Smith & Zimmerman, PLLC is a small law firm committed to high-quality representation of criminal defendants at a reasonable cost.

Partners David B. Smith and Jeffrey D. Zimmerman have over 45 years of combined criminal law experience. They effectively represent clients throughout the United States in all matters relating to criminal defense, with specialized expertise in civil and criminal forfeiture, civil and criminal RICO, money laundering, white collar defense, restitution, fines and post-conviction litigation.

Asset Forfeiture

Federal and state government agencies are seizing more property for forfeiture than ever before. Getting the seized property back for its owners requires expert knowledge of this specialized and complicated area of the law. David Smith is a nationally recognized authority on forfeiture law, a former federal prosecutor and author of the leading treatise on forfeiture.

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RICO

The federal RICO Act is a complex statute originally targeted at organized crime but used for many other purposes today. It provides severe criminal penalties and also authorizes private plaintiffs to sue “racketeers” for treble damages. David Smith is co-author of a leading RICO Act treatise and has extensively litigated both civil and criminal RICO cases.

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Money Laundering

Money laundering statutes are overly broad and reach otherwise innocent activity far removed from the common understanding of “money laundering.” They are often abused by prosecutors seeking to avail themselves of the heavy penalties for laundering convictions. The attorneys at Smith & Zimmerman, PLLC are well-versed in the intricacies of these statutes and in defending against such prosecutions.

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White Collar Defense

Our partners have extensive experience litigating complex white collar criminal trials and appeals involving matters such as defense procurement fraud, false claims, congressional bribery, mail fraud, tax evasion, mortgage fraud, theft of government property, espionage, false statements, and perjury.

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Restitution & Fines

Few defense attorneys have a detailed grasp of federal statutes governing restitution and fines. Mr. Smith is an expert on fines and restitution, as well as forfeiture. The law relating to federal fines and restitution is fully covered in the second volume of Mr. Smith’s up to date treatise, Prosecution and Defense of Forfeiture Cases (2011).

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Post Conviction

Mr. Smith and Mr. Zimmerman have successfully represented numerous individuals seeking relief in state and federal appellate courts. In addition, the firm aggressively fights for clients by collaterally attacking their convictions and sentences through habeas corpus proceedings and motions filed pursuant to 28 USC § 2255.

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Recent Cases and News

David Smith Victory Featured in Wall Street Journal - Partner David Smith was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article which recounted his successful representation of an individual in which the government was required to return all of the money it had seized, as well as pay for attorney's fees. Regarding asset forfeiture, Mr. Smith was quoted as saying, "We are paying Assistant U.S. Attorneys to carry out the theft of property from often the most defenseless citizens."