Target Letters

I Received a DOJ, U.S. Attorney, or FBI Target Letter… Now What?

Last Updated: 09-04-2026

Call the Federal Defense Law Firm and Former Justice Department Prosecutors of Oberheiden P.C. Today: Free & Confidential

There are two ways to look at an FBI target letter

The obvious way is to see the seriousness of its message; after all, Federal Bureau of Investigation target letters essentially announce upcoming federal charges and give you the first indication that you are part of a federal criminal investigation.

The other way, the way Oberheiden PC attorneys treat FBI target letters, is to see them as an invitation by the federal government to discuss and resolve the allegations. Typically, each FBI target letter concludes with a request to contact the federal prosecutors—and that is exactly what we do and how Oberheiden PC attorneys have avoided criminal charges in a variety of federal investigation matters including conspiracy charges, tax fraud, and healthcare fraud. If federal agents serve you an FBI target letter, please call the experienced attorneys at Oberheiden P.C. to find out:

What Is this Investigation About?
Am I Going to Get Arrested?
Can Criminal Charges Be Avoided?
How Much Time Is There Left to Avoid Charges and Resolve Things?
Who at Oberheiden PC Will Represent Me?
Has My Oberheiden PC Attorney Resolved FBI Target Letters Without Jail or Charges for Clients in the Past?

Here is Why Clients from Across the United States Trust the Federal Lawyers of Oberheiden P.C. With Their Case

Located throughout the United States, Oberheiden PC attorneys have avoided criminal charges in a substantial number of federal investigations. Our experience in the federal criminal justice system is twofold. For one, lawyers who previously served the U.S. Attorney’s Office or the U.S. Justice Department in leading positions bring the insights derived in thousands of federal prosecutions to the table. For another, Oberheiden PC lawyers are federal lawyers and offer clients accused of federal crimes realistic and proven defense strategies. Acquittals in federal trials, dismissed indictments, and other unusual accomplishments (including with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other federal agencies) define our client commitment and level of service. Our federal cases include:

Federal Conspiracy Charges
Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud
Illegal Kickbacks
Healthcare Fraud (18 U.S.C. 1347)
Federal Drug Conspiracy (21 U.S.C. 846)
Bribery (18 U.S.C. 201)
Mail Fraud (18 U.S.C. 1341)
Wire Fraud 18 U.S.C. 1343)
Computer Crimes
Tax Fraud (26 U.S.C. 7206)
Embezzlement
Bank Fraud (18 U.S.C. 1344)
Counterfeiting (18 U.S.C. 2320)
Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. 1956)
Mortgage Fraud
Insurance Fraud
Securities Fraud (15 U.S.C. 78j, 78jj; 18 U.S.C. 1348)
Obstruction of Justice (18 U.S.C. 1512)
Perjury/ False Statement (18 U.S.C. 1001)
Intellectual Property Crimes
Credit Card Fraud
Identity Theft
Pornography Offenses
Prostitution & Trafficking Offenses
Unauthorized Access (18 U.S.C. 1030)
Espionage Act
Patriot Act
Wiretapping
Obstruction of Justice
RICO Allegations

Oberheiden PC is perhaps the only law firm nationwide that focuses its practice on federal cases only, is comprised of partner lawyers and former senior Justice Department officials, that does not use paralegals/secretaries/or assistants, where clients will not be delegated to junior lawyer but represented by experienced senior attorneys. Call us today to discuss with us how we can help you in a free and 100% confidential consultation.

What Do You Need to Know About Federal Target Letters?

In federal investigations, the federal government has several options to inform targets of the existence of an investigation.

Send a Federal Subpoena (e.g. Grand Jury Subpoena)
Send Federal Agents to Interview the Target
Execute a Search Warrant
Send an FBI Target Letter
Arrest Someone With no Prior Warning

Attorney Nick Oberheiden
FBI Target Letter Defense Team Lead

What is important to know about an FBI target letter (compared to a search warrant or an arrest) is that a target letter is issued without the involvement of a judge. By contrast, in order to get a search warrant, a federal magistrate judge needs to see “probable cause” that a crime was committed. With an FBI target letter, things are different. Prosecutors may typically write that they believe that they have probable cause, but they shy away from presenting their case to a judge and instead choose to send a target letter. In most cases, the reason for choosing a simple target letter is to encourage you to cooperate and come in with your attorney—rather than go into full defense mode when being arrested.

This difference is important because it tells an experienced federal criminal defense attorney a lot about the status of the investigation, the presence or absence of substantial evidence, the focus offenses, whether the government is planning to include other individuals in the case by styling charges as a conspiracy, the likely timeline of the case, and a number of other pieces of information. Ultimately, one of the first tasks of your lawyer will be contact the prosecutor to get precise answers to your exact exposure and what evidence (and whether there’s substantial evidence linking you to the investigation) the government thinks they have against you.

Dr. Nick Oberheiden

Founder

Attorney-at-Law

Lynette S. Byrd

Former DOJ Trial Attorney

Partner

Brian J. Kuester

Former U.S. Attorney

Hon. Kevin McCarthy

55th Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives (ret.)

Government Consultant

Mike Pompeo

Of Counsel

Former U.S. Secretary of State

John W. Sellers

Former Senior DOJ Trial Attorney

Linda Julin McNamara

Federal Appeals Attorney

Nicholas B. Johnson

Former Prosecutor

Roger Bach

Former Special Agent (DOJ)

Chris J. Quick

Former Special Agent (FBI & IRS-CI)

Michael S. Koslow

Former Supervisory Special Agent (DOD-OIG)

Ray Yuen

Former Supervisory Special Agent (FBI)

Proven Defense Strategies Against Target Letters from the FBI, DOJ and U.S. Attorney Office

First off, the advice many lawyers will render if you’ve received an FBI target letter, is to sit back and see what happens, in our experience, is a fatal one. When the federal government tells you that they intend to charge you with federal crimes, they will do so unless something happens that will change their mind. Sitting it out when you’ve received an FBI target letter is not a known defense tool, at least not in federal cases.