Federal agents don’t usually knock without a plan.
By the time you learn you’re a target, the government has often been building its case for months.
That gap is the hardest part. The prosecution starts with a head start, and every day you wait to get advice, that lead grows.
Once the government gets there first, you’re reacting instead of deciding.
Keith & Lorfing defends people and businesses accused of federal crimes in Houston and across the Southern District of Texas. Our team is led by a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and includes a retired federal judge of counsel, so we know how the other side thinks before it acts.
If you or someone you love is under federal investigation for a drug case in Houston, speak with a Houston Federal Drug Defense Lawyer before making a single statement.
The federal cases we defend in Houston
Federal charges in Houston are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, at the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse, 515 Rusk St. The district runs from Houston to the border, which is why its docket is heavy with drug, immigration, fraud, and firearms cases.
We defend the full range of those matters. Each charge type has its own rules and its own defenses — start with the summary below, then follow the link for a deeper look at your specific situation.
- Federal drug charges: Distribution, manufacturing, and conspiracy cases under 21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846, plus import/export under §§ 952 and 960. Drug quantity drives mandatory minimums, so the numbers matter from day one. See our Houston federal drug crimes defense lawyers for a deeper look at federal drug charges, mandatory minimums, and possible defenses.
- Federal gun and weapons charges: Felon-in-possession under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), using a firearm in furtherance of a crime under § 924(c), straw purchases under § 922(a)(6), and unregistered NFA items under 26 U.S.C. § 5861. ATF usually investigates. See our Houston federal gun charges defense lawyers for more on firearms offenses under §§ 922 and 924.
- Federal immigration crimes: Illegal reentry after removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, harboring or transporting under § 1324, and document fraud under § 1546. These carry consequences that follow you long after the case ends. See our Houston federal immigration defense lawyers for more on illegal reentry, harboring, document fraud, and related federal charges.
- Healthcare fraud: Billing and kickback cases under 18 U.S.C. § 1347, the Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b), and the False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729), usually investigated by HHS-OIG, DOJ, and the FBI. See our Houston healthcare fraud defense lawyers for more on billing fraud, kickbacks, False Claims Act matters, and federal healthcare investigations.
- SEC and white-collar cases: Securities fraud (15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) and Rule 10b-5), wire and mail fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1341), and parallel SEC and DOJ proceedings. A Wells notice is often the first sign the SEC may bring charges. See our Houston SEC fraud defense lawyers for more on securities investigations, Wells notices, and parallel SEC and DOJ proceedings.
- Money laundering: Moving, concealing, or spending allegedly criminal proceeds under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957, often alongside fraud, drug, healthcare, or white-collar charges. A Houston Money Laundering Defense Lawyer can help challenge the government’s tracing, intent theory, and alleged financial connections.
Because the Southern District of Texas stretches from Houston to the border, the Gulf Coast, and Southeast Texas, federal cases often move across divisions. Keith & Lorfing defends clients in Houston and throughout the district.
That includes border courts like Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville; coastal divisions like Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Victoria; and Southeast Texas federal courts through our Beaumont federal criminal defense team.
What a federal charge in Houston actually puts at risk
Federal cases are not scaled-up state cases. They carry mandatory minimum sentences, an advisory set of Sentencing Guidelines, and no parole — federal time is served almost in full.
Mandatory minimums are the part that surprises people most. In drug and gun cases especially, a single fact — a quantity, a prior conviction, a firearm — can lock in a floor the judge cannot go below without a legal reason.
The Sentencing Guidelines then set a recommended range on top of that. That range is built from the specific facts of your case, which is exactly why the fight over those facts matters so much.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s overview of federal sentencing provides additional detail on how the federal sentencing process and Guidelines work.
The damage rarely stops at prison. Depending on the facts of your case, you may also face:
- Asset forfeiture: The government can move to seize money, homes, and accounts it claims are tied to the alleged offense — sometimes before trial.
- Immigration consequences: A conviction, or even certain pleas, can trigger removal for non-citizens. Under Padilla v. Kentucky, your lawyer must advise you on these effects before you plead.
- Professional licensing loss: Doctors, nurses, financial professionals, and others can lose the credentials their livelihood depends on.
None of these outcomes is automatic, and none is a foregone conclusion. How early and how well a case is defended can change every one of them.
If you’re weighing what’s at stake, talk to a federal defense lawyer about the specific exposure in your case.
How federal investigations start — and the mistakes that make them worse
Modern federal investigations rarely begin with a tip. The government now runs analytics across whole industries, flagging outliers in billing and financial data automatically.
You no longer need an angry employee to trigger an investigation — billing differently from your peers can be enough. A person or business can be under review before anyone complains, and by the time it feels real, investigators may already hold years of records.
Enforcement has also shifted toward individuals. DOJ increasingly pursues the executives and decision-makers behind an organization, not just the company. Coming forward early, before the government identifies an issue on its own, can preserve options that narrow once it gets there first. This is about leverage, not a deadline.
Two early mistakes cost people the most:
- Deleting or “cleaning up” records. Deleting emails or documents doesn’t fix the problem — it creates a new one. Obstruction is often easier to prove than the underlying conduct, and it destroys the leverage that preserving evidence through counsel can build.
- Putting your head in the sand. Ignoring it lets the government quietly build its case while your options shrink.
If you fear you’re under review, a few steps matter most right away:
- Hire experienced federal counsel now — ideally before a subpoena or agents arrive, and not a general practitioner.
- Preserve everything. Never delete or alter records; evidence produced strategically through counsel can create leverage.
- Control all government contact. Let your lawyer make first contact, and never rely on informal assurances from an agent.
- Get a real read on timing, so you act while options are still open.
