White Collar Defense
Charles Brown
March 9, 2025
A target letter from the U.S. Department of Justice is one of the most alarming things a person can receive. It means federal prosecutors have identified you as a target of a grand jury investigation — and that they have enough evidence to believe you may have committed a crime.
What you do next matters enormously.
The single most important thing: do not call the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI, or any other federal agency to “explain” your situation. Do not attempt to cooperate voluntarily without an attorney. Anything you say will be used against you — and white collar investigations routinely turn on statements made by targets who thought they were helping themselves.
Do not delete emails, texts, documents, or any other communications. Document destruction after you become aware of a federal investigation is a separate crime — obstruction of justice — that can be charged independently and carries serious consequences.
A target letter is not an indictment. It does not mean charges are certain. Federal investigations can take months or years, and experienced defense counsel can often shape the outcome significantly before charges are filed — sometimes preventing them entirely.
The earlier you engage federal defense counsel, the more options you have. A skilled white collar defense attorney can:
This is not the time for a general practitioner. Federal criminal defense is a specialized discipline. The lawyers who succeed in this arena have tried dozens of federal cases and understand how the government builds its cases — and where those cases can be defeated.
Charles Brown has tried over 60 federal cases and handled thousands of complex federal criminal matters, including fraud, tax offenses, conspiracy, and capital cases. If you or someone you know has received a target letter, contact us immediately.