About the Law Federal prosecutors frequently choose to charge individual defendants with a variety of crimes under a number of different statutes. An organized crime figure who committed a murder while negotiating a drug deal, for example, might be indicted for murder, drug dealing, and numerous organized crime and conspiracy offenses. 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 organized crime or threats to the nation's internal security.
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 DEA. The complete text of these frequently cited lead charges can be viewed by selecting the particular statute of interest in the following table.
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U.S. Code Section of Lead Charge Description 18 USC 4 misprision of felony 18 USC 111 assaulting or intimidating govt employee 18 USC 371 conspiracy to defraud the U.S. 18 USC 841 explosives-illegal actions-definitions 18 USC 846 explosives-importation,distribution 18 USC 922 firearms-illegal procedures 18 USC 924 firearms-knowing false statements 18 USC 1001 fraud and false statements 18 USC 1073 flight to avoid prosecution or testimony 18 USC 1512 obstruction of justice 18 USC 1623 criminal procedure-grand jury perjury 18 USC 1952 interstate travel in aid of racketeering 18 USC 1956 laundering of monetary instrument 18 USC 1957 racketeering-unlawful monetary transactions 18 USC 1962 racketeering-prohibited acts 18 USC 3146 failure to appear-judicial proceeding 21 USC 812 drugs-control and enforcement 21 USC 841 drugs-prohibited acts 21 USC 843 drugs-additional prohibited acts 21 USC 844 explosives-illegal actions-definitions 21 USC 846 drugs-attempt and conspiracy 21 USC 848 drugs-continuing criminal enterprise 21 USC 853 drugs-criminal forfeiture 21 USC 856 drugs-offenses and penalties 21 USC 860 drugs-distribution near schools 21 USC 952 export-controlled substances 21 USC 960 controlled substances-export or import 21 USC 963 drugs-conspiracy in export or import 31 USC 5324 financial reporting requirement 46 USC 1903 shipping
