Steps to Take if You Are Under Investigation in DC

If you find out that the government might be investigating you or your company but you haven’t yet been indicted or arrested the absolute first step that you should take is contacting a DC criminal defense lawyer to understand what your rights are and what you can do to protect yourself from unknowingly or accidentally incriminating yourself.

Things To Look For In An Attorney

When looking for a lawyer there are a few things that you should take into account. The first is: what do I believe that I am being investigated for? If I believe I am being investigated for a burglary charge or a sexual abuse charge then you want to find a lawyer with extensive experience dealing with the Metropolitan Police Department or the FBI or US Attorney’s Office in those types of cases. You don’t want a lawyer with only experience dealing with contract law helping you in an investigation for sexual abuse. That lawyer is not going to be able to provide you with very accurate or exhaustive advice.

If you are being investigated for a financial crime, for fraud, for tax offenses then having a criminal defense attorney who specializes in dealing with the FBI, with the IRS or with the FTC and understands the nuances of these kinds of white collar offenses is absolutely essential to understanding your options, defenses, and possible penalties.

Options For Dealing With a Criminal Investigation

The very first thing that you can discuss with a lawyer is the level of cooperation that you should or should not have with the law enforcement. In most situations it is not advisable in a criminal investigation to cooperate with the police because you run the risk of providing information that could then be used as evidence against you. In some situations cooperating with the law enforcement can prove to be your advantage.

Understanding what places you in the best position to minimize your exposure and to mitigate any penalties that you might face as a result of the investigation is the first thing to discuss with the lawyer when you are facing an investigation. You can discuss with your lawyer exactly why you think that you might be investigated. A lawyer can help you look at the evidence that you might be facing and can engage in discussions with the law enforcement and with the prosecutors on your behalf so that you don’t need to expose yourself to the possibility of self-incrimination in a way that can place you at a disadvantage.

Your lawyer can discuss with you the possible defenses to the charges, and they can discuss with you what next steps you will need to take to make sure that you are properly protected against any unconstitutional or illegal searches by the police or any aggressive prosecution tactics.