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Federal Criminal Defense Playbook

Federal Court Is a Different Game. Learn the Rules.

The federal system is designed to overwhelm you. Don’t let it. 26 questions, 13-stage federal case roadmap, red flag checklist, and scorecard.

$147Two Books Included

Emergency Playbook + Full Defense Playbook — both delivered instantly

Get Instant Access — $147

or 2 payments of $73.50

Download within 60 seconds of purchase. No intake form. No waiting.

Book 1

Emergency Playbook

What to do right now. First 72 Hours checklist, 5 Priority Questions, crisis resources. Read this first.

Book 2

Full Defense Playbook

The complete reference. Case stage roadmap, red flag checklist, scorecard, all 26 questions, and more.

What this costs

Visible before you click.

$147Federal Criminal Defense Playbook, delivered in Instant download.

Some legal-services sites publish their price openly. Some don't. Here's where each one lands today.

Every price on this site is the price. No “starting at.” No per-minute meter. No bait.

You shouldn’t have to figure this out from Reddit threads.

The day you got the target letter — or the knock on the door from federal agents — everything changed. This isn’t state court. There’s no parole. 97% of federal cases end in conviction. The sentencing guidelines are a formula, and the math determines your life.

Now you’re home. Maybe it’s 2 AM. And you’re Googling everything. You want to know: how do the guidelines work? What does cooperation actually mean? What’s the real difference between the plea offer and going to trial?

Is your attorney telling you the truth when they say they’ll handle it?

The Guidelines Are Not a Black Box

Base offense level, specific offense characteristics, adjustments, criminal history category — each component can be challenged. An attorney who doesn’t independently calculate the range is relying on the government’s math.

Cooperation Is a Business Decision

Proffer agreements, 5K1.1 motions, substantial assistance — cooperation can cut your sentence dramatically. But it can also be used against you. Understanding the terms before signing is critical.

“Trust Me” Isn’t a Strategy

If your attorney’s plan is ‘wait for the plea offer’ — that’s not a plan. That’s an assembly line. Federal cases require specialized defense — not general state court practice.

What you're afraid of

Before you read the proof, here's what every defendant worries about.

Every citation in your report links back to a real CourtListener URL or a real state statute page. Your attorney can verify everything in under five minutes. We sit alongside your attorney — we don't replace them.

  • What if I take the wrong plea — or the wrong sentence?

    Most defendants take the first plea offered. We pull the comparable cases in your district and your judge's prior rulings, so you can see what the floor actually is before deciding.

    See the Playbook

  • What if my attorney isn't actually listening — or preparing?

    Most defendants leave their attorney's office with more questions than they came in with. Not because attorneys are bad — the meeting is short and you didn't know what to ask. We hand you the questions, scored against your charge.

    Take the free Defense Score

  • I don't even know what I don't know.

    The hardest part of a criminal case is not knowing which questions matter. The Intelligence Brief pulls the most-cited opinions in your district + your charge, mapped to your judge's prior rulings, and surfaces the five questions that move the needle in front of this prosecutor.

    See what an Intelligence Brief covers

  • What if I bring my attorney a number they dismiss?

    If you bring your attorney a number they can't trace to a source, the conversation is over. Every number in our report is a hyperlink. Your attorney clicks, verifies, and the conversation continues.

    View a sample report

We're not here to replace your attorney. We're here to make sure you walk into their office knowing the right questions to ask.

What you're paying for is the time

Skip the 6-10 hours of reading. We already did it.

Defendants are already doing this work themselves — on r/legaladvice / r/Ask_Lawyers / Avvo Q&A, in Google searches, in the long thread of “what happens if I plead X” questions every public legal-help surface carries. The data is public. The reading is the work.

  • r/legaladvice + r/Ask_Lawyers (source): thousands of 'what happens if I plead X' threads, none of them indexed to your specific charge or your state's statute.

  • Avvo Q&A (source): per-charge plain-language threads, attorney answers gated behind per-minute meters.

  • Your state's official statute site: the actual statute text, the actual sentencing range, the actual enhancement triggers.

We hand you the synthesis — cited, hyperlinked, organized for your charge — for $147.

Get the Federal Criminal Defense Playbook — $147

Hours sampled from r/legaladvice + Avvo threads where defendants described their first-week prep windows (read 2026-05-21). Statutes pulled from each state's official legislature site.

Built from elite federal criminal defense methodology

Sentencing Guidelines Analysis

Foundation of the outcome assessment section

Independent sentencing guideline calculation, challenging offense severity scores, conduct scope, and criminal history points. Sentencing forecasts built from 1.6 million federal case outcomes.

Government Evidence Verification

Applied to every evidence and discovery question

Systematic independent analysis of cooperator testimony, financial records, electronic surveillance, and forensic evidence — the techniques that expose what prosecution summaries conceal.

Federal Consequence Mapping

Beyond the prison sentence

Prison facility assignment, drug treatment program eligibility, early release credits, supervised release, restitution, asset seizure, immigration impact, and professional license effects, every consequence mapped before any plea decision.

What's inside

Emergency Playbook (Book 1)

What to do right now. First 72 Hours checklist, 5 Priority Questions, federal vs. state differences, crisis resources. Start here.