How we defend federal cases in Houston
The best federal defense often starts before charges are filed. When we get involved during the investigation, we can sometimes shape the outcome while the government is still deciding — or keep a case from being charged at all.
Our approach is built around a few concrete strategies:
- Investigation-stage intervention: If you’ve received a target letter or grand jury subpoena, we step in to manage contact with agents and prosecutors so you don’t hand the government its case. We can present your side while decisions are still open.
- Suppression and challenging the evidence: We examine every search, wiretap, and interview for constitutional violations. Evidence obtained illegally can be kept out.
- Attacking the government’s math: In fraud and drug cases, the alleged loss amount or drug quantity often drives the sentence. We challenge how the government calculates those numbers, because they are frequently overstated.
- Negotiation from strength: We negotiate from a prepared, trial-ready position — not from fear. Prosecutors treat a defense that is ready to go to trial differently.
- Trial: When the government won’t offer a fair resolution, we try cases. Our founding partner Trey Keith has spent 20-plus years defending the accused and earning “Not Guilty” verdicts.
- Sentencing mitigation: If a case reaches sentencing, the work is far from over. You don’t just plead — you litigate the math, arguing Guidelines calculations, safety valve eligibility under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f), acceptance of responsibility, and every fact that lowers exposure.
Ready to build a defense? Reach out to our team for a confidential review of your options.
Why choose Keith & Lorfing for your federal case
Federal defense rewards experience on both sides of the courtroom. Our team has it.
- A former federal prosecutor leads the firm. Managing partner Russell Lorfing is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney who ran a federal human trafficking task force on Saipan. In 2024 he was selected Co-Chair of the Federal Criminal Defense Committee for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and named a Super Lawyers honoree.
- A retired federal judge sits of counsel. The Hon. E. Scott Frost (Ret.) brings more than 30 years of federal courtroom experience to our strategy.
- A veteran trial lawyer at the founding chair. Trey Keith has defended the accused for over 20 years, with many “Not Guilty” verdicts.
- A deep bench. Our team includes former federal prosecutors and defenders, former FBI agents, and IRS criminal investigators — people who know how federal cases are built.
- Admitted where your case lives. Russell Lorfing is admitted in the Southern District of Texas, along with the Northern and Western Districts, the Fifth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
We represent clients in federal courts across the country, and our team is drawn from the highest levels of the federal system — former federal prosecutors and defenders, former FBI agents, former IRS criminal investigators, and a retired federal judge. Federal law applies the same way in every district, so what matters is not where a firm sits but how it defends federal cases.
One honest note: past results never guarantee a future outcome. Every case turns on its own facts, and we’ll tell you straight what yours looks like.
What to expect in the federal process
Federal cases move quietly but constantly. These cases don’t move fast on the surface, but underneath they’re moving the entire time — by the time it feels real, it’s usually much further along than you think.
Here’s the general path a Houston federal case follows:
- Investigation: Agencies like the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, or HHS-OIG gather evidence, often for months, before anyone is charged. Target letters and grand jury subpoenas surface here.
- Charging: The government brings charges by indictment or information filed in the Southern District of Texas.
- Initial appearance and detention: You appear before a magistrate judge, and the court decides on release or detention.
- Pretrial: Both sides exchange discovery, and the defense files motions to suppress evidence or dismiss counts.
- Resolution: The case ends in a negotiated plea or a trial before a district judge at the Bob Casey courthouse.
- Sentencing: If there’s a conviction, the court sets a sentence guided by the advisory Guidelines and the arguments both sides make.
Knowing the path is one thing; having someone who has walked it from the prosecution side is another. You can contact our firm at any stage — the earlier, the better.
Talk to a Houston federal defense team before the government decides for you
A federal investigation is frightening, but you are not out of options — and you don’t have to face it alone. The sooner you have a former prosecutor reviewing your situation, the more room there is to change where it goes.
Keith & Lorfing defends federal cases in Houston and throughout the Southern District of Texas. We’ll listen, tell you honestly what you’re facing, and start building a defense.
Schedule a confidential consultation with our federal defense team today.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer if I’ve only received a target letter or subpoena?
Yes — that’s often the most important moment to have one. A target letter means the government believes you may be charged, and early representation can shape or even prevent that decision.
What’s the difference between a state and federal charge in Houston?
Federal cases are prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys in federal court and carry mandatory minimums and Sentencing Guidelines, with no parole. State cases go through Harris County courts under Texas law. The rules, penalties, and strategy are different.
Should I talk to federal agents if they show up at my door?
You have the right to remain silent and to have a lawyer present. Making a false statement to a federal agent is itself a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, so it’s usually best to stay polite, decline to answer, and call a lawyer first.
Where will my federal case be heard in Houston?
Most Houston federal cases are handled in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, at the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse, 515 Rusk St.
What are mandatory minimums, and can they be avoided?
A mandatory minimum is a floor the judge generally cannot go below. In some drug cases, the safety valve under 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f) or cooperation may allow a sentence beneath that floor, depending on the facts of your case.
Does hiring a lawyer early really change anything?
It can. Early involvement lets us manage contact with investigators, preserve evidence, and sometimes influence charging decisions before they’re locked in.
Can a federal charge affect my immigration status or professional license?
It can. Certain convictions and pleas carry immigration consequences, and a conviction may put professional licenses at risk. We factor these collateral effects into strategy from the start.
Can deleting records make my case worse?
Yes. Destroying or altering documents can create a separate obstruction charge under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1512 and 1519 — often easier for the government to prove than the original conduct. Preserve everything and let your lawyer manage what gets produced and when.
How long does a federal case take?
It varies widely. Some resolve in months; complex fraud or conspiracy cases can take a year or more from investigation to resolution.
