Federal Offense Law and Legal Definition
In the U.S., the term ‘federal offense’ or ‘federal crime’ refers to any act that is performed in violation of the U.S. federal legislations. Such crimes are prosecuted in federal courts. This includes many crimes that, if they did not occur on U.S. federal property or on Indian reservations, would otherwise fall under state or local law.
Drug related offenses, kidnapping, tax evasion, counterfeiting, theft of major artwork from a museum, damaging or destroying public mailboxes, immigration offenses, and illegal possession or sales of firearms are some examples of federal offenses. Some federal crimes are listed in Title 18 of the United States Code, but others fall under other titles. For example, tax evasion and possession of weapons banned by the National Firearms Act are criminalized in Title 26 of the United States Code.
Federal offenses are investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). has been granted powers to investigate federal offenses. Prosecution guidelines are established by the United States Attorney in each federal judicial district and by laws that Congress has already established.
Legal Definition list
- Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act
- Federal Nursing Home Reform Act (OBRA’87)
- Federal Nuclear Operations Corps' Study
- Federal Noxious Weed Act
- Federal Natural Resource Management Agencies
- Federal Offense
- Federal Office [Federal Elections]
- Federal Officeholder
- Federal Official
- Federal Parcel
- Federal Parent Locator
Related Legal Terms
- Accompanying the Federal Government Outside the United States
- Active Voters [Federal Elections]
- Actuarial Documents [Federal Crop Insurance Corporation]
- Actuarially Appropriate [Federal Crop Insurance Corporation]
- Administrative Committee of the Federal Register
- Administrative Governor [Federal Reserve System]
- Advisory Councils of Federal Reserve System
- Agent [Federal Elections]
- Aggregate Federal Share of Compensation
- Allied Offense
