NYC Criminal Defense Lawyer

A criminal charge in New York can upend your life before you ever set foot in a courtroom. Your job, your housing, your immigration status, your family — all of it is suddenly at risk the moment law enforcement gets involved. Our New York criminal defense lawyers represent people facing criminal charges in state and federal court across all five boroughs, and we understand what is at stake when someone’s freedom hangs in the balance.

Time matters more than most people realize. New York’s court system moves fast. Arraignment can happen within hours of an arrest. Bail decisions get made before most people have had a chance to speak with an attorney. The sooner our criminal attorneys are involved, the more options you have.

You do not have to face this alone. A criminal charge is not a conviction. Whatever you are accused of, you have rights, and those rights matter at every stage of the process.

Can I Fight Criminal Charges Filed Against Me in New York City?

Yes. Every time. An arrest is the government’s opening move, not the final word.

Our New York criminal defense lawyers have seen criminal charges dropped, evidence suppressed, and cases dismissed at every stage of the process, from arraignment through trial. The district attorney’s office may seem confident. Law enforcement may have already told you they have everything they need. None of that means the case against you is as strong as they want you to believe. Being charged is not the same as being convicted.

What Happens Right After an Arrest in New York City?

Fast. That is the honest answer. New York’s criminal justice system begins moving almost immediately after law enforcement makes an arrest.

Within 24 hours, you will typically be arraigned. That is the hearing where criminal charges are formally read and a judge decides whether to set bail, release you on your own recognizance, or hold you. That single decision can determine whether you go home or sit in a cell while your case plays out. Our criminal defense attorneys work to have clients prepared before that hearing begins, with arguments for release ready from the start.

After arraignment, the case moves into discovery, pretrial motions, and eventually plea negotiations or trial. At the federal level, the timeline is different and the stakes are higher. Federal prosecutors in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York tend to spend months or years building a case before criminal charges are ever filed. By the time a federal indictment arrives, they have had a long head start.

Does It Matter If My Case Is in State Court or the Federal Court System?

It matters a great deal. State and federal court are separate systems with different rules, different judges, and very different sentencing structures.

State criminal charges in New York are handled in Supreme Court for felonies, Criminal Court for misdemeanors, or Family Court depending on the charge and the defendant’s age. Federal crimes are prosecuted in the Southern District of New York or the Eastern District of New York, two of the most active federal courts in the country. Federal charges carry harsher mandatory minimums and more limited options for early resolution. A conviction in federal court can also have a more severe impact on a criminal record than a state conviction.

Our criminal attorneys handle both. If your case crosses into federal territory, or if you are facing criminal charges in both systems at once, we are prepared for it.

What If Law Enforcement Violated My Rights During the Arrest or Investigation?

Then that violation becomes a central part of your defense. It does not get ignored.

The Fourth Amendment protects you from unlawful searches and seizures. The Fifth protects you from being compelled to incriminate yourself. The Sixth guarantees you the right to counsel. When law enforcement violates any of these rights, the evidence gathered as a result can be challenged in court and potentially suppressed entirely. If the key evidence in your case was obtained illegally, the district attorney may not have much of a case left.

Our criminal defense lawyers file suppression motions when the facts support them. We review every detail of how evidence was gathered, how you were questioned, and whether law enforcement followed proper procedures. Rights violations in New York City happen more often than prosecutors like to admit. When they happen to our clients, we act on it.

Will a Criminal Conviction Affect My Immigration Status?

For non-citizens, this is often the most urgent question in the room. Yes. A conviction, and in some cases even a guilty plea, can trigger deportation, denial of naturalization, and bars to re-entry under federal immigration law.

New York courts are required to advise non-citizen defendants of potential immigration consequences before accepting a guilty plea. But an advisement is not protection. Our criminal defense attorneys work with clients who have immigration concerns to understand the full picture before any decisions are made. Pleading guilty to avoid jail time can still end in removal from the country. That is a tradeoff that deserves a serious conversation before it happens, not after.

What If I Can’t Afford to Go to Trial? Do I Have to Take a Plea?

No. A plea is a decision, not a requirement. You never have to accept one.

Plea agreements resolve most criminal cases in New York. That does not mean a plea is always the right answer for you. Our criminal attorneys evaluate every case individually. Sometimes a plea to a reduced charge makes sense and protects your criminal record from the most serious consequences. Sometimes the evidence is weak enough that trial is the better path. Sometimes a pretrial motion resolves the case before any of that becomes necessary.

The pressure to resolve criminal charges quickly is real. Prosecutors and the court system count on defendants not knowing their options. Our job is to make sure you understand what is actually available before you make a decision you cannot take back.

What Types of Criminal Cases Do Our NYC Criminal Defense Attorneys Handle?

