New York City Grand Jury Defense Attorney
NYC Government Investigation Criminal Defense Lawyers
Many white collar criminal prosecutions begin with a probe or a grand jury investigation. The purpose of grand jury is to consider evidence presented by the government and determine whether the evidence is sufficient to return an indictment. In a federal criminal prosecution, a defendant must be indicted to proceed to trial.
Grand jury investigations are one of the most crucial proceedings in the criminal case.
Because of the process’ investigative nature, grand juries routinely subpoena financial records and other important documents. They also issue subpoenas to targets of their investigations.
Any information provided to a grand jury will be used to decide whether to indict the target. Many individuals subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury do in fact testify without first seeking legal counsel and virtually seal their fate by making admissions and implicating themselves in criminal activity.
As a witness, or even as a target, you have no right to counsel being present during your grand jury testimony.
Your lawyer may be waiting outside, but he or she cannot give you legal advice during your testimony or even be in the grand jury chambers. Sometimes no testimony should be given at all, and when it is given, the witness or the target should be adequately prepared for it.
The bottom line is this – failure to obtain legal counsel prior to grand jury testimony is the primary reason why witnesses become targets and are later indicted and prosecuted.
At Joseph Potashnik and Associates, PLLC, our New York Criminal attorneys are very skilled in representing targets of grand jury investigations at pre-indictment stages of the case. We advise our clients to take the pro-active approach, not just wait until they are indicted. We represent corporate and individual clients in all white collar and fraud related grand jury and agency investigations in New York federal and state courts.
If you have been summoned to testify before the grand jury or your documents have been subpoenaed, call us immediately to set up a confidential consultation. We will assess your case and develop the appropriate defense plan.
New York City Government Investigations Defense Attorneys
Besides grand jury investigations, businesses and individuals may be criminally investigated by a host of government agencies. The same issues of self-incrimination that apply to grand jury investigations apply to any government criminal investigation. Any statement made and any document given to an agent is guaranteed to be used against the target of an investigation.
Many individuals chose to speak to investigators on their own will without advice of an attorney in hopes that they can somehow talk their way out of trouble. While such outcomes are possible, the absolute majority of people who agree to be interviewed by authorities without legal counsel are later arrested and prosecuted.
Regardless of what investigators tell you, the mere fact that they want to question you in connection with a criminal investigation must make you assume that you are the target of that investigation.
Our criminal lawyers successfully represented clients in countless government investigations. We have dealt with just about any state and federal agency in New York, including:
- FBI
- Secret Service
- Department of Treasury
- FDIC
- SEC
- DEA
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Customs
- Office of the Attorney General
- Local District Attorney Offices
If you are target of any criminal investigation in New York City, and will be facing a NYC Grand Jury - or even worse, a federal investigation, call our team of experienced and dedicated New York criminal defense attorneys today for an immediate consultation.
