Our legal system has two levels: state law and federal law. While local jurisdictions (which are usually the first to handle state criminal matters) work with the state of New York and will charge you under state law, the federal legal system differs with the state law system. The federal legal system has different courts, prosecutors and rules.

Federal criminal charges can be similar to state charges, but are generally rarer and more serious. Most people are familiar with the state courts, which handle traffic tickets, divorces and wills as well as crimes that are a violation of state law. By contrast, federal courts handle violations of federal criminal law, which includes laws against organized crime, international drug trafficking, tax violations, immigration violations and more. Most crimes are state crimes; in order for a crime to be charged federally, it must involve a violation of the Constitution or federal statutes, and will therefore often be a more serious crime.

Examples of federal crimes include:

• Counterintelligence crimes including national security threats and economic espionage;
• Computer crimes including access device fraud (credit card and ATM card fraud), computer fraud, injuring or damaging communication systems operated or controlled by the United States or intended for use by military or civil defense functions for the United States, interception of communications (wire, oral or electronic), unauthorized access to stored communications and disclosure of the contents of communications and customer records;
• Crimes against children including child abductions, domestic and   international parental kidnappings, sexual exploitation of children,interstate transportation of obscene material, online child pornography, physical/sexual abuse of a child on a government reservation, National Sex Offender Registry matters and violations of the Child Support Recovery Act;
• Cyber crimes including criminal spam, phishing, spoofed or hijacked accounts, international re-shipping schemes, Cyber-extortion, auctionfraud, credit card fraud, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Computer Intrusions (hacking), economic espionage (theft of trade secrets), international money laundering, identity theft, pirating (software, music and movies), online child pornography and child exploitation   and obscenity;
• Federal civil rights violations including hate crimes, Color of Law/Police Misconduct, Involuntary Servitude/Slavery (ISS) and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE);
• Gun crimes including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession by an illegal alien, and "unlicensed" possession of a firearm that requires a license (for example, a machine gun);
• Immigration crimes including illegal re-entry, smuggling illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens and immigration fraud;
• Import and export crimes including smuggling Goods Into the United States, entry of goods by means of false statements, importation or exportation of stolen property, failure to declare imported goods to customs, aiding unlawful importation and exportation of arms or munitions of war;
• Indian Country crimes including guns, violent juveniles, drugs, domestic violence, civil rights violations, environmental crimes, public corruption, Indian Gaming Regulatory Act violations, American Indian Art Theft and government fraud occurring in "Indian Country";
• Major thefts like stealing art, jewelry and gems;
• Organized crime, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), drug trafficking (drug cartel or drug kingpin) and crimes involving well-entrenched organizations such as La Cosa Nostra and Italian Organized Crime, Russian/Eurasian Organized Crime, Nigerian Criminal Enterprises, and Asian Criminal Enterprises;
• Public corruption crimes, which typically involve law enforcement officers accepting money to protect or facilitate drug-trafficking and organized criminal activity;
• Tax crimes including tax evasion, tax fraud, and public corruption tax crimes;
• Violent crimes including child abduction or mysterious disappearance of children, serial murders, single homicides, serial rapes, extortions, threats, kidnappings, product tampering, arsons and bombings, weapons of mass destruction, public corruption, and domestic and international terrorism;
• White collar crimes, including antitrust, bankruptcy fraud, environmental   crime, financial institution fraud, governmental fraud,health care fraud, Internet computer crime, insurance fraud, money laundering, securities and commodities fraud and telemarketing fraud.

Federal charges carry strict penalties, some of which may include large fines and lengthy stays in prison. The penalties for federal crimes aren't always so severe, but they can be more severe than the sentence you might receive for the same exact crime in state court, especially if drugs are involved. If you have been charged with a federal crime, or believe that you may be charged with a federal crime, it is crucial that you consult with an experienced federal crimes defense lawyer as soon as possible. The Federal Defense Attorneys at Bukh & Associates can and will step in and help reduce your charges, defend you in court, and, if possible, try to move your case to the state courts. If you're facing federal criminal charges, call us today for a free evaluation of your case.

Even a skilled attorney experienced in New York law may not be able to do the best job in a federal court. Fortunately, Bukh & Associates has attorneys with years of experience representing clients in federal court in addition to state court. Our federal criminal defense attorneys are very familiar with the federal district courts in their areas, which is a great help in a case.

When facing a federal crime, you need an experienced federal defense attorney who can effectively defend your rights in court.

At Bukh & Associates, we approach every case with the realization that the person we're defending could easily be one of our own family members. We've seen firsthand how stressful legal matters can be for our clients and their loved ones. We are committed to being available to our clients at all times - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you or someone you love is facing federal charges in New York, you should call Bukh & Associates today for a free evaluation of your case. Call (718) 376-4766.

Bukh & Associates, PLLC, have tried thousands of cases involving serious federal and international criminal offenses. Arkadiy Bukh has unparalleled experience with federal criminal defense involving some of the highest profile cases around the world.

Contact us for experienced federal crime defense representation.