Investigated by a Federal Agency?

If you or a friend or family member has been contacted by federal agents, received a target letter, or had a home or business searched in the Tampa Bay area, it helps to understand who is investigating and what may come next. Federal cases are investigated by agencies like the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, the Secret Service, and ATF, and they are prosecuted in federal court, not in the county courthouse.

In the Tampa Bay area, federal criminal cases are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse in downtown Tampa. Attorney Ron Frey’s office at 625 E. Twiggs St., Suite 101A, is a few minutes’ walk from that courthouse. Call or text (813) 775-2276 or (844) 766-3739 for a free, confidential consultation.

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

In the Tampa Bay region. The FBI’s Tampa Field Office handles FBI investigations in the area. According to the FBI, along with its main office, the Tampa Field Office has six satellite offices, known as resident agencies.

Main location. FBI Tampa Field Office.

Investigative mandate. According to the FBI, its investigative programs include counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cyber, public corruption, civil rights, transnational organized crime, white collar crime, violent crime, and weapons of mass destruction.

Types of cases. In general, that can include computer hacking and other cyber crime, fraud and other white collar crime, public corruption, and violent crime. FBI cases can begin quietly, long before anyone is charged. Learn more about federal offenses, and on our InternetCrime.com site, about hacking charges and what to do if the police or FBI search your home.

DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)

In the Tampa Bay region. The DEA lists a Tampa District Office as part of its Miami Field Division, which covers Florida.

Main location. DEA Tampa District Office, Miami Field Division.

Investigative mandate. According to the DEA, its mission is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to justice the organizations and principal members of organizations involved in growing, manufacturing, or distributing controlled substances for illegal traffic.

Types of cases. In general, that includes drug trafficking and, through the DEA’s Diversion Control Division, investigating the diversion of prescription drugs and other legally made controlled substances from legitimate sources. Learn more about federal offenses and federal drug conspiracy in Florida.

HSI (Homeland Security Investigations)

In the Tampa Bay region. HSI Tampa covers northern and western Florida, according to ICE. HSI Tampa has announced partnerships with the University of South Florida on human trafficking and with Customs and Border Protection on trade crimes at Florida’s ports.

Main location. HSI Tampa.

Investigative mandate. HSI is the investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to ICE, HSI investigates crime at home, abroad, and online, including crimes of exploitation.

Types of cases. ICE lists child exploitation, human trafficking, and financial fraud and scams among the crimes HSI investigates. Learn more about federal offenses, and on InternetCrime.com, about child pornography charges and sextortion.

U.S. Secret Service

In the Tampa Bay region. The Secret Service lists a Tampa field office among its Florida offices.

Main location. Secret Service Tampa field office.

Investigative mandate. Besides its protective mission, the Secret Service investigates crimes against the nation’s financial and payment systems. According to the agency, it was created in 1865 to fight counterfeit currency, and its investigative work has grown with the financial system, from paper money to credit cards to digital information.

Types of cases. In general, that includes counterfeiting, financial fraud, and cyber-enabled financial crimes. Learn more about federal offenses, and on InternetCrime.com, about identity theft and crypto and wire fraud.

ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)

In the Tampa Bay region. ATF’s Tampa Field Division covers the Middle and Northern Districts of Florida, according to ATF.

Main location. ATF Tampa Field Division, in downtown Tampa.

Investigative mandate. According to ATF, its responsibilities include investigating and preventing federal offenses involving the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of firearms and explosives; acts of arson and bombings; and illegal trafficking of alcohol and tobacco products.

Types of cases. In general, that includes illegal gun possession and trafficking, explosives, and arson. Learn more about federal offenses.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)

In the Tampa Bay region. Tampa is in the Postal Inspection Service’s Miami Division, which covers Florida.

Main location. USPIS Miami Division.

Investigative mandate. According to USPIS, Postal Inspectors investigate any crime with a connection to the mail. They can make arrests and execute federal search warrants.

Types of cases. USPIS lists mail theft, mail fraud, financial fraud, identity theft, narcotics, and cybercrime among the crimes it investigates. Learn more about federal offenses.

U.S. Marshals Service and HHS-OIG

U.S. Marshals Service

In the Tampa Bay region. The Marshals’ Middle District of Florida headquarters is in Tampa, in the same courthouse where federal cases are heard.

Main location. Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse in downtown Tampa.

Investigative mandate. According to the Marshals, it is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations. Its duties also include protecting the federal courts and holding people in custody for federal court.

Types of cases. In general, that means arresting people wanted on warrants, and holding people the court orders detained until trial. Learn more about the Middle District of Florida and, on InternetCrime.com, about federal pretrial release and detention.

HHS-OIG (Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General)

In the Tampa Bay region. HHS-OIG lists Tampa as one of the areas where its Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams operate, working with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and local law enforcement.

Main location. HHS-OIG’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in Tampa.

Investigative mandate. According to HHS-OIG, its Office of Investigations conducts criminal, civil, and administrative investigations of fraud and misconduct related to HHS programs, operations, and beneficiaries.

Types of cases. In general, that includes health care fraud involving Medicare and Medicaid. Learn more about federal offenses.

If Federal Agents Contact You

If federal agents call you, come to your door, send a target letter, or show up with a search warrant, call Attorney Ron Frey right away at (813) 775-2276 or (844) 766-3739. Every situation is different, and what you should do depends on the facts, including what a warrant allows. This page is general information, not legal advice for an emergency.

18 U.S.C. § 1001, Statements or entries generally. In general, this federal statute covers false statements and concealment in federal matters. Laws change, so contact Attorney Ron Frey about how the law applies today.

Related reading: a federal target letter in Florida, a detective called me: what now?, and search warrants in Tampa.

Where Federal Cases Go: The Middle District of Florida

Federal cases from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Polk, and Hardee Counties go to the Tampa Division of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, at the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse in downtown Tampa. They are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

In general terms, a person charged federally first goes before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for an initial appearance. The government may ask to hold the person until trial, which leads to a detention hearing. Serious federal charges are usually brought by grand jury indictment, and federal sentencing follows the federal sentencing guidelines, a separate system from Florida’s. Court dates should be assumed mandatory unless the court or your attorney says otherwise. See our main federal offenses page for more.

If you or a friend or family member is under investigation by a federal agency in Tampa Bay, Attorney Ron Frey can review the situation, explain the process, and walk you through what comes next. Call or text (813) 775-2276 or (844) 766-3739 for a free, confidential consultation, or visit the office at 625 E. Twiggs St., Suite 101A, a few minutes’ walk from the federal courthouse.

This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. Reading this page or contacting The Frey Law Firm, LLC does not create an attorney-client relationship.