Felony crimes are serious. Although the nature of the felony will determine the potential severity of any sentence, a conviction of a major felony means a very harsh prison sentence. As your felony defense attorney we will provide an extremely aggressive defense against every criminal charge you are facing. Your chances for success improve greatly when you get an early start on your defense. You can get a COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION with a felony defense attorney to discuss your situation, and assess your options. Call us immediately if you have been charged with any major felony crimes.
Prosecuting Felony Crimes
The prosecution of felony crimes is handled by the most experienced prosecutors. The district attorney’s office is highly motivated to see to it that you get a stiff prison sentence. The prosecutors work hard every day to build a case that will place you in prison. State law requires prison sentences for a conviction of any felony crime. Any aggravating factors, or prior arrest history, will complicate your felony defense. If you are not calling us now, read more to learn why you should.
Seven Deadly Sins
“Seven Deadly Sins” law was passed in 1995. The law mandates, for a first felony offense, a non-parolable sentence of at least 10 years in prison for rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or aggravated child molestation. The minimum sentence for the offense of murder is “life,” with no parole eligibility for 25 years. A second offense of any of the “Seven Deadly Sins” gets life without possibility of parole. Facing these charges means that you absolutely need a not-guilty verdict or acquittal. Subsequent changes to law made it even more important to have the best possible defense attorney.
In 1996, parole was abolished for the six non-murder “deadly sins.” Anyone convicted of those felonies must serve 100% of their sentence, without parole or time reduced for good behavior. “Seven Deadly Sins” laws is the harshest in the USA for punishment resulting from felony convictions. Only two bad strikes results in life without possibility of parole. Once convicted, the odds of the courts overturning a conviction, or receiving a pardon, are extremely low. Anyone facing a serious felony charge needs a defense attorney that can win and prevent the horrors of a prison sentence.
Repeat offenders are facing further problems. Law requires tougher sentencing for repeat felony offenders. Excluding the “Seven Deadly Sins,” a second conviction of a felony offense results in the maximum possible sentence allowed, but with eligibility for parole. A fourth conviction of a felony offense requires imprisonment for 100% of the sentence, and no chance for parole.
If you are extremely curious or concerned about sentencing, you may want to read more about the Official Code.
What We Do
The criminal defense for every client is different because each case is different. Depending upon the evidence held by the State, the conditions surrounding your arrest, and the severity of the charges, we develop a strategy to fight a tough jury trial. Besides the presentation skills of your defense attorney, we may need to hire independent investigators, expert witnesses, or lab services. We will certainly review the criminal investigation notes, validity of searches, arrest procedures, physical evidence, witness statements, and more to determine how much of the prosecutors case is real, and how much is conjecture and supposition. We use every ounce of the knowledge we have to create reasonable doubt among jurors, or prove straight-out that you are innocent. Our best days are when we are standing next to our client, and the court proclaims “Not guilty.” This is what we work to do for every client, on every case.
Federal Felony Charges
We also represent clients who are charged with Federal crimes. As an experienced federal crimes defense law firm we understand how to defend clients against federal prosecutors who have virtually unlimited resources. Defending clients against federal criminal charges requires a lot of work, knowledge of federal law, and years of federal case experience to avoid making that one mistake that can cause a criminal jury trial to go in the wrong direction. We certainly have the federal case experience, knowledge of the federal court system, and desire to invest the time required to prepare your case for court and then manage an aggressive defense.
Convictions of federal crimes have sentences determined by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. A federal judge will review these guidelines when imposing any sentence. At a top level, the guidelines are based on the type of offense, and the conduct associated with the crime. Mitigating or aggravating factors have a profound impact on sentencing. Examples of these factors are whether the crime was committed for monetary gain, the role of the defendant in the crime, and any prior convictions.
There are multiple classes for Federal crimes, each with varying sentencing requirements. All Federal felony crime sentences can include harsh “five figure” fines. The bottom line on the possible number years of incarceration in a Federal Prison are as follows:
Class “A” Felonies earn a prison sentence of life without parole, and can include a death sentence.
Class “B” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 60 years.
Class “C” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Class “D” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 25 years.
Class “E” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
Class “F” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 12 years.
Class “G” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Class “H” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 6 years.
Class “I” Felonies earn a prison sentence of up to 4 years.
If you have been charged with, or being investigated for, any serious felony charges you should immediately contact our law firm to request a COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION with a criminal defense attorney. During your consultation we can explore your situation, discuss options, and guide you to a recommended course of action. If you need help and are looking for a Homicide Attorney in Fort Worth, contact us
