Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

How long to file charges

A friend of mine was arrested on a felony possesion charge back in early March of 2008. She worked with the FBI, gave information and was in close communication for a few months after. She never was formally charged or appeared in court. She had not heard from them for a little over a month when one of the agents contacted her father and said she would be having a court date soon. Her father mentioned that she would a certain lawyer from the area and the agent was quieted after that. She has not heard anything since. I want to how long they have to charge her? She should seriously seek the services of a lawyer or just wait and see how this plays out? I would have thought that if she was going to be charged it would have happened and that this agent that contacted her was maybe trying to get more information out of her.


Asked on 10/10/08, 1:59 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
JAY Nixon nixon law offices

Time Limit to File Felony Charges

The statute of limitations in WI for criminal charging is six years after the offense. It is therefore too soon to tell whether your friend will be charged or not. Your friend needs to consult with an attorney experienced in defending federal criminal cases as soon as possible. It is common for federal drug conspiracy investigations to continue for years before everyone is charged. It is also possible for an "early cooperator" to escape being charged at all, depending upon their level of involvement in the crime. Finally, a less culpable cooperating witness may be charged in state court (or even in municipal court) with far less serious offenses rather than facing grave and life changing federal charges.

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Answered on 10/12/08, 5:10 pm


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