Legal Aid Rock Hill SC: How Different are State Crimes from Federal Crimes?

When seeking legal aid Rock Hill SC area, it is important to first understand the type of charge you are facing. This is important because attorneys have several fields of specialization, hence an attorney that is a good fit for a legal charge may not be a right fit for a federal violation lawsuit. If you are confused about federal and state lawsuits, you should not worry because you are not alone. A considerable number if people today do not understand the difference between legal and federal cases. If you happen to violate a state law, you will be facing a state crime charge. However, committing a federal offence is the one that is referred to as a federal crime.

In most of the states, federal crimes are prosecuted in state courts while federal crimes are prosecuted within federal courts. Additionally, most of the criminal offenses are also prosecuted in state courts; hence you should not confuse the two either.

Can a Federal Offense Also Be a State Crime?

While this may be a little confusing, there are some offenses that are criminalized under both the federal law and the state law. One such offense is Identity theft, commonly referred to as identity fraud or financial identity fraud in South Carolina. This offense is criminalized is illegal according to the federal law, and is also criminalized under section 16-13-510 of the Code of Laws in South Carolina. As such, this is a felony that is punishable by either a fine or imprisonment of up to 10 years. Under the federal law, identity theft is criminalized, in accordance to 18 U.S. Code § 1028, according to which the offense is punishable by an imprisonment of up to 30 years.

If you have committed an offense that is both a state and federal crime, your case will be reviewed by both state and federal prosecutors, who will then to prosecute the case as a state crime or a federal crime.  However, you need to understand that federal crimes carry heavier punishments than state-level crimes. Therefore, you should get legal aid Rock Hill SC area from an attorney who understand such things for the best results.