Principal Office
15110 Dallas Pkwy #400
Dallas, TX 75248
(972) 233-5700
15110 Dallas Pkwy #400
Dallas, TX 75248
(972) 233-5700
Years Defending Texans
Cases Dismissed
Criminal Cases Handled
Counties Served Across Texas
Available | Serving All of Texas
Federal investigations rarely begin with an arrest. They often begin with uncertainty. A phone call, subpoena, search warrant, or target letter can raise questions that deserve immediate answers.
By the time those events happen, prosecutors have usually spent months or years building their case. Federal court is a different system from any Texas state court.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes federal cases with FBI agents, DEA investigators, and IRS Criminal Investigation agents who have spent months documenting the government’s theory before filing a single charge.
Richard McConathy holds admission to the Northern District of Texas and has appeared in federal court on criminal matters for over 35 years. A free consultation is available 24/7. Call 972-233-5700 or contact us online immediately.
The Law Offices of Richard McConathy defends federal criminal cases in the Fort Worth Division with over 35 years of courtroom experience, Northern District of Texas federal court admission, 6,000+ cases handled, and 1,000+ dismissals across North Texas criminal defense.
Richard McConathy handles every federal case personally and is available around the clock for a free, confidential consultation.
Federal court admission in the Northern District of Texas requires a separate application and approval process beyond Texas state bar membership.
Richard McConathy holds that admission and has appeared before federal district judges and magistrate judges across the Northern District’s Fort Worth and Dallas divisions for over three decades of federal criminal defense practice.
Richard McConathy is a member of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and served as Treasurer of the Dallas Bar Association Criminal Law Section.
He has defended federal drug conspiracy, firearms, wire fraud, and white collar cases in the Northern District of Texas across a career that spans over 6,000 criminal cases and 1,000+ dismissals.
Federal arrests, search warrant executions, and target letter deliveries happen at any hour. Richard McConathy is available around the clock to review your situation, advise on immediate next steps, and contact the assigned Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) on your behalf before your position in the case hardens.
Call 972-233-5700 or contact us online any time, day or night.
A federal criminal case in the Fort Worth Division of the Northern District of Texas differs from a Tarrant County state case in four concrete ways: the investigating agencies, the charging authority, the sentencing structure, and the conviction rate.
Federal prosecutors work alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the IRS Criminal Investigation division (IRS-CI).
Federal sentencing follows the United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG), a structured framework that calculates a recommended range using the offense level, criminal history, and specific offense characteristics.
A federal judge in Fort Worth is not required to follow the guidelines, but departures must be documented under 18 U.S.C. Section 3553(a). That structure produces longer and more predictable sentences than Texas state courts impose for comparable conduct.
Federal cases in the Northern District of Texas go to trial less often than state cases because federal prosecutors screen charges before filing. When federal cases do proceed to trial, conviction rates run significantly higher than in state court.
That reality makes pre-indictment defense and pre-trial suppression motions the most productive phase of any federal criminal defense, not trial preparation alone.
McConathy Law defends the full range of federal criminal charges filed in the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division, from federal drug conspiracy and firearms offenses to wire fraud, money laundering, and healthcare fraud.
Each charge type carries its own mandatory minimum exposure, its own sentencing guideline calculation, and its own evidentiary profile that the defense reviews before any court date.
Federal charges in the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division that this firm defends include:
A federal indictment in the Fort Worth Division begins a formal case that proceeds through arraignment, pre-trial motions, discovery, and trial or plea at the Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse.
After indictment, the defendant’s first court appearance is before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for an initial appearance and detention hearing, where the government argues for or against pre-trial release under the Bail Reform Act of 1984.
The federal detention hearing is one of the most consequential early proceedings in any Northern District of Texas federal case. A defendant detained before trial faces a significantly harder path to case preparation and client-attorney communication than one released on conditions. Richard McConathy prepares for detention hearings with the same attention he brings to trial, because the outcome shapes every phase of the case that follows.
A target letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas tells you that a federal grand jury is investigating you and that prosecutors believe sufficient evidence exists to seek an indictment.
Receiving a target letter does not mean charges have been filed. It means the investigation has entered its final stage.
The pre-indictment window is where Fort Worth federal defense has the most flexibility. Before an indictment is filed and becomes a public record, an attorney contacts the assigned AUSA, reviews available disclosure, presents mitigating information to the prosecution, and evaluates whether a pre-indictment resolution is available.
After indictment, those options narrow considerably and the reputational consequences of a public federal filing are already in motion.
Federal discovery in the Northern District of Texas is governed by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Brady v. Maryland obligations requiring disclosure of exculpatory evidence, and the Jencks Act requiring prior statements by government witnesses.
Complex federal cases in Fort Worth involving drug conspiracy, wire fraud, or healthcare fraud regularly produce discovery packages containing thousands of pages of financial records, surveillance reports, wire intercept transcripts, and agent interview summaries.
Richard McConathy reviews those materials personally to identify inconsistencies, suppression grounds, and exculpatory evidence before any trial date is set.
Yes. Federal charges in the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division get dismissed before trial through successful suppression motions that remove key evidence and prosecutorial declinations when the defense demonstrates the government’s case does not meet its burden.
The pre-trial phase in a Fort Worth federal case is where the defense builds the record that makes dismissal or charge reduction possible. The following defense strategies produce the most impact before a Northern District of Texas trial date is ever set:
Yes, retain an attorney before any voluntary interview with FBI agents or any other federal investigators. Agents requesting a voluntary interview have already conducted significant investigation and are looking to lock in your account before you understand what they know.
Anything you say in that interview, including corrections to the written summary agents produce afterward, becomes evidence in the case. Richard McConathy is available 24/7 at 972-233-5700 to advise you before any contact with federal investigators occurs.
Yes. Most federal criminal cases in the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division resolve through negotiated plea agreements rather than trial, particularly after pre-trial motion practice identifies weaknesses in the government's evidence.
Pre-indictment resolution, before charges become a public federal record, produces the most favorable outcomes for defendants who engage defense counsel early. Richard McConathy evaluates the pre-trial record of every case before recommending any resolution path.
A federal public defender in the Northern District of Texas represents defendants who qualify based on financial need and handles a very high volume of cases across the entire district simultaneously.
A retained private attorney like Richard McConathy takes a limited number of federal cases, reviews discovery personally, and has the capacity to file pre-trial motions, engage the AUSA directly during the pre-indictment window, and prepare a thorough trial defense when necessary. That capacity difference directly affects what your defense looks like at every stage of the case.
Federal criminal cases in Fort Worth are heard in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, at the Eldon B. Mahon United States Courthouse at 501 W. 10th Street in downtown Fort Worth.
This division operates independently from the Dallas Division of the same district, with its own assigned district judges, magistrate judges, and AUSA prosecutors. An attorney with direct experience in the Fort Worth Division understands the specific procedural practices of that courthouse.
Yes, a federal conviction creates a permanent federal criminal record. Federal law does not provide a general expungement pathway for adult federal convictions.
The President of the United States holds pardon authority for federal offenses, but pardons are rare and do not erase the underlying conviction from public records.
This permanent consequence makes pre-trial defense and avoiding conviction the highest-priority objective in any Fort Worth federal criminal case.
The United States Sentencing Guidelines calculate a recommended sentence range using two variables: the base offense level for the charged conduct and the defendant's criminal history category.
Adjustments for specific offense characteristics, the defendant's role, and acceptance of responsibility modify the base calculation. A Fort Worth federal judge has discretion to depart from the guidelines under 18 U.S.C. Section 3553(a), but departures must be documented.
An attorney who identifies meritorious grounds for a downward departure presents those arguments at sentencing through the formal 3553(a) factors analysis.
Yes. When the same conduct generates both Texas state charges in Tarrant County Criminal District Courts and federal charges in the Northern District of Texas, an attorney admitted to both courts handles both cases from a consistent defense position.
Richard McConathy holds admission to Texas state courts and the Northern District of Texas federal court, making him an attorney who manages the full scope of your criminal exposure in a single, coordinated defense.
No. Federal mandatory minimums apply to specific offense categories, primarily drug trafficking under 21 U.S.C. Section 841, certain firearms offenses, and sex offenses involving minors. Many federal charges, including wire fraud and money laundering, carry statutory maximum sentences without mandatory minimums.
The applicable sentencing range for non-mandatory-minimum offenses is determined by the USSG calculation, which the judge has discretion to follow or depart from based on the 18 U.S.C. Section 3553(a) factors analysis presented at sentencing.
Richard McConathy has appeared in the Northern District of Texas across both the Dallas and Fort Worth divisions for over 35 years.
He is a member of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, served as Treasurer of the Dallas Bar Association Criminal Law Section, and holds federal admission that most Texas criminal defense attorneys have not obtained.
His record across 6,000+ criminal cases includes more than 1,000 dismissals built through this kind of pre-trial and pre-indictment defense work. He handles every federal case personally, from the first call through the last court date.
A free consultation is available 24/7 because federal criminal events do not follow a business schedule. Call 972-233-5700 now or contact us online to get your Fort Worth federal case in front of Richard McConathy before your next deadline.
Whether you're facing a felony charge or fighting a traffic ticket, every case deserves serious attention. Get an experienced defense team in your corner now.
