sentencing guidelines – they are brutal, formula driven, sometimes totally unfair, but they box judges into mandatory ranges. Even a so-called “first time” offender can easily face 10 years under mandatory minimum statutes like §841(b)(1)(A). There’s no probation in the federal system. Zero. Sentences are prison, supervised release, fines, forfeiture. That’s it.

The Federal Enforcement Landscape in Providence

In recent years, Providence federal crackdowns have focused on drugs, guns, and organized conspiracies sometimes run right from the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI). These investigations often involve DEA, ATF, FBI working together. We’ve seen indictments bring down 10+ defendants in one sweep, with firearms, dozens of kilos of narcotics, and even alleged “ghost guns” part of the allegations. They love to say they’re dismantling “the network,” but what that means in reality: everybody linked in gets charged. If you drove a car, if they have a recorded call, even if you just stored something at your place once, they will find a way to charge you. And once you’re in the net, you need a federal lawyer who knows what the the Government is really doing.

Providence Federal Charges – Common Types We Defend

We’ve defended clients charged under:

• 21 U.S.C. §841: Drug trafficking and possession with intent
• 21 U.S.C. §846: Drug conspiracy charges
• 18 U.S.C. §922 and §924: Firearm possession and firearm enhancements in drug cases
• 18 U.S.C. §1343: Wire fraud
• 18 U.S.C. §1344: Bank fraud
• 18 U.S.C. §1956: Money laundering cases the IRS loves to bring

If you're charged under any of these, you need a Providence federal criminal lawyer immediately. Every statute comes with specific enhancements – prior convictions, role in the offense, weapons involvement, you name it – and those enhancements add years if not decades. Without someone who understands both federal statutes and the Guidelines Manual, you’re at the mercy of prosecutors who want nothing more than to max you out.

Who Needs a Providence Federal Criminal Lawyer

If you’re looking at charges like drug trafficking, firearms under §922, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, child exploitation statutes, conspiracy of any kind – the answer is you do. And not tomorrow. Now. Even if you’re “just under investigation,” if you got a target letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Providence, or if you noticed FBI agents talking to your neighbors, you need a lawyer yesterday. We can sometimes intervene before indictment and change the direction of the case. That’s not fancy lawyer talk, it’s true. We’ve had cases where intervention meant the difference between a multi-count indictment and a single charge with a plea deal.

Here’s what really happens: federal cases move fast, they’re stacked against defendants, and the prosecutors know most lawyers aren’t ready for the speed and sophistication. If your lawyer doesn’t know the local judges, the probation officers, the AUSA’s playbook, you’re toast. This isn’t something you “wait and see” on, and if someone told you that, fire them. These cases are time bombs.

Federal Defense FAQs

How much do federal lawyers charge?

Federal defense in Providence is not cheap — and if it is cheap, that’s a red flag. The evidence is massive: thousands of pages, hours of recordings, decoded texts, expert financial reports. Our fees are retainer-based, and honestly, you’re paying for 3, 6, 12 months of continuous work. Not just showing up at court. It’s prep, motions, bail hearings, discovery fight after discovery fight, preparing sentencing memos. That’s what actually matters.

Should I get a lawyer for a federal case?

Absolutely. You have to. There’s no other answer. Federal prosecutors brag about conviction rates over 90%. That’s not by accident. They pick cases they think they can prove, they overcharge, and then they pressure you to plead. Walking into that game without the right lawyer isn’t a mistake, it’s suicide for your case.

What is a federal lawyer called?

Most times you’ll hear “federal criminal defense attorney.” That’s us. Different than a state lawyer. Our focus is representing you in the U.S. District Court, against charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Don’t confuse that with state court where punishments are lighter and outcomes more flexible. This is a whole different battlefield.

How much does a criminal lawyer cost in the US?

It varies widely – but for federal defense, especially in Providence, you can’t compare it to a DUI lawyer in state court. Federal cases involve pre-trial detention hearings, Sentencing Guidelines calculations, motions to suppress, appellate filings in the First Circuit Court of Appeals. This isn’t a two-court-appearance type of case. It’s heavy work. And it costs. But going unprotected costs you your life, your freedom, your family. There’s no way around that.

The Spodek Law Group Advantage in Providence

Here’s the thing, we’re not a small local firm dabbling in federal court a couple times a year. At Spodek Law Group we are a nationwide team – a rock star team – with over 50 years combined experience in federal defense across the country. We bring that same fight to Providence. We’ve taken on multi-million-dollar fraud cases, sprawling drug conspiracies, firearms indictments, and won when everyone said we couldn’t. Some were splashed on CNN. Some never made the press. But to our clients, every single case mattered like the world depended on it. And that’s how we treat it.

Our approach is simple, blunt, and unapologetic: loyalty is to our client only. Federal prosecutors have unlimited allies. Unlimited agents. Unlimited money. We even the odds. We don’t take on cases we can’t give everything to. If you want a lawyer who does more talking than fighting, we’re not it. If you want results, that’s us.

Understanding Providence Federal Court Procedures

Your case will flow through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Rhode Island. Their office is at 50 Kennedy Plaza, Providence, and they answer to DOJ main in Washington. First up, usually, is a detention hearing in front of a magistrate judge. Bail in federal court is not guaranteed – in drug and gun cases the presumption is detention, meaning the law assumes you should be held. That’s where an aggressive lawyer matters most. We’ve won detention hearings where clients walked out the front door. But it takes precision and preparation, not hope.

Then you go through arraignment, motions practice, discovery (which the government controls), possible plea hearings under Rule 11, and then trial if you fight it. Sentencing, if it reaches that, will be by the Guidelines. On paper it looks cold – numbers, criminal history points, offense level, adjustments – like a math test. But the truth is, lawyers who know how to argue departures, variances, mitigating factors, personal history, minor participation, safety valve eligibility, can shave off years, even decades. Without that, you’re just stuck with whatever number pops out of the grid. Judges in Providence don’t cut breaks just to be nice.

Act Now – Federal Cases Move Fast

If you, or a loved one, was arrested in Providence on federal charges – or if you think you’re about to be – don’t wait a single day. The U.S. Attorney’s Office doesn’t bring cases unless they believe they’re bulletproof. The FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS – they’ve already built this thing before you even knew. Every day you wait, evidence piles higher against you, witnesses get tighter, their case gets stronger.

The right lawyer can step in now: challenging search warrants, calling out illegal wiretaps, arguing bail, negotiating before indictment, hammering prosecutors on discovery. That means the difference between 3 years and 30, between being free and never seeing daylight again. This isn’t an exaggeration. It’s federal court reality.

Call Spodek Law Group today. Don’t email some general inbox or wait for a callback from a junior associate at a small firm. You will speak directly with a Providence federal lawyer from our team who knows the prosecutors, who’s been in front of these judges, and who knows how federal criminal law really works. Don’t make the fatal mistake of waiting until it’s too late. Protect yourself, protect your family, protect your future – it all starts the second you pick up the phone.