{"id":43602,"date":"2022-08-15T12:33:56","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T17:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/?page_id=43602"},"modified":"2025-02-20T06:01:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T12:01:44","slug":"grand-jury-indictment-what-are-my-options","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/criminal-law\/grand-jury-indictment-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Jury Indictment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"font-weight: bold; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 25px;\">Now Is the Time to Make a Change in Your Case. <a class=\"_ps2id\" href=\"tel:8886801745\" data-ps2id-offset=\"\">Call 888-680-1745<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Your Federal Grand Jury Indictment Attorneys<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/dr-nick-oberheiden\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dr-nick-oberheiden-attorney-at-law.jpg\" alt=\"Nick Oberheiden\" class=\"wp-image-43903 contact-img\" style=\"width:200px;height:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dr-nick-oberheiden-attorney-at-law.jpg 400w, https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dr-nick-oberheiden-attorney-at-law-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dr-nick-oberheiden-attorney-at-law-280x420.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/dr-nick-oberheiden\/\"><strong>Attorney Nick Oberheiden<\/strong><\/a><br>Grand Jury Indictment <br>Team Lead\n<\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/brian-j-kuester\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Kuester_Brian_400x600.jpg\" alt=\"Brian Kuester\" class=\"wp-image-46763 contact-img\"  style=\"width:200px;height:300px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/brian-j-kuester\/\"><strong>Attorney Brian Kuester<\/strong><\/a><br>Grand Jury Indictment Team<br>Former U.S. Attorney and District Attorney\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/john-w-sellers\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Sellers_John_200x300.jpg\" alt=\"John W. Sellers\" class=\"wp-image-22455 contact-img\" style=\"width:200px;height:300px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/john-w-sellers\/\"><strong>Attorney John Sellers<\/strong><\/a><br>Grand Jury Indictment Team<br>Former DOJ Trial Attorney\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"float:right;text-align:center; padding-left:1.5em; padding-bottom:1.5em; font-size:.7em;\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/doj-grand-jury-subpoena-eastern-district-of-tennessee2.png\" class=\"lightbox\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:150px;\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/doj-grand-jury-subpoena-eastern-district-of-tennessee2.png\" alt=\"grand jury indictment\"\/>\n\t<\/a>\n<p>Click image<br>to see larger version.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Attorney Dr. Nick Oberheiden focuses his practice exclusively on federal litigation matters, predominantly <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/criminal-law\/\">federal criminal defense cases<\/a>. Nick has represented elected officials, politicians, lawyers, prosecutors, federal agents, physicians, nurses, accountants, executives from the entertainment and sports industries, pilots, and business owners from all walks of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In many federal criminal cases, Nick has avoided charges in 94% of<a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/our-cases\/\"> all cases<\/a>. In indicted cases, Nick has avoided jail time for his clients in serious computer offense cases, probation in healthcare fraud cases despite damage amounts in the hundreds of thousands and more, as well as other unique sentencing outcomes significantly below the recommended range. Those clients of Nick whose best (or only) option was to plead guilty, routinely ended up with the best outcome of all defendants in the case. In terms of dismissals and trial outcomes, you should inquire for your specific offense and situation at <a href=\"tel:+18886801745\">888-680-1745<\/a>. Just in the past few months, Nick and his team dismissed several fraud cases, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/healthcare-defense\/\">healthcare fraud<\/a> indictment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background aligncenter has-primary-color has-primary-background-color is-style-default\" style=\"background-color:#0073a878;color:#0073a878\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color\" style=\"color:#ef7709;font-size:26px\"><strong>Call<\/strong> <a href=\"tel:+18886801745\"><strong>888-680-1745<\/strong><\/a> to set up an appointment<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Your Post Indictment Options<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you or your business is under investigation or even a grand jury&nbsp;indictment investigation, you must realize that every step you take or fail to take can, and likely will, have a substantial impact on your future. Federal grand juries are comprised of about 16-23 grand jury members, and a grand jury is required by the constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, and is required for all federal felonies. Grand jury proceedings include the grand jury investigation, in which there will be evidence presented and grand jury witnesses who will testify with limited cross-examination during the grand jury hearings, resulting in a determination where the grand jury decides if there is enough evidence to indict the defendant. It is conducted in complete secrecy in a grand jury room, and a judge is not present during grand jury proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t experiment with lawyers that lack the <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/our-experience\/\">specific federal experience<\/a> needed to protect and advise you based on proven results obtained in federal cases in the past. Call Nick directly at 888-680-1745 for a complimentary assessment, including on weekends. Once you are indicted, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/what-happens-after-an-indictment\/\">three main options<\/a>. First, your lawyer can petition the district court to dismiss the grand jury&nbsp;indictment. Second, you can \u2013upon the advice of your attorney\u2013 plead guilty. Third, you can contest the allegations and invoke your constitutional <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/right-trial-jury-federal-criminal-cases\/\">right to a jury trial<\/a>. Below the video, we&#8217;ll look at each of these options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>After Indictment Options Attorney<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sfAW5J_pARk\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>(1) Dismissing a Federal Grand Jury Indictment Case<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Dismissal<\/em><\/strong>. Most clients ask their lawyers to &#8220;get rid of the indictment.