What are the Federal sentencing guidelines and how do they work?

In federal court there’s what’s known as the federal sentencing guidelines. The same guidelines apply regardless of what the federal criminal defendant is charged with. The way those guidelines work is that it’s dependent on the nature of the charge and your criminal history.

If the nature of the charge is, for instance, a bankruptcy fraud in a very small amount and you’ve never been in trouble with the law in state court, municipal court, or federal court, you’re facing a very low guidelines number, potentially probation or house arrest. If you’ve been in trouble a number of times and you’re facing a third gun charge, then obviously the sentencing guidelines provide a sentencing range much higher involving state prison. Every case, again, in federal court that a person either pleads guilty or is found guilty of will be sentenced within those guidelines by your federal judge. Consulting an attorney to negotiate a plea deal or consulting an attorney to represent you on your case prior to going to federal court is an absolute must. Federal court carries very, very significant penalties even for some minor offenses. Thereby, not consulting with an experienced federal attorney here in the State of New Jersey would be a very big mistake in going to court without proper representation.