State v. Federal Court: What is the difference in criminal defense terms?
Federal criminal cases are those that were typically investigated by federal agencies, including the FBI, DEA, Customs, Treasury, and other federal agencies. Sometimes state and local agencies also file charges in federal court if the offenses involve large quantities of drugs, weapons, money or other contraband. The federal government has more resources to prosecute cases, including special units to prosecute drugs, fraud, and violent crimes. While the state and local government also have special units, they have fewer prosecutors with larger case loads. Local law enforcement agencies do not have nearly as many resources to complete complicated investigations with as much thoroughness as federal law enforcement agencies. For the most part, it is definitely in a criminal defendant’s interest to be prosecuted in state, rather than federal court. The state of Texas’ sentencing system has more flexibility in terms of alternative sentencing options than the United States Sentencing Guideli
