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The envelope is from the United States Attorney's Office. The letter is short. It says the recipient is a target of a federal grand jury investigation, names the general subject, and gives a date by which counsel should make contact. A business owner reading it at dawn reads one line twice, because one word in it is doing all the work.
Target is a defined term in federal practice. It means the prosecutors believe they have substantial evidence linking the person to the commission of a crime and regard that person as a likely defendant. It is not a courtesy notice and it is not a request for help. It is the government telling someone that a charging decision is being made about him and that he has a short window to affect it.
This page explains what a target letter means, why the instincts it triggers are the ones that create new charges, and how Mr. Sris and the firm's Of Counsel attorneys handle the first week after a letter arrives in Alexandria. If you have received one, call Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. at (888) 437-7747 before you do anything else.
Federal investigations are run by prosecutors and agents working with a grand jury. By the time a target letter is sent, the investigation has usually been under way for some time. Documents may have been subpoenaed from banks, vendors, or the business itself. Witnesses may have been interviewed. The letter arrives near the end of that process, not the beginning, and it is sent because the prosecutor has decided the recipient should have a chance to be heard through counsel before an indictment is sought.
That opportunity is real and it is narrow. A target who retains counsel promptly can learn, through counsel, something about the government's theory, what evidence it has, and whether it would consider a proffer, a presentation of the defence position, or a resolution short of indictment. A target who ignores the letter, or who contacts the prosecutor directly, loses that opportunity and often makes the case worse.
The instincts the letter triggers are dangerous. The urge to clean up, to delete a file, to pull back a message, to call a colleague and compare recollections, is exactly what the government is watching for. Obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1503 reaches any corrupt endeavour to influence, intimidate, or impede the administration of justice, and it can be charged on its own, even where the underlying investigation produces nothing. Prosecutors have won obstruction cases they could not have won on the original conduct.
Federal charges arising from investigations in Alexandria are brought in federal court. The deadlines in a target letter are set by the prosecutor and are not generous. What the recipient does in the week after the letter arrives shapes what follows more than anything done in the years before it.
A target letter is a status. It is not a verdict, and it is not an indictment. People in that status have options, and the options are widest for those who move early and through counsel.
Mr. Sris is a former prosecutor whose background in accounting and information systems from George Mason University is applied to cases built on financial records and electronic evidence, which describes most federal investigations of business owners. The firm's first step is the call to the prosecutor: establishing representation, confirming the deadline, and opening the conversation about what the government has and what it wants.
The firm then builds the defence picture from the client's own records, identifies witnesses and documents the government may hold, and advises on whether a proffer or a written presentation is in the client's interest. Where the facts support it, counsel argues against indictment or for a reduced charge. Where indictment is likely, counsel prepares the case and addresses the terms of any surrender and release so the client is not arrested at home or at work.
Results depend on the evidence, the statute, and the prosecutor. Mr. Sris and the firm's Of Counsel attorneys work to protect the client from the mistakes of the first week and to put the defence in the strongest position the facts allow.
Target is a defined term in federal practice. It means prosecutors believe they have substantial evidence linking you to the commission of a crime and consider you a likely defendant. It is a more serious status than being a witness or a subject. A target letter is sent so that you can engage through counsel before a charging decision is finalised.
Not necessarily. A target is a status, not a charge. Prosecutors send target letters in part to give the person an opportunity to be heard through counsel. Whether an indictment follows depends on the evidence and on what counsel is able to present. Ignoring the letter removes the opportunity to influence that decision.
No. Anything you say to a prosecutor or agent is evidence, and an explanation given without knowing what the government has is likely to be inconsistent with something in its file. Counsel makes the first contact, learns what can be learned, and advises whether any statement should be made and in what form.
Do not delete anything. Deleting material after receiving a target letter can be charged as obstruction of justice under 18 U.S.C. § 1503 regardless of whether the material turns out to matter. Prosecutors have obtained obstruction convictions in cases where the underlying investigation produced no charge. Preserve everything and let counsel sort it.
No. They may be witnesses, and conversations with them can be characterised as an attempt to influence testimony. The same applies to comparing recollections, asking what they told agents, or suggesting what they should say. Limit discussion to your spouse and your lawyer until counsel advises otherwise.
The letter sets a date by which counsel should contact the prosecutor, and the window is usually short. Contact counsel immediately so that the deadline is met and the conversation with the government begins on time. Missing the date does not make the investigation disappear. It only means the charging decision is made without your side being heard.
Mr. Sris, Owner and Founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., is a former prosecutor admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and New York. He founded the firm in 1997 and has practiced since then in the courts of Northern Virginia, where the firm maintains its principal location. His background in accounting and information systems from George Mason University is applied to matters that turn on financial records and electronic evidence. Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee in support of 2019 HB 635 (chief patron Del. David Bulova). The firm's Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and appear alongside Mr. Sris in the practice areas described on this page. Every matter begins with a consultation in which the facts, the charge or claim, and the available options are reviewed before any strategy is set.
Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., Arlington location: 1655 Fort Myer Dr, Suite 700, Room 719, Arlington, VA 22209. Local line (703) 589-9250. By appointment. Call (888) 437-7747 to schedule.
The first call after a target letter should be to a defense lawyer, not to the government. Reach Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. at (888) 437-7747 to schedule a consultation with Mr. Sris and the firm's Of Counsel attorneys. The firm serves Alexandria from its Arlington location. The intake line is staffed 24/7.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Attorney advertising. This page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes and their application change and vary by case. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results may vary. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney. Attorney responsible for this advertising: Mr. Sris.
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