Agents at the door
If federal agents or detectives come to your home or office, stay calm, be polite, and do not answer questions about the case. Ask whether they have a warrant, and tell them your lawyer will contact them. Then call a criminal defense lawyer.
At the door
- Stay calm and polite. You can speak through the closed door, or step outside and close it behind you.
- Ask whether they have a warrant. If they say yes, ask to see it. If it is a search warrant, read search warrants and raids.
- If they do not have a warrant, say: "I do not consent to a search. I will not answer questions without a lawyer. My lawyer will contact you."
- Ask for a business card. Take it, and close the conversation.
- Do not lie, guess, or "just explain." Say nothing about the case at all.
- Call a criminal defense lawyer right away and give the lawyer the card.
The Fourth Amendment protects your house, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and a warrant may issue only on probable cause supported by oath or affirmation [1]. Whether agents can come in without a warrant depends on the facts. Do not physically resist if they do. Say clearly that you do not consent, and leave the rest to your lawyer.
Why not just talk
You do not have to be a witness against yourself in a criminal case [2]. The Miranda warnings are tied to custodial questioning [3], so agents talking to you at your door may give no warnings at all. Anything you say can still be written down. You will not know what they already have, who else they have spoken to, or what your role in the investigation is. A lawyer can find out.
A federal investigation can go on for a long time before anyone is charged. Under Justice Department policy, prosecutors sometimes notify a "target" before seeking an indictment, but that is policy, not a right, and many people get no notice [4]. A knock at the door may be the only warning you get. Use it to call a lawyer.
If they come to your work
- The same rules apply. Be polite, do not answer questions about the case, and ask for a card.
- Do not invite agents into a private office or a conference room to "talk it over."
- Do not discuss the visit with coworkers who may be witnesses.
- Do not delete or move records, and do not ask anyone else to.
If you are arrested
If the agents have an arrest warrant, do not resist. Say: "I want to remain silent. I want a lawyer." If you say you want a lawyer, questioning must stop until a lawyer is present [5]. A person arrested on a federal charge must be taken before a magistrate judge without unnecessary delay [6]. Read what to do right after an arrest, and have your family read a family member was arrested.
For the steps of a federal case, see the federal court page and What happens next. If the visit was from local police, the state pages are New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania.
Common questions
They said I am not in trouble. Should I talk?
Not without a lawyer. Agents may say that early in an investigation, and you have no way to check it. Take their card and have a lawyer call them.
Can I just answer a few easy questions?
Easy questions are still questions about the case. Answer none of them. Give your name if asked, say you will not talk without a lawyer, and stop.
Sources
- U.S. Const. amend. IV. Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- U.S. Const. amend. V. Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- Justice Manual ยง 9-11.153. Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
- Fed. R. Crim. P. 5(a)(1)(A). Current as of November 11, 2026. Official text
Arrested, or think you might be? Call before you answer any questions.
Call and tell us who was arrested or contacted and where the case is. A lawyer will tell you what happens next and what to do tonight. Please do not type what happened into a form or an email. We will talk about it on the phone.