Defense Attorneys With Federal Experience

At RaquinMercer LLC, we handle federal cases in Maryland for the Northern and Southern Division – in Baltimore and Greenbelt – and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Attorney Steve Mercer also represents clients in the federal District Court in the District of Columbia. Attorneys Isabelle Raquin and Steve Mercer can provide you with the knowledgeable advice and skilled representation you need. Our team has a passion for federal defense work, and we do everything we can to protect the rights of the accused.

Our federal experience extends to a wide range of cases, including:

Child pornography
Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Act (VICAR)
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
Drug possession, distribution or importation
Trafficking of guns and firearms

Federal Sentencing Guidelines

To determine your sentence, the judge will use federal sentencing guidelines. The guidelines can be complex, and the potential mandatory minimum sentences are very severe. Our firm knows how to work the guidelines and sentencing factors in order to mitigate the range of calculated points and give you the best possible outcome.

Protecting Your Rights At Every Stage Of The Process

Our firm assists clients throughout the criminal justice process, including if you have been contacted by the police as a suspect, target, person of interest, or as a witness, if you received a summons, or if you have been subpoenaed to testify at trial or before a grand jury. You should retain a lawyer to advise you of your rights. Our attorneys will:

Make sure you don’t incriminate yourself
Prepare you for the charges to come
Start investigating the case early and collect evidence
Negotiate the conditions of your release if an arrest is made
Protect you from harassment by the police, Child Protection Services, the state or government, or the media

If you have been charged or have reason to believe you are under investigation, it is important to consult with an attorney as soon as possible. Contact us now for a consultation.

Practice Areas

Shoplifting rises across the U.S.

Theivery comes in many different guises and takes many different names: embezzlement, fraud, larceny, grand larceny and petty theft, to name a few. The reasons for theft involve many complicated factors such as joblessness, desperation and hunger. Recent statistics...

LET’S STOP THROWING AWAY JUVENILE LIVES

In my most recent blog, I examined how judges decide whether to have serious cases involving 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds handled in juvenile court or as adult criminal cases. For a variety of reasons—including the fact that, although the juvenile court has...

What are the challenges of finding a job after prison?

In preparation for your release from prison, you may have already started to organize personal documentation so you can prepare to find a job. Even though you may experience challenges along the way, finding a job after your release can accelerate your effort to...

Study uncovers errors over crime scene blood evidence

The most rigorous study ever done on a widely-used forensic technique – bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) – reveals disturbing error rates and disagreements among certified analysts. The study, published in the August edition of Forensic Science International,...