Defense Counsel in Grand Jury Investigations
Criminal defense lawyer David Elden has long experience with advising and protecting the interests of his clients during the pre-indictment phase of federal and state criminal proceedings.
While prosecutions based on relatively simple facts begin with a criminal complaint after an arrest, business crimes and complex drug cases are usually commenced only when a grand jury returns an indictment against the defendant, often after hearing weeks or months of one-sided evidence from the prosecution's investigators and witnesses.
If you are under investigation in a complex criminal matter, or if you have been summoned to testify or produce evidence for a grand jury, contact the Law Offices of David Elden at (800) 455-6200 in Los Angeles for a free consultation.
The advice of an experienced defense lawyer can be crucial for any person involved in a grand jury investigation, particularly those such as federal drug charges or complex financial crimes involving fraud or money laundering. The investigative stages of a criminal case are important, because until the charges are formally filed, your potential criminal exposure is essentially unlimited. At the same time, you will never have a better opportunity to pare away the case building against you. By engaging the grand jury investigation process early and vigorously, defense attorney David Elden can help you achieve such critically important objectives as the following:
- Clarify your status in the investigation — are you the main target, a person of interest, someone whose exposure to prosecution has yet to be determined, or a witness?
- Manage the flow of information from you to the prosecution
- Negotiate the terms of any turnover of documentary or physical evidence
- Monitor the progress of the investigation and advise you accordingly
- Identify other witnesses and the substance of their grand jury testimony
- Independently investigate the facts that will exonerate you or at least focus the prosecution's attention on other targets
- Advise you about your own testimony and statements to law enforcement agents, or a grand jury, including how and when to invoke your Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination
With respect to self-incrimination, the less you say to anybody without your attorney present the better off you're likely to be. You will not have the right to have a lawyer present with you in a grand jury room during your own testimony, however, so it is extremely important that you obtain sound advice prior to your appearance. Many grand jury witnesses risk prosecution on such charges as obstruction of justice or perjury by making mistakes that could easily have been avoided with proper counsel.
Our firm's goal prior to indictment is to make sure that the most serious potential charges are never returned against you. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies are usually easier to work with before they have committed themselves to a particular set of charges.
Contact the offices of David Elden in Los Angeles at (800)-455-6200 for a free complimentary consultation.
For a free consultation about the benefits of an effective defense at the grand jury stage, contact criminal defense attorney David Elden at his office in Los Angeles (877) 678-9102. Mr. Elden serves clients throughout Southern California and across the United States.
