May 13, 2020
What Is A "Proffer" Session?
If you are ever charged with a federal felony, you will most likely have
the opportunity to attend what is known as a \"Proffer\" session. This is
basically a meeting between federal prosecutors and a defendant and their
attorneys. What happens in these sessions is that the defense tries to
argue that the charges that have either been brought by the prosecution
or are about to be brought by the prosecution should either be dismissed
or greatly reduced.
Asking for a dismissal of charges during a Proffer session is usually
done. However, a federal prosecutor will almost never simply dismiss
federal charges after a Proffer session.
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of a Proffer session is that although
the prosecution will have you sign a statement at the beginning that
what you say will not be used against you, it does allow them to pursue
third party objects that are mentioned. For instance, if you are facing
federal fraud charges and you mention that you have such and such a bank
account at a certain bank and you mention the bank by name, they will
almost certainly file a motion to obtain the records of that bank account.
If you have been charged with a crime, make sure you get the most
aggressive representation possible. If you live in Burlington, Essex,
Colchester, Winooski, Williston, Shelburne or anywhere in the state of
Vermont, and have been arrested or charged with DUI or any crime, call
Handy Law for aggressive and experienced legal defense.