New York criminal law covers an enormous range of charges. Our criminal defense lawyers represent clients across all five boroughs in state and federal court facing:

• Felony charges: Assault, robbery, burglary, weapons possession, homicide, and other serious criminal charges prosecuted in New York Supreme Court
• Misdemeanor charges: Assault in the third degree, petit larceny, criminal mischief, trespass, and drug possession handled in Criminal Court
• Federal crimes: Prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in SDNY or EDNY, covering wire fraud, narcotics conspiracy, RICO, and other federal offenses
• White collar crimes: Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, tax crimes, and other financially driven criminal charges often filed in federal court
• Grand larceny: New York’s felony theft charge, triggered when the value of property taken meets the statutory threshold, carries significant exposure depending on the degree
• Drug offenses: From simple possession to large-scale distribution, including cases where federal drug trafficking statutes apply mandatory minimum sentences
• Sex crimes: Criminal charges that carry mandatory sex offender registration requirements under New York law, with consequences that extend well beyond any sentence
• Weapons charges: Unlawful possession of a firearm in New York is taken seriously at both the state and federal level, with federal weapons charges carrying steep penalties
• Domestic violence charges: Cases that often run parallel to family court proceedings and can carry orders of protection with immediate employment and housing consequences
• Appeals and post-conviction matters: When a conviction has already occurred and new grounds for relief exist, our criminal attorneys review the record and pursue every available avenue

If your charge is not listed here, call. Our criminal defense lawyers handle a wide range of state and federal matters across all five boroughs.

Who Is Eligible to Work with Our New York Criminal Defense Lawyers?

Anyone facing criminal charges in New York City, in state court or in the federal court system, can contact our criminal attorneys for a consultation.

Our criminal defense lawyers represent clients from every background: people with no prior criminal record facing charges for the first time, professionals whose licenses are now at risk, individuals who were falsely accused or misidentified, and clients with prior convictions who face enhanced sentencing exposure. We also represent clients where law enforcement overstepped, where the district attorney’s evidence is thinner than the charges suggest, or where the criminal justice system moved so fast that no one stopped to ask whether the right person was charged.

What determines whether we can help is not the charge. It is whether you want a real defense built around your actual situation.

What Outcomes Can Criminal Defense Attorneys in New York City Pursue?

Criminal defense is about protecting your life, your freedom, and your future. The outcomes our criminal defense lawyers pursue include:

• Dismissal: Full termination of criminal charges at any stage, from arraignment through trial
• Acquittal: A not guilty verdict after a full jury trial in state or federal court
• Suppression of evidence: Excluding unlawfully obtained evidence, which can cripple the district attorney’s case or the federal prosecution’s case entirely
• Reduction of charges: Negotiating with the district attorney or federal prosecutors to resolve the matter with a lesser offense and reduced consequences
• Reduced or alternative sentencing: Avoiding incarceration through diversion programs, conditional discharge, time served, or probation where available under New York criminal law
• Protection of criminal record: Pursuing outcomes that minimize long-term damage, including sealing of eligible arrests and convictions under New York law
• Preservation of immigration status: Working toward resolutions that minimize or eliminate deportation risk for non-citizen clients
• Professional license protection: Accounting for licensing board consequences in medicine, law, finance, education, and other regulated fields

Every case starts with a goal. Our criminal attorneys work backward from that goal to build the strategy.

How Our NYC Criminal Defense Lawyers Can Help You

The criminal justice system is not designed to wait for you to catch up. Prosecutors have investigators, forensic analysts, and experience trying the same types of criminal charges week after week. Law enforcement has already had time to build their version of events. The district attorney’s office has institutional knowledge that comes from running cases through the same court system every single day.

Our criminal defense lawyers close that gap. We review the evidence, challenge what can be challenged, file motions when the facts support them, and negotiate when negotiation serves your interests. We do not push clients toward quick resolutions to clear a calendar. Every defense is built around what the client actually needs, not what is easiest to process.

For clients facing federal crimes in SDNY or EDNY, the approach shifts. Federal cases demand earlier and more intensive preparation. Cooperation agreements, proffer sessions, and grand jury exposure all require criminal attorneys who understand federal criminal law and the specific culture of New York’s federal courts.

• Case investigation: We examine every piece of evidence, including police reports, bodycam footage, witness statements, and forensic records, to find what law enforcement and the district attorney would rather we miss
• Pretrial motions: Suppression of unlawfully obtained evidence, dismissal for insufficient criminal charges, and challenges to identification procedures
• Bail and detention hearings: Arguing for release at arraignment and at any subsequent hearing before the court system moves the case forward without you at home
• Plea negotiation: When a negotiated resolution is in your interest, our criminal attorneys negotiate from preparation, not desperation
• Trial: Full jury trial representation in state and federal court across all five boroughs
• Sentencing advocacy: A conviction is not the end of the fight. We advocate for the most favorable outcome the criminal law and the facts allow
• Appeals: Reviewing trial records for reversible error and pursuing post-conviction relief in state and federal court

There are no upfront costs. We discuss fee arrangements directly with every client and are transparent about what your case involves from the first conversation.

Talk to a NYC Criminal Defense Lawyer at Cedeño Law Group Today

You were charged. That does not mean you lose. Call Cedeño Law Group now and speak with a criminal defense attorney who will tell you exactly where you stand and what your options are.