Korody Law is Jacksonville, Florida’s preeminent federal criminal defense law firm. Founding Attorney Patrick Korody is a former Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) and has been practicing federal criminal law for nearly 20 years and has received countless hours of training dedicated to defending federal criminal charges. Mr. Korody has defended healthcare fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud, conspiracy, drug trafficking, human trafficking, federal immigration crimes, and firearm offenses. Mr. Korody and his team are masters of federal criminal defense.
florida Federal criminal defense lawyer
Korody Law is Florida's Premier Federal Criminal Defense Law Firm
Federal prosecutions often involve complex finanical crimes, drug trafficking organizations, and firearm enhancements.
Attorney Patrick Korody has vast experience defending clients facing the spectrum of federal criminal charges. Serving as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, Mr. Korody mastered the federal practice.
Mr. Korody has been exclusively practicing federal criminal defense in and around Jacksonville, Florida (and throughout the country) since he left active duty in the Navy JAG Corps in 2015. He predominantly practices federal criminal defense in the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, but has been involved in defending federal cases across the country.
Can Any Criminal Defense Lawyer Handle a Federal Criminal Charge Case?
As long as the attorney is barred (licensed) in the federal court or otherwise admitted to the federal court the lawyer can defend a client in federal court. However, the charges, rules of procedure and discovery, and sentencing scheme is very different than state court. For example, there are no depositions in federal criminal cases while there are depositions in Florida criminal cases. Also, a federal sentence is primarily based on the United States Sentencing Commissioning’s Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The Guidelines are a complex and specialized area of the law, and attorneys who are unfamiliar with the Guidelines will struggle to understand what a likely sentence will be for a charged offense.
The charges in federal court are also more complex. They often involve long-running conspiracies. Sometimes the conspiracy involves drug distribution and related financial crimes such as wire fraud or money laundering. Sometimes the conspiracy involves fraud on a government program, like healthcare fraud or food stamp fraud. There are complex financial crimes like structuring financial transactions. Federal drug and firearm offenses can include significant mandatory minimum sentences. There may also be sentencing enhancements based on the defendant’s criminal history.
Attorney Patrick Korody has defended federal criminal cases involving:
- Online Soliciation of a Minor
- Healthcare Fraud
- Money Laundering
- Food Stamp Fraud
- Paycheck Protection Program / Disaster Relief Fraud
- Illegal Sale of Firearms
- Drug Distribution
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Theft from the U.S. Mail
- Identity Theft
- Illegal Use of An Access Device (such as credit card skimming)
- Counterfeit of U.S. Currency and Possession of Counterfeit Making Devices
- Terrorism
When Should I Contact a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer?
In federal criminal defense, it is best to proactive because there may be an opportunity pre-indictment to avoid prosecution. If you receive a Target Letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, you should hire a federal criminal defense lawyer. If you have a federal agent interview you about a federal offense for which you believe you may be charged, you should hire a federal criminal defense lawyer.
As stated above, there may be an opportunity to avoid a federal criminal prosecution by meeting with prosecutors and agents and discussing their investigation. This should only be done on the advice of counsel and with counsel present. Such meetings may be done under a proffer agreement, which means that statements may not be able to be used against the individual should they later pursue prosecution. The proffer process is a very complex aspect of federal criminal defense and should not be entered into without a full understanding of possible outcomes and risks.
Korody Law is Jacksonville Florida’s premier federal criminal defense law firm and has represented numerous clients in the Middle District of Florida who have received Target Letters or are facing federal criminal charges.
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Jacksonville State and Federal Criminal Defense
Mr. Korody has represented clients in State and Federal Court in and around Jacksonville, Florida since 2015. He has represented clients facing all charges including DUI, petit theft, racing, armed robbery, burglary, rape, sexual assault, bank fraud, wire fraud, drug distribution, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and first degree capital murder. From traffic tickets to drug charges and the most violent crimes, Mr. Korody zealously fights for his clients.
How Do the Federal Sentencing Guidelines Work?
The Federal Sentencing Guidelines are non-binding rules that establish a uniform sentencing policy for criminal defendants in the federal court system. The guidelines are used to determine sentences in federal criminal cases by considering two main factors: the seriousness of the offense and the offender’s criminal history. The guidelines are published by the United States Sentencing Commission and revised on a regular basis. It is important for any federal criminal defense lawyer to follow the changes to the guidelines because they may have a severe impact on a federal criminal sentence.
Generally, the guidelines assign each offense of conviction to one of 43 levels of seriousness (called a base offense level), with higher levels indicating more serious crimes. Offenders are also assigned to one of six criminal history categories based on their past misconduct, with Category I being the least serious and Category VI being the most serious. The guidelines also consider other factors, such as the offender’s acceptance of responsibility, which can reduce their level by two levels, or mitigating or aggravating role in the offense, which could reduce or increase the offense level.
For example, if a defendant has an offense level of 20 and a criminal history Category of I, the applicable guideline range is 33–41 months of imprisonment. A sentence of at least 33 months, but not more than 41 months, would be within the applicable guideline range.
The guidelines are only advisory, and the judge ultimately decides on the sentence. When determining a sentence, the judge must consider seven factors, including the nature and circumstances of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation.
This is a very simplistic overview of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. In reality, they are much for complex and every criminal case is different as the guidelines are very focused on the defendant, the offense or offenses of conviction, and any relevant conduct.