&#8221; This means that they want their lawyers to dismiss the case. This practice of asking the court to dismiss the case is a routine approach for any defendant in a civil, federal court case with decent success chances, in which, for example, the plaintiff failed to state a claim or failed to assert proper jurisdiction. However, dismissing an indictment by a federal grand jury is an anomaly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Procedurally, the defendant must file a motion with the court pursuant to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscourts.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/federal_rules_of_criminal_procedure_-_december_2020_0.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.uscourts.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/federal_rules_of_criminal_procedure_-_december_2020_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-schema-attribute=\"about\">Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure<\/a> Rules 12, 47 to raise a defect in the prosecution or grand jury&nbsp;indictment including improper venue (case is pending in the wrong division or district), unnecessary and unconstitutional delay, a violation of the right to a speedy trial, vindictive prosecution, errors in the grand jury proceeding, combining two or more offenses in the same count, charging the same offense in more than one count, lack of specificity, improper joinder of defendants, failure to state an offense, or reasons of suppression of evidence. Basically, the defendant must show that they should not have been charged\u2013\u2013 either for those offenses or based on a violation of constitutional rights. The request for a dismissal and other <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/pre-trial-motions-in-federal-criminal-cases\/\">pretrial motions<\/a> must be made timely and in accordance with the court&#8217;s case schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/grand-jury-indictment.jpg\" alt=\"grand jury indictment\" class=\"wp-image-63229\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Despite the wealth of potential reasons, dismissals in federal criminal cases are rare for two reasons. First, the system is built on its trust in the <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/criminal-law\/grand-jury-subpoena\/\">grand jury process<\/a>. This means that a judge cannot simply overturn the grand jury&#8217;s decision who authorized the grand jury&nbsp;indictment. It is the constitutional task of the grand jurors to deliberate and decide on whom to charge. Second, almost all requests for dismissals are based on the defendant&#8217;s claim that the government&#8217;s allegations are wrong. In other words, the defendant will say that he did not commit the offense, the offense is unjust, and that he is not guilty. The problem with this position is that in the federal justice system, the questions of innocence and guilt are exclusively assigned to 12 jurors. In other words, a federal judge is not authorized to decide whether the government&#8217;s factual accusations or the defendant&#8217;s denial of facts ought to be believed. Deciding facts is the jury&#8217;s job as part of the federal grand jury process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, every defendant is entitled to a careful review of all options by their <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/team\/\">trusted attorney<\/a>. Doing so helps to hone the strategy and demonstrate to the prosecutor that the <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/5-important-defenses-in-criminal-cases\/\">best defense team<\/a> is ready to stand up and fight the charges in every way. Furthermore, there are instances in which a request for dismissal is most promising, such as in instances of prosecutorial misconduct and the statute of limitations. Both of these scenarios are extremely convoluted and thus often good opportunities for a defense counsel to argue valid legal objections. When you call <a href=\"tel:+18886801745\">888-680-1745<\/a>, you will learn how our team has obtained dismissals in past cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background aligncenter has-primary-color has-primary-background-color is-style-default\" style=\"background-color:#0073a878;color:#0073a878\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color\" style=\"color:#ef7709;font-size:26px\"><strong>Call <a href=\"tel:+18886801745\">888-680-1745<\/a> <\/strong>to set up an appointment<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>(2) Guilty Plea<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Plea Deal<\/em><\/strong>. Statistically, most grand jury&nbsp;indictment federal cases result in the defendant <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/consequence-guilty-plea\/\">pleading guilty<\/a> to one or all of the offenses charged pursuant to Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. This is extremely unfortunate because each plea taken waives the defendant&#8217;s rights to a jury trial and appeal, among other important constitutional privileges. Although for many lawyers taking a plea is their first option or even the logical resort, it should actually be the last of all available options to be considered. Call 888-680-1745 if you feel like you are being pressured into a plea by your attorney without him or her listening enough to your side of the story and without being properly convinced that a plea really is the best and only realistic option for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-secondary-color has-text-color\" style=\"font-size:27px\"><strong>Attorney Dr. Nick Oberheiden has avoided grand jury indictments and has obtained a significantly better deal for his clients who came to him for a second opinion and who were previously told that a plea was their only option.