If you receive any information that you or a loved one is being investigated for a Bitcoin, Ethereum, TRON, Chainlink, or other cryptocurrency case, you should immediately contact an attorney with experience in this area. Attorneys who represent clients who are suspects (the government term is “target”) or witnesses are referred to as Government Investigations Attorneys. This is a specific area of practice that some criminal defense attorneys practice in, but most don’t. A government investigations attorney can advise you on the best course of conduct to avoid or limit criminal exposure, and to avoid being placed in a situation in which you must decide whether to answer law enforcement’s questions on the spot and without a lawyer present. Your attorney can answer questions about grand jury subpoenas, search warrants, wiretaps of cell phones, etc.
Federal cryptocurrency investigations tend to be based out of specific districts of federal court. For example, the Eastern District of California has federal courthouses in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield. They have federal prosecutors (called Assistant United States Attorneys or AUSAs) and FBI agents specially trained in cryptocurrency investigations and prosecutions. For example, in one case our firm handled, two people from Queens in New York sold drugs over the internet. To get jurisdiction in the Fresno federal court the agents purchased drugs online and had them mailed to Clovis, California, which is in Fresno County. Both defendants were arrested and transported to Fresno for prosecution.
