Miami Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer
A federal investigation can begin long before anyone is arrested. It may start with a target letter, a grand jury subpoena, a frozen bank account, or agents waiting outside your home at six in the morning. The Law Office of Nayib Hassan, P.A. is a Miami Lakes federal criminal defense firm that represents business owners, executives, professionals, and individuals facing investigation or indictment in the Southern District of Florida. Since 2008, the firm has defended clients against white collar fraud, money laundering, PPP and SBA loan fraud, bulk cash smuggling, healthcare fraud, and federal drug conspiracy charges, from the first contact with agents through trial, sentencing, and appeal. If you are looking for a Miami federal criminal defense lawyer who will answer the phone at any hour, call (305) 403-7323.
About the Law Office of Nayib Hassan, P.A.
The Law Office of Nayib Hassan, P.A. was founded in 2008 by attorney Nayib Hassan, a former Broward County Assistant State Attorney who has spent more than 20 years inside the criminal justice system. As a prosecutor, he handled thousands of cases and tried hundreds to verdict before opening his own defense practice. Today the firm focuses on serious federal criminal defense in Miami and Miami-Dade County, with a practice that reaches federal courts across the country and matters involving Colombia, Mexico, the Bahamas, Ecuador, and Cuba. Mr. Hassan is admitted to the Southern, Middle, and Northern District of Florida federal courts, the federal court for the District of Columbia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is fluent in Spanish, recognized among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, holds a 10.0 Avvo rating, and serves on the Miami board of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The firm intentionally limits its caseload so every client receives direct, personal attention from the attorney handling the case, and it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Why Federal Cases in Miami Demand a Different Kind of Defense
Federal prosecutions are not simply bigger versions of state cases. By the time charges are filed in the Southern District of Florida, agencies such as the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, the Secret Service, the HHS Office of Inspector General, and the SBA Office of Inspector General may have spent months or years building their case. They have subpoenaed bank records, reviewed emails and text messages, interviewed cooperating witnesses, and often recorded phone calls before the person under investigation knows anything is wrong.
The stakes are also different. Federal sentences are driven by the United States Sentencing Guidelines, and in fraud cases the alleged loss amount can push a recommended sentence higher very quickly. There is no parole in the federal system, so the sentence a judge imposes is close to the time a person will actually serve. Many federal statutes also carry forfeiture of money, real estate, vehicles, and business assets, which can leave a family without the resources it needs while the case is still pending.
That is why timing matters so much. Clients who reach out at the investigation stage often have options that disappear once an indictment is returned, including presenting information to prosecutors, negotiating the scope of charges, arranging a voluntary surrender instead of an arrest, and protecting assets that were never connected to any alleged offense. Our federal criminal defense practice is built around getting involved early and staying involved through every stage.
Federal Crimes We Defend in Miami and Miami-Dade County
White Collar Crime and Federal Fraud
Miami is one of the most active white collar enforcement regions in the country. The firm defends clients accused of wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, securities fraud, investment schemes, conspiracy, bribery, and false statements to federal agents. These cases usually turn on intent, on thousands of pages of financial records, and on how the government calculates loss. We work through the documents, identify where the numbers do not add up, and challenge the claim that ordinary business decisions were part of a criminal scheme.
Money Laundering
Money laundering charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 carry up to 20 years in prison, and transactions over $10,000 involving allegedly criminal proceeds can be charged under § 1957 with up to 10 years. Prosecutors in South Florida frequently add these counts to fraud, drug, and international trade cases, sometimes simply because money moved between accounts, through real estate, or across borders. Money laundering charges also open the door to sweeping forfeiture. We defend clients by attacking the government’s proof that the funds came from unlawful activity, that our client knew it, and that the transactions were designed to conceal anything at all. Related allegations such as structuring cash deposits to avoid bank reporting requirements are part of this work as well.
PPP, EIDL and SBA Loan Fraud
The Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program put billions of dollars into South Florida businesses, and federal prosecutors are still bringing cases years later. In 2022, Congress extended the statute of limitations for PPP and EIDL fraud to 10 years, so loans taken out during the pandemic remain open to prosecution well into the 2030s. Charges can include wire fraud, bank fraud, false statements to a lender or to the SBA, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. Many of our clients are legitimate business owners who relied on accountants or loan brokers, misunderstood confusing program rules, or used funds in ways they believed were allowed. We help clients respond to SBA inquiries, lender audits, and target letters, and we defend them in court when charges are filed.
Bulk Cash Smuggling and Currency Reporting
Miami International Airport, PortMiami, and the region’s private airfields and marinas make South Florida a focal point for currency enforcement. Federal law requires anyone carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into or out of the United States to report it. Concealing that money to avoid the reporting requirement can be charged as bulk cash smuggling under 31 U.S.C. § 5332, which carries up to five years in prison along with forfeiture of the funds. Travelers, family members carrying savings, and business owners moving legitimate proceeds are often caught up in these cases. We challenge the stop and search, the government’s proof of intent, and the forfeiture itself, and we work to recover money that should be returned.
Healthcare and Medicare Fraud
Miami-Dade County has long been a national center of healthcare fraud enforcement. Physicians, pharmacy owners, clinic operators, home health agencies, durable medical equipment suppliers, laboratories, and billing staff can all find themselves under investigation for billing practices, referral arrangements, or kickback allegations. The firm defends healthcare fraud cases involving Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers, with a focus on separating billing errors and regulatory disputes from intentional criminal conduct.
