The most powerful person in America is not the President. It is not a judge. Surprisingly, the most powerful person in America is a prosecutor. Whether on the state or federal level, these individuals literally have the power to destroy one’s life, regardless of an individual’s actual guilt or innocence. An arrest can lead to loss of liberty, loss of a job, and the forfeiture of homes, boats, and cars.  Under our criminal justice system, prosecutors have the power to seek arrest warrants, and more importantly, the prosecutorial discretion to frame and file criminal charges. The very essence of this “filing decision,” often determines mandatory sentences and maximum punishments. 

Attorney Marcus Barnett began his career as a state prosecutor and has decades of criminal law experience at the State and Federal levels. He understands the system, and knows how prosecutors think, act, and react. It is vital to approach a prosecutor in the proper fashion, so as to inform and influence their filing decision. The decision as to whether to file charges at all and what charges to file is not always set in stone