Federal criminal defense attorney serving San Diego and San Diego County. Experienced federal trial representation from former federal prosecutor John D. Kirby.
1100 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101
All San Diego County criminal matters
The Central Division is the main state courthouse for San Diego County. It handles the highest volume of felony arraignments, preliminary hearings, and trials in the county. Federal cases are heard separately at the U.S. District Court on West Broadway.
Fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, securities violations, public corruption
Federal trafficking, conspiracy, manufacturing, possession with intent to distribute
Organized crime, conspiracy charges, enterprise corruption, multi-defendant cases
Financial crimes, structuring, asset forfeiture, FinCEN and IRS investigations
IRS criminal investigations, failure to file, tax fraud, offshore account disclosures
2255 motions, direct appeals to the Ninth Circuit, post-conviction relief
Medicare/Medicaid fraud, false claims, anti-kickback statute, Stark law violations
PPP loan fraud, EIDL fraud, pandemic relief program investigations
No. Federal cases in San Diego are handled exclusively at the U.S. District Court on West Broadway, not at the San Diego Superior Court on Union Street. While state felony arraignments occur at the Central Division courthouse, federal charges like drug trafficking or cybercrime go through a separate system with different procedures, timelines, and judges.
A federal criminal defense attorney must be admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, which requires passing a separate bar and understanding federal sentencing guidelines. Unlike state cases at 1100 Union Street, where preliminary hearings are held within 10 court days, federal cases involve grand jury indictments and often longer pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Correctional Center downtown.
San Diego’s proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border means federal prosecutors frequently pursue charges tied to cross-border smuggling, immigration offenses, or maritime drug seizures. Your attorney must be familiar with the local U.S. Attorney’s Office priorities in the Southern District, as well as how evidence from border checkpoints or the Port of San Diego can impact your case differently than in inland jurisdictions.
The San Diego Superior Court — Central Division operates under its own local rules, its own judges, and its own assigned federal prosecutors. An attorney who regularly practices in this courthouse understands how specific judges handle suppression motions, what the assigned AUSA typically offers in plea negotiations, and what sentencing outcomes are realistic for cases from the San Diego area. Do not hire a general practitioner who will be learning the federal system at your expense — your freedom deserves experienced representation that knows this courthouse.
For full practice area coverage — white collar crime, drug crimes, RICO, money laundering, tax evasion, healthcare fraud, PPP fraud, and federal appeals:
Kirby Law — Full Federal Criminal Defense PracticeFormer federal prosecutor John D. Kirby — 25+ years federal trial experience. Confidential consultation available.
All communications are confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege.