Federal Crime Attorney in Honolulu

Facing federal charges? Get the answers you need.

Do I need a federal attorney to fight my charges?

If you have been charged with a crime in federal court in the state of Hawaii, you will need an attorney to help with your defense; however, not all lawyers in Hawaii are the same.

You need to find a lawyer who has experience in the federal court, not just the state courts. The rules are completely different than the state courts, so you will need to find somebody with experience in the Hawaii federal court.

What is a federal grand jury?

The federal grand jury is a group of people from the community that are called to jury service, usually for a period of one year. They are the gatekeepers of the criminal justice system. In order for federal prosecutors to file a criminal charge against somebody, they must first present their case to the grand jury.

It is done in secret and then that grand jury will decide whether or not there is enough evidence to actually have a person arrested and charged with a criminal federal offense.

Federal agents are asking questions. What does this mean?

Hawaii is a very small place and it's not uncommon for people to say that they heard through a friend or an acquaintance that they were maybe under investigation by a federal agency, such as the FBI or the DEA.

If you hear something like that, you should take it very seriously. That probably means that your name has come up in one of their ongoing investigations. You should immediately contact an attorney who then can contact the agency for you and take further steps to see if you are in fact, under investigation, and if there is anything that needs to be done to protect your rights.

What are federal sentencing guidelines?

The federal sentencing guidelines are a set of rules that are advisory to the court to try to help the court determine what a fair & just sentence should be in a criminal case.

Usually, the judge will refer to the sentencing guidelines to get an initial baseline as to what the jail terms should be. The judge will then either add time or he can reduce time from that level as well, but the guidelines are advisory.

Is there credit for good behavior in federal prison?

If you have been convicted of a federal crime and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, one thing that you want to know when you get there is how do you get time off for good behavior.

They do have something called good credit time in the federal system, and in general, you will be able to get up to 53 days off per year of your sentenced served. That time off though, and the decision to give that time, is decided by the warden only. It is not decided by the judge at the time of your actual sentence.

So if you've been sentenced to a crime, the first thing you want to do when you get to the prison, is check with the case manager and the warden and determine what you need to do to get your time off for good behavior. But usually good behavior means:

• No write ups
• No problems
• You are a model prisoner

Only about a quarter of the attorneys in Honolulu can take on federal crime cases, and our firm has the experience to represent you effectively. Contact us today!