Federal Criminal Records

What is it?

Federal crimes have to do with violations of Federal law, whereas county searches return violations of State law. Federal cases can include state law violations that cross state lines, such as: drug trafficking, cyber crimes, kidnapping, embezzlement, etc. Federal crimes also include violations occurring in National parks or in government offices, such as the US Post Office, SS Office, etc. (for example: DUI or parking ticket in Yosemite National Park or trespassing on Federal lands).

Federal cases also include Immigration and Customs violations, such as: illegal entry, entry after deportation, etc. The U.S. consists of 94 district Federal courts and each district court is its own jurisdiction. Some states only have one Federal District Court, some states have up to four. It usually depends on the population. For example, Idaho only has one district where California has four districts. Charges at the Federal level can include felonies, misdemeanors or infractions.

How does it work?

The Verified First team uses the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website to perform this search. The PACER Case Locator (PCL) is a national index for district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts. The PCL serves as a search tool for PACER. You may conduct searches to determine whether or not a party is involved in Federal litigation. Each night, subsets of data are collected from the courts and transferred to the PCL.

Who needs this search?

Organizations that want a deeper, more thorough dive into a candidate’s background that would explore crimes like piracy, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, security law violations, and other federal charges should run the Federal Criminal Search.

Why run this search?

While the overwhelming number of charges and convictions of individuals in the United States are at the state and local level, Federal convictions are typically of a more serious nature with over 99% of cases going to judgment resulting in convictions brought by US Attorneys. These searches return results quickly and will give all employers a more holistic view of their candidate’s criminal background.

The information and opinions expressed are for educational purposes only and are based 
on current practice, industry related knowledge and business expertise. The information
provided shall not be construed as legal advice, express or implied. 

If you have any further questions, or need a product enabled on your account, 
please contact Verified First Client Services for assistance.

Call 844-709-2708 or email clientservices@verifiedfirst.com