Federal prosecutors frequently choose to charge
individual defendants with a variety of crimes
under a number of different statutes. An illegal
alien who is caught while bringing in drugs, for
example, might be indicted for importing controlled
substances, numerous conspiracy offenses, as well
as immigration violations. During the data
collection process, the Justice Department asks the
prosecutors to select the "lead charge" on all
referrals that they handle. Obviously, these
judgments often are somewhat subjective when
multiple serious charges are involved. Sometimes,
they are influenced by the political needs of the
moment: an administration, for example, that wants
to show the public it is concentrating on the
illegal flow of narcotics.
Here then, as viewed through the lens of federal
prosecutors across the country, are the most
frequently cited "lead charges" involved in
referrals coming from the Customs. The complete
text of these frequently cited lead charges can be
viewed by selecting the particular statute of
interest in the following table.