Violations committed by anyone in over 200 categories are considered Federal Crimes. Some of them are:

• Art, Cargo, Jewelry, and Gem Theft

• Assassination of the President or Vice President

• Bank Robbery

• Bribery of Public Officials

• Child Pornography

• Civil Rights violations

• Counterintelligence crime

• Credit Card Fraud

• Cybercrime

• Drug Offenses

• Hate Crimes

• Identity Theft

• Immigration Offenses

• Kidnapping,

• Organized Crime

• Rape, or Murder that crosses State Lines

• Terrorism

• Violent Crimes against Children

• White-Collar Crime

Certain federal crimes have no statutes of limitations. This means a person can be prosecuted decades after the crime has been committed. However, statute of limitations require that most federal crimes must be prosecuted within 5 years after the crime was committed.

Exceptions to crimes that can be prosecuted past the 5 year window are:

• Arson on a large scale

• Art Theft

• Bankruptcy Fraud

• Child Abuse

• Crimes against Financial Institutions

• Immigration Offenses

• Wartime Fraud

Certain state level crimes can be moved to Federal Courts based on the severity and complexity of the crime committed. 

This is decided by the State Court officials.

• Crimes committed against Federal Officials

• Drug Trafficking

• Financial Crime

• Fraud against the United States of America

• Public defrauding on a large scale involving finances, medical records, or similar scams

• Organized Crime

Several factors are taken into consideration when reviewing a federal criminal case.  A Federal judge takes into account the following: the criminal history of the defendant, the nature of the crime committed, the complexity or the level of the crime committed, and the damages caused. Based on the evidence available, the judge applies federal sentencing guidelines to arrive at a verdict.