State and Federal Crimes: What's the Difference?

The United States and each state in this country have specific statutes that define, prohibit, and penalize criminal behavior. It is important to understand the similarities and differences among state and federal criminal charges and state and federal criminal courts.

State Crimes
Each state government has the responsibility of developing its own criminal code and passing laws that define certain crimes and the potential sentences for those crimes. Some common state crimes include:

•Murder - the intentional killing of another human being;

•Theft - taking another person’s property without consent;

•Rape - unwanted sexual intercourse that is forced upon the victim without the victim’s consent;

•Drug Possession - having illegal drugs, as defined by statute, on your person or property; and

•Assault and Battery - the threat of physical harm and the act of physically harming another person with the intent to cause injury.
State Criminal Court
Most crimes are violations of state law and tried in state court. Each state may have one or more criminal court systems. For example, minors may be tried for crimes in juvenile court and adults may be tried in trial court. Cases are brought on behalf of the people of the state by the district attorney or state attorney.

Federal Crimes
A federal crime is a crime that is defined by federal law. Many crimes are described in Title 18 of the United States Code. The elements of the crime and the potential sentences are uniform everywhere in the United States. Some common federal crimes include:

•Tax Evasion - illegally avoiding paying federal taxes as required by