{"id":83,"date":"2015-10-08T20:58:38","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T20:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/inlawwetrust.com\/?p=83"},"modified":"2015-10-08T20:58:38","modified_gmt":"2015-10-08T20:58:38","slug":"what-is-a-proffer-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themediabeast.com\/resources\/what-is-a-proffer-session\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Proffer Session?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A proffer session, sometimes called a \u201cQueen for a day\u201d is an exchange of information between you, the suspect and law enforcement. You can generally admit to criminal activity and any admissions cannot be directly used against you later at trial. Proffer sessions are frequently used by law enforcement on the federal level such as the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office, although some state law enforcement agencies use proffer sessions as well. Furthermore, these sessions are usually used for white collar crime investigations and rarely used for \u201cstreet crimes\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The people at the proffer session will be you, your attorney one or more Assistant US Attorneys as well as members for law enforcement agencies involved in your case such as FBI, ATF, IRS Criminal Division, etc. The meeting takes place in a conference room, not a court room and it is rather informal. More importantly, there is no court reporter or audio recording so you are left with no one, unless your attorney will become a witness, to support your version of events. However, federal law enforcement usually has the highest professionalism and integrity so you rarely have to worry about someone \u201ccoloring\u201d your statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no set format for a proffer session but you are there to give information, not get information. While the other side may give you a flavor of their case, it should be nothing more than what you attorney has already uncovered through prior discussions. Thus, preparation of the case and the client by an experienced white collar crime attorney is very important.<\/span><\/p>\n

The outcome of the proffer session depends largely on your status. First off, if you are just a witness, you are not really there for a proffer session as you are not under any suspicion. For a proffer session, you are either a subject or a target. A subject means that the law enforcement agency is on the fence with regard to your status. It could go either way. Thus, the information given at the proffer session could turn you into a witness or a target.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are a target, then they think you are guilty. You just haven\u2019t been arrested as a courtesy to you so that you will make a confession or they still need more evidence to make a solid case for trial. Rarely can you change their mind absent a polygraph test or some other evidence. Since polygraph tests are not admissible in court, there are only a handful of people around that can administer them. Thus, don\u2019t expect to be offered one unless your attorney does a lot of convincing.<\/span><\/p>\n

A plea offer may be provided to you at the end of the proffer session or soon thereafter. Another option is an immunity agreement which assures that you will not be prosecuted. In either scenario, you will likely have to agree to testify against others. If no agreement is reached, you will likely be free to leave. While nothing you said can be used against you to support the Government\u2019s case, they can still use the information you gave them to further their investigation. Furthermore, if you are found to have deliberately lied to them, you can be charged in that regard, i.e. Martha Stewart.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the decision to proffer, like all major decisions in a case, is up to you, it should not be made without the assistance of a skilled white collar crime attorney. There must be a purpose behind it. Just showing up to see what happens is a huge mistake that can lead to disaster. The attorney should discuss all pros and cons as well as alternative options.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A proffer session, sometimes called a \u201cQueen for a day\u201d is an exchange of information between you, the suspect and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,5,7,27],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-83","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-criminal-law","category-federal-sentencing-guidelines","category-our-firm","category-district-court","tag-in-law-we-trust"],"yoast_head":"\nJohn DeGirolamo, Tampa Criminal Federal Defense Attorney<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"John DeGirolamo, Tampa Criminal Federal Defense Attorney, In Law We Trust, P.A.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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