Bribery charges can be intimidating and overwhelming. Not only can they have serious federal consequences, they could also damage your reputation. Bribery offenses often make people seem untrustworthy and could result in limited access to job opportunities, as well as more immediate consequences like jail time and harsh fines. That is why if you have been charged with bribery, it is important that you work with a skilled federal bribery lawyer that could help you avoid some of the more common mistakes in DC federal bribery cases.
Speaking to Law Enforcement Without a Lawyer Present
One of the most common mistakes in DC federal bribery cases is when a suspect or defendant speaks to the police and makes admissions before speaking with an attorney. There are many cases where, if the defendant had not spoken to law enforcement, then the government would not have had enough evidence to successfully prosecute that individual. But, unfortunately, people try to defend themselves when they are accused, whether or not they committed the crime.
The problem is that law enforcement will use anything that the defendant has said, against them, regardless of whether the individual had an attorney present or not. Many people do not realize that they are protected from self-incrimination. A defense attorney could explain a person’s rights to them, explain the ramifications of speaking with law enforcement, help them make the decisions about the best way to go forward, and protect their rights and their interests.
How a Bribery Lawyer Could Help During an Investigation
Anyone under investigation needs to be talking to a defense attorney to make sure that their rights are being protected and that they are talking to someone who has extensive experience and knowledge about the process and can help them to make the right decisions going forward. Though sometimes it does not happen until an arrest has been made, it is never too late to seek legal counsel. In the same vein, it is never too early. If it looks like there is an investigation or if a person is involved in some form of criminal activity, seeking the help of legal counsel is critical.
How Bribery Charges Are Treated
When someone is prosecuted for a federal bribery charge, they must have an experienced defense attorney on their side. The federal government vigorously pursues a conviction for anyone charged with bribery. The prosecution of public corruption cases is a huge priority for the federal government. The federal government has nearly unlimited resources to investigate, prosecute, and convict those accused of public corruption like bribery.
An individual charged with bribery cannot expect to be treated leniently or fairly. They should expect that they are going to be pushed hard and they must have qualified experienced defense counsel to assist them as early as possible in the case so their rights can be protected. Their defense attorney could make sure the evidence is specifically analyzed and attacked. The attorney properly defends the defendant against the strongest prosecutorial office in the country, the Federal Department of Justice.
Consulting a Maryland Bribery Attorney
Ideally, anyone who is involved in any kind of criminal conduct should contact a qualified defense attorney even before their conduct has been discovered, but that is not realistic. Realistically, people who are engaged in some kind of criminal activity do not think about contacting an attorney to defend them until they realize that they are under investigation.
Any individual who is being investigated for any form of crime, particularly a crime like a federal bribery, should contact legal counsel as soon as possible. This means anyone who is being investigated and is innocent because individuals can inadvertently subject themselves to suspicion, arrests, charges, and prosecutions even if they are not, in fact, guilty of a crime, based upon inadvertent admissions or inadvertent comments that they give to law enforcement. An accomplished attorney could help individuals avoid making some of the common mistakes in DC federal bribery cases.
