Federal court citations can be issued for many reasons and by many federal agencies
If you spend time or are stationed on local California military installations such as Fort Irwin or the Barstow Marine Base, when you violate certain laws, you could receive a federal court citation instead of a ticket that would be issued by a local law enforcement agency.
All violations that take place on federal property such as military bases, national parks, federal buildings, post offices, national wildlife refuges and national forests are governed by federal laws. As such, offenses are treated as a violation of federal laws. In some instances, violations of federal laws that take place on federal land can also mean state laws have been broken as well. Tickets are usually issued for things such as improper parking, speeding, boating, fireworks, trespassing or civil disturbances, fish, hunting and wildlife infractions and other similar offenses.
These tickets can be issued by agents from a whole host of federal agencies ranging from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, INS, the U.S. Postal Service, Forest Service, Army Corps of Engineers and many others.
While the tickets may seem fairly harmless, the truth is that many of these offenses are considered criminal offenses and if you are convicted, can leave you with a criminal record.
That’s why if you receive a federal court citation, you must take it seriously from the outset and consider hiring an experienced law firm such as Leicht Law to represent you.
Understanding your options
If you receive a federal court ticket, you have a few options to consider.
For some violations, you can simply choose to pay the fine associated with the violation. The Central Violations Bureau is the national center responsible for processing violation notices and federal tickets. When you receive a ticket, you can go online, pay the fine and you will be done with the process. However, by taking the easy way out, you could end up costing yourself more money than just what you pay for the fine. For example, if you receive a speeding ticket on federal land, upon conviction, that infraction goes on your permanent driving record and you will be assessed points against your license. When points are assessed, your insurance company will be notified, and that could mean higher insurance premiums for you, oftentimes for many years to come. Some violations could also pop up in a future criminal background check.
In certain situations, paying online may not be an option and your citation will require a mandatory appearance in federal court. You can choose to appear and fight the ticket on your own, but if you are not familiar with court procedures, you could be in for a rough outing.
Your third option is to retain the services of an attorney who has many years of experience fighting tickets in the federal court system. This is the best way you have of achieving a favorable outcome for your situation and keeping your record free from any blemishes.
Contact us for a free consultation
If you have received a Federal Court citation ticket and need the services of an experienced attorney, contact us For a free consultation at (760) 256-3104. The Law Office of David Leicht serves clients based at Fort Irwin and Barstow Marine Base as well as the communities of Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree.
