Federal Criminal Defense Reference Library

Each page below quotes the statute or rule it describes, with the source link and the date the source was verified.

• Federal Criminal Defense: An Overview of Statutes and Process
• Federal Criminal Investigations: Warrants, Subpoenas, and False Statements
• Conspiracy Charges Under 18 U.S.C. § 371
• Federal Drug Crime Prosecutions: Statutes and Process
• Federal Fraud Offenses: Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Related Statutes
• White-Collar Prosecutions: Statutes and Investigative Patterns
• Federal Sentencing: Guidelines, the Presentence Report, and 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)
• Federal Criminal Trials: Procedure, Speedy Trial, and Burdens
• Plea Agreements in Federal Court: Rule 11 Procedure
• Pretrial Motions in Federal Criminal Cases: Rule 12

Where this fits

• Practice Areas — the six reference guides by topic
• Blog — reference posts with primary-source citations
• City Pages — federal procedure by San Diego County city

Primary sources

• 18 U.S.C. § 371 — text of the statute or rule as published by law.cornell.edu (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”
• Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure — text of the statute or rule as published by uscourts.gov (uscourts.gov). Verbatim: “The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure govern criminal proceedings and prosecutions in the U.S. district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court.”

Sources listed above were accessed and verified on August 20, 2026. Statutes and rules are quoted from the linked primary pages as published on that date. Information on this site is general in nature and is not legal advice.