Federal Crimes by Darren Kavinoky

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Federal Crimes
by Darren Kavinoky

Federal Crimes

Federal crimes are those crimes which fall under federal jurisdiction. Congress enacts laws in areas that fall within federal jurisdiction. Typically, these are laws and regulations dealing with federal property, federal matters and federal taxes. Additionally, there are significant federal crime laws governing interstate commerce.

There are two scenarios which lead to the filing of a criminal case in federal court:

(1) An alleged violation of federal law

(2) Where the alleged crime took place on federal property, even if it involves a violation of state law
Acts committed on federal property may violate either state or federal laws as well, although they will always be prosecuted in federal court by virtue of the fact that they occurred on federal property. If an act committed on federal property violates state law only, it will be prosecuted in federal court under the substantive law of the state where it occurred, although federal rules and procedures will apply.
Actions which violate both state and federal laws may be prosecuted in either, or both, state and federal jurisdictions without violating the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy.
Federal crimes are set out in the federal criminal code which contains over 120 categories of crimes. These are mostly set forth in Title 18 of the United States Code. Title 18 contains the federal rules of criminal procedure, which set forth the rules which govern the handling of criminal cases from start to finish. Criminal laws have been increasingly

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Posted on: July 5,2006

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