Wichita Federal Criminal Lawyer

If you’re on our website, it’s because you’re staring down something serious – a federal indictment, a target letter, an FBI agent knocking on your door – and you know this isn’t the time to gamble. At Spodek Law Group, we get it. We know that in Wichita federal court, freedom isn’t measured by weeks or months, it’s measured in decades. And when the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas files charges, they don’t send rookies, they send career prosecutors backed by the FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS – the full alphabet of federal agencies. When that storm hits, you cannot roll the dice on a lawyer who’s just “good with DUIs.” You need a law firm that gets it.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. Federal prosecutions in Wichita are brutal. Sentences are long, parole doesn’t exist, and prosecutors are trained to squeeze every ounce of leverage out of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Just days ago a Wichita defendant got 180 months – fifteen years, no parole – for fentanyl trafficking. That’s not a scare tactic, it’s reality. You can’t walk into federal court with an amateur, you’ll get eaten alive. One wrong move, one wrong thing said in front of a grand jury, and you’ve given the government exactly what it needs to bury you.

We’re different. At Spodek Law Group, we’ve got over 50 years of combined experience. Our team – and I’m not exaggerating – is a rock star team. We’ve handled cases that made international headlines. You’ve heard of Anna Delvey, right? Netflix released a series about Todd Spodek’s defense of her, a so-called unwinnable case… and look, the point is we fight when no one else will. That’s the tenacity, creativity, and loyalty we bring to our Wichita federal clients. We owe allegiance to only YOU, no judge, no prosecutor, no one else.

What Does a Federal Criminal Lawyer Actually Do Here?

Our job is not to walk into the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse and hope the judge has mercy. That’s a shortcut to disaster. A real federal defense is strategic. We tear apart search warrants under 18 U.S.C. § 3109, challenge wiretap authorizations under Title III, hammer the prosecution when they overreach with conspiracy charges under 21 U.S.C. § 846. We look at every surveillance tape, every lab report, every grand jury transcript. We negotiate directly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, not just after indictment but sometimes before it even goes public. And yes, sometimes we take it to trial – and if we do, the government better be ready to actually prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt.

• We represent you at detention hearings under the Bail Reform Act, pushing back when the government tries to detain you pre-trial.
• We file motions to suppress when the FBI, DEA, or ATF cut corners and violate 4th Amendment protections.
• We negotiate with Assistant U.S. Attorneys, weighing whether cooperation helps or hurts, and we do it without letting you get burned.
• We prep trial strategy like your freedom actually depends on it—because it does.

Here’s the thing: federal court is unforgiving. You walk in underprepared, you walk out in shackles.

Federal vs. State Criminal Charges

People ask constantly — what’s the difference between a state drug possession and a federal drug conspiracy? It’s massive. State cases in Kansas are handled in Sedgwick County District Court or some other local courtroom. Maybe probation, maybe county time. But step into federal territory — you’re in the Robert J. Dole Courthouse on N. Market Street. Judges like Eric F. Melgren, Sam A. Crow, or Holly Teeter preside, and those judges follow the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, federal sentencing guidelines, mandatory minimum statutes. And prosecutors have backing from FBI field offices, DEA special agents, ATF gun task forces. The scale is completely different.

We’ve seen it firsthand. One Wichita man gets charged with simple possession by local police – 12 months probation. Another, indicted federally for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine across state lines under 21 U.S.C. § 841 – minimum 10 years. Same drug, different courtroom, wildly different outcome.

Most Common Federal Charges We See in Wichita

Drug Conspiracies

Federal prosecutors love drug cases because they’re easy to charge. Conspiracies under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846 are bread and butter for them. They hardly need drugs on you, they just need an informant, a text message, a couple of controlled buys. Methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin – Wichita federal dockets are swamped with these cases. And here’s the nightmare: mandatory minimums. You’re not negotiating probation. You’re fighting to shave off years.

Firearms Offenses

The ATF works with Wichita police almost every week on Project Safe Neighborhoods, turning local gun arrests into federal indictments under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Felon-in-possession, unregistered NFA weapons, machineguns. We’ve defended clients charged with simply having a weapon in the car after a prior felony, facing 10 years without parole. And yes, enhancements under 924(c) for guns linked to drug crimes lead to serious stacking of sentences.

White Collar Crimes

This is where our national profile shines. Wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344, securities fraud, PPP loan fraud – they’re charging Kansas business owners and everyday people like it’s routine. Because Todd Spodek’s Anna Delvey case went international, people assume we only take “celebrity” clients, but that’s not true. Whether it’s a Wichita business hit with healthcare fraud allegations or a professional facing embezzlement, we bring the same battlefield approach.

Civil Rights & Mental Health Overlaps

We’ve defended cases where mental illness is ignored by the system, where judges shrug off psychiatric reports. Sometimes it’s heartbreaking – a defendant with untreated schizophrenia sitting in lockdown because the statute says “shall impose.” That’s why we bring in experts, that’s why we humanize our clients. Federal court is clinical, robotic, numbers-driven – and we push to remind them there’s a person under those numbers.

When Do You Hire a Federal Criminal Lawyer?

The second you get a target letter. The moment a grand jury subpoena shows up. If the FBI is at your office asking “just a few questions,” it’s already late in the game. Federal agents build cases months, sometimes years before filing charges. They’ve got wiretaps, controlled buys, IRS audits, financial subpoenas, and when they finally arrest you they want you stunned and unprepared. The only counter is immediate legal firepower. That’s what we do. We don’t wait to be reactive – we step in BEFORE indictment, before arraignment, before prison time becomes inevitable.

The Cost of a Federal Defense – Reality Check

Clients always ask – “how much is this going to cost?” The truth is, there’s no flat answer. A federal drug conspiracy spanning three states with 20 co-defendants under Rule 8 joinder? That takes hundreds of hours of discovery review, wiretap analysis, trial prep. A smaller white collar case? Still complex, but manageable. Federal defense always runs higher because of the sheer weight of the government. But here’s the uncensored truth: you’re not paying for hours, you’re paying for outcomes. If we can take a case from 20 years exposure down to 5, if we can suppress evidence that keeps you from being convicted, if we can negotiate a non-custodial sentence – that kind of outcome is priceless. Compared to losing decades of your life, the investment is nothing. If your freedom is measured in decades, how much is that worth to you?

Why Spodek Law Group?

Here’s why: because we fight. Because we’ve got the experience and the guts. We’ve battled the DOJ, FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS – the biggest, most resource-heavy agencies in the U.S. And we’ve won cases people said were unwinnable. We don’t do light representation, we don’t do “show up and plead you guilty” work. If you want that, go hire a public defender. If you want a defense that knows the playbook and actually fights back, you come to us.

We combine national rep – Todd Spodek’s name is known by prosecutors coast to coast – with the fact that we know the local judges, AUSAs, and clerks in Kansas federal courts. That combination is rare. That’s what makes us effective. It’s not about whether your attorney is “nice” or “well-spoken.” It’s about whether they know how to dismantle a 100-page indictment line by line while never flinching in front of a jury. That’s us.

Federal Defense in Wichita Requires Action Now

By the time you hear about an indictment, FBI agents have been listening to calls and building files for months. ATF agents have already test-fired weapons in a lab, IRS agents have already built charts with every dollar of your bank records. They’re ahead – that’s their job. The only choice you’ve got is whether to let them stay ahead or to hire a defense team that flips the script and makes the government scramble for once. That’s what our Wichita federal criminal lawyers do every single day.

If you or someone you love is facing a federal investigation or indictment, don’t wait. Wake up – every day matters. Every word you tell agents matters. Every decision made right now impacts what could be years or decades of your life lost. Spodek Law Group owes loyalty only to YOU, and we’re ready to stand in front of that federal judge with you, ready to fight, no hesitation, no backing down.

Call us today. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until it’s too late. The government is already moving against you – it’s time to move back.