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important thing to consider about a plea is this: make sure your lawyer does not merely recommend a plea because he is uncomfortable preparing for trial. The only justification to accept a plea is that the lawyer is absolutely convinced that, after most careful deliberation and after a diligent review of all available evidence and information, a plea is the best option for you. Never rush to plead guilty, especially if you are a professional like a physician or an accountant. A plea will mean that you will lose your professional license and credentials and with it your ability to practice medicine, law, accounting, real estate, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A plea ought to be a negotiation, not a surrender. The government and the defense lawyer may discuss (and then specify in the plea agreement) whether the government will remove other charges, the sentencing range (e.g. concrete provisions of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines or simply a &#8220;cap&#8221; of &#8220;no more than X years&#8221;), or that certain sentencing factors do or do not apply (e.g. enhancements, upward or downward departures, etc.). In all instances, the court may or may not approve the plea agreement, see Rule 11(c)(4)(5) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>(3) Going to Trial<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/grand-jury-options.jpg\" alt=\"grand jury options\" class=\"wp-image-63231\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Trial<\/em><\/strong>. The third option should always be the best federal lawyer&#8217;s first option because it signals to the government that you are ready and willing to take the case to trial. Because preparing for trial is a lot of work, requires undivided attention, and calls for strategic legal skillset, few attorneys are able or willing to lead the federal trial defense team. If you have doubts about your lawyer&#8217;s ability or skillset, you should immediately consider a second opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be clear, going to trial always has to be the logical choice in each case. Why? Just like few defense lawyers have a desire to prepare for a lengthy and complex federal criminal jury trial, prosecutors, too, suffer time constraints and can hardly afford the time to abandon all other cases for several months to prepare for a single trial. Further, most Assistant United States Attorneys are relatively young and have joined the Department of Justice and United States Attorney&#8217;s Office after less than five years in private practice following law school. No matter how strong a case might look, every prosecutor is aware of the big elephant in the room: the trial jury. Jurors have consistently shocked and appalled even the best federal defense lawyers since the first jury trial in the American Colonies in 1630. With a mathematical chance of 50% winning and 50% losing, the odds of a slam dunk for the government are never near as high as a prosecutor may suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if the evidence against a client is overwhelmingly negative, your lawyer cannot signal to the prosecutor that he or she is afraid or unwilling to consider a trial. Doing so simply eliminates your bargaining power. In other words, even if it is already determined that your lawyer will ultimately ask for a plea, your lawyer should not arrive at the plea table by signalling surrender. Each plea discussion begins with the idea that your lawyer is ready for trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OkBFUPHBbCU\" title=\"YouTube video player\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is Your Best Option with a Federal Indictment? Get a (Real) Case Assessment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you call 888-680-1745 you will be instantly in touch with Nick Oberheiden. No junior lawyer or paralegal will hold you off or waste your time by taking notes for someone else. A federal grand jury indictment is an extremely serious matter. Don&#8217;t make it even more serious by pursuing the <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/what-happens-in-a-federal-criminal-case\/\">wrong legal strategy<\/a> or employing a federal criminal lawyer that is not 100% familiar with federal law and the federal criminal justice system and the way cases are being resolved in federal court. Call or <a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/contact\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">contact<\/a> Nick online today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now Is the Time to Make a Change in Your Case. Call 888-680-1745 About Your Federal Grand Jury Indictment Attorneys Click imageto see larger version. Attorney Dr. Nick Oberheiden focuses his practice exclusively on federal litigation matters, predominantly federal criminal defense cases. Nick has represented elected officials, politicians, lawyers, prosecutors, federal agents, physicians, nurses, accountants, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/criminal-law\/grand-jury-indictment-options\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Grand Jury Indictment&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":329,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/inner-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-43602","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Federal Lawyer","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43602"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93204,"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43602\/revisions\/93204"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/federal-lawyer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}