$247

Federal System Reality Report

How the federal system actually works — sentencing guidelines formula, mandatory minimums, grand jury process, cooperation mechanics, BOP designation. Everything your attorney assumes you already know.

$497

26 Questions That Change How Your Next Attorney Meeting Goes

Derived from 40+ elite defense attorneys’ techniques. 6-part format per question with follow-up probes. The research alone took months.

$347

Federal Case Stage Roadmap

Target letter through post-conviction — 13 stages with milestones, attorney benchmarks, and red flags. Includes cooperation decision points and sentencing preparation timeline.

$247

Red Flag Checklist

12 specific issues that could change the outcome — guideline miscalculations, missed departure arguments, cooperation terms gaps, Brady violations, PSR objection deadlines.

$197

Case Progress Scorecard

Rate your attorney on 10 behaviors before it’s too late to switch. An attorney who independently calculates the guidelines beats one who accepts the government’s version.

$197

Total value: $1,732

Your price: $147

Get Instant Access — $147

or 2 payments of $73.50

Your intake is private to us. We don’t contact your attorney.Delivery GuaranteeStripe Secure CheckoutQuestions? help@imnotanattorney.comUsually responds same day

Our Guarantee

5 questions you never thought to ask — or full refund.

If you read this Playbook and cannot find at least 5 questions you have never thought to ask your attorney, send us one email and we will refund every dollar. No explanation required.

This is for you if...

  • ✓You’re under federal investigation or charged with a federal crime
  • ✓You have an attorney but aren’t sure they specialize in federal defense
  • ✓You want to understand how the sentencing guidelines apply to your case
  • ✓You’re considering cooperation and want to understand what that actually means
  • ✓You want to know what questions to ask before your next meeting

This is NOT for you if...

  • ✗You’re looking for legal advice (we provide information, not advice)
  • ✗You want someone to represent you in court
  • ✗You’ve already been sentenced and are not pursuing an appeal or post-conviction relief
  • ✗Your case is in state court, not federal (see our other playbooks)

Legal term

Legal information, not legal advice

This report provides legal INFORMATION — not legal ADVICE. The analysis draws on methods developed by elite defense attorneys, applied to common federal criminal defense patterns. Decisions about how to use this information stay with you.

Time-sensitive actions in your case

Immediately

Speaking to federal agents without counsel present carries significant risk. Destroying documents, emails, texts, or financial records can constitute a separate federal crime (obstruction, 18 U.S.C. § 1519).

Within 72 hours

Document everything you remember about the events in question. Identify potential witnesses. Gather financial records, communication records, and any documents relevant to your case. Memory and evidence quality degrade fast.

30 days from purchase

Your $147 upgrade credit toward the Case Decoder ($197). After 30 days, the credit expires.

Frequently asked questions

No. We provide legal INFORMATION — not legal ADVICE. The Playbook compiles documented defense strategies from elite federal criminal defense attorneys into an information resource. Your attorney gives legal advice. We give you the questions.

That’s exactly who this is for. The Playbook makes every conversation with your attorney more productive. Most defendants leave attorney meetings without knowing what to ask. This gives you 26 specific questions.

Yes. The questions apply to all federal charges — wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy, RICO, drug offenses, firearms, money laundering, tax evasion, immigration offenses. The charge-specific details (elements, sentencing, mandatory minimums) are covered in Section 1.

Two instant PDF downloads. After payment, you’ll receive an email with download links for both the Emergency Playbook (start here) and the Full Defense Playbook (complete reference) within 60 seconds. No intake form, no waiting.

If you read this Playbook and cannot find at least 5 questions you never thought to ask your attorney, send us one email and we’ll refund every dollar. No explanation required.

This Playbook is specifically for federal cases — the sentencing guidelines, cooperation mechanics, BOP designation, and federal procedures are unique to the federal system. If your case is in state court, check our DUI, Drug Possession, or other state-specific playbooks.

Your $147 is fully credited toward the Case Decoder ($197) within 30 days. The upgrade costs just $50.

The Federal Criminal Defense Playbook is generic to all cases of this charge type. The Case Decoder ($197) is personalized to YOUR specific situation with case-specific questions, email templates, and a 7-day action plan. Your $147 purchase is credited toward the Case Decoder.

A 30-minute federal criminal attorney consultation costs $400–$1,000.

The Federal Criminal Defense Playbook is $147.

Two books, instant download. 26 questions. 12 red flags. 13-stage roadmap. Guidelines breakdown. Attorney scorecard.

100% Money-Back Guarantee — Read it. If you don't feel more prepared for your next attorney meeting, email us within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.

Get Instant Access — $147

or 2 payments of $73.50

5 questions you never thought to ask — or full refund.

Your intake is private to us. We don’t contact your attorney.Delivery GuaranteeStripe Secure Checkout

Need case-specific questions?

The Case Decoder ($197) builds 15 personalized questions from YOUR charges, YOUR state, YOUR stage — plus email templates, phone scripts, and a 7-day action plan.

Your $147 Federal Criminal Defense Playbook purchase is credited toward the Case Decoder. Upgrade for $50 within 30 days.