Federal Drug Trafficking and Conspiracy
Federal drug cases in South Florida often involve international shipments, maritime interdictions, wiretaps, and large conspiracies with dozens of codefendants. Mandatory minimum sentences can reach 10 years or more based on drug quantity alone. Mr. Hassan has represented defendants in multi-defendant drug cases, including matters where charges were dismissed and cases where his client received one of the lowest sentences among all codefendants.
Other Federal Charges
The firm also defends clients accused of tax fraud, identity theft, credit card fraud, federal firearm offenses, obstruction of justice, export and smuggling violations, and other federal crimes. When the government seeks to take property through civil or criminal proceedings, we fight asset forfeiture alongside the criminal case.
Representation at Every Stage of a Federal Case
Federal criminal defense is a long process, and each stage presents its own opportunities. The Law Office of Nayib Hassan, P.A. represents clients at every step, including:
- Responding to target letters, grand jury subpoenas, and requests for interviews from federal agents
- Advising clients during search warrants, seizures of devices, and frozen bank accounts
- Arranging voluntary surrender and handling initial appearances and detention hearings
- Reviewing discovery, including financial records, recordings, and digital evidence
- Filing motions to suppress evidence and to dismiss charges
- Negotiating with Assistant United States Attorneys over charges and plea terms
- Preparing and trying cases before a federal jury
- Challenging loss amounts, drug quantities, and guideline enhancements at sentencing
- Pursuing appeals and post-conviction relief in the Eleventh Circuit
Every case is different. Mr. Hassan evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each case based on its specific facts and builds a strategy around them rather than relying on a standard approach.
A Former Prosecutor Who Knows How the Government Builds Its Case
Before founding the firm, Nayib Hassan served as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County, where he learned how charging decisions are made, how evidence is presented, and how prosecutors evaluate risk at trial. That experience shapes how he negotiates and how he prepares for court. He has defended clients in federal courts in Florida, the Southern District of New York, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and California, and his cases have been covered by national outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, and the Miami Herald. He also teaches as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas University and has presented continuing legal education programs on federal court practice to other defense attorneys.
Serving Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida
From our office at 6175 NW 153 St, Suite 209, in Miami Lakes, the firm represents clients throughout Miami-Dade County, including Miami, Hialeah, Doral, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Kendall, Aventura, North Miami, Homestead, and Miami Gardens. Federal cases in Miami are typically heard at the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse downtown, and the firm also appears in the Southern District’s courthouses serving Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe Counties. Because federal practice is not limited by county lines, Mr. Hassan represents clients charged in federal courts across the country. The firm continues to handle serious state matters as well through its Florida criminal defense practice.
Hablamos Español
Many of our clients and their families in South Florida are more comfortable discussing their case in Spanish. Mr. Hassan is fluent in Spanish and speaks directly with clients and family members in their own language, without an interpreter standing between them and their lawyer. For families searching for an abogado de defensa criminal federal in Miami, that means clear answers and a lawyer who understands both the case and the family behind it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if federal agents contact me?
Be polite, but do not answer questions about the investigation without a lawyer. Statements made to agents can be used against you, and a false or incomplete answer can lead to a separate charge for making false statements. Ask for the agent’s name and contact information and call a federal criminal defense lawyer right away.
What is a target letter?
A target letter is a notice from the United States Attorney’s Office saying that a grand jury is investigating you and that prosecutors have substantial evidence linking you to a crime. It is one of the best times to have a lawyer step in, because there may still be an opportunity to influence whether charges are filed and what those charges are.
Can I be charged with PPP fraud years after receiving my loan?
Yes. Congress extended the statute of limitations for PPP and EIDL fraud to 10 years, so prosecutors can still bring charges for loans obtained in 2020 and 2021. If your lender, the SBA, or federal agents have contacted you about a pandemic loan, it is important to get legal advice before you respond.
Is it illegal to carry more than $10,000 in cash when traveling?
Carrying large amounts of cash is not illegal by itself. The law requires that amounts over $10,000 be declared when entering or leaving the United States. Failing to report the money, and especially concealing it to avoid reporting, can lead to seizure of the funds and federal charges such as bulk cash smuggling.
How are federal sentences decided?
Federal judges consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines along with the facts of the case and the defendant’s personal history. In fraud and money laundering cases, the loss amount often has the largest effect on the guideline range. A strong sentencing presentation can challenge those calculations and give the judge reasons to impose a lower sentence.
Do you only handle federal cases?
Federal criminal defense is the center of the firm’s practice, but Mr. Hassan also defends serious state charges across Florida, including drug crimes, firearm offenses, DUI, and violent crimes.
When can I reach the firm?
The firm is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Arrests, searches, and agent visits do not happen on a business schedule, and neither do we.
Talk to a Miami Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer Today
If you are under investigation or have been charged with a federal crime in Miami or anywhere in South Florida, the decisions you make in the next few days can shape the outcome of your case. Call the Law Office of Nayib Hassan, P.A. at (305) 403-7323 or request a confidential consultation to start building your defense.
