Federal grand jury cases tend to result in a sentence and fines that are much harsher than those that are generally handed down in state cases. Some of the most common types of federal grand jury cases usually involve the following types of charges:

• Counterfeiting
• Organized Crime
• Kidnapping
• Bank Robbery

The duties of a grand jury are much different than that of a trial jury. A grand jury of a federal case will only have to make the determination on if the charges of the accused party should be completely dropped or if they should be indicted on the charges of the crime they are said to have committed.

A judge swears in the jury that listens to federal grand jury cases. However, there is not a judge present during the proceedings. After the Attorney General supplies the evidence against the accused, testimony is then given by any witnesses that may exist. After this process is complete, the jury will then make a determination on filing charges by making a careful consideration in weighing evidence brought before them.

The expertise of a professional Philadelphia criminal lawyer can be extremely beneficial during federal grand jury cases. Their expert preparation can actually help tremendously in getting charges dropped, instead of having to face federal court trial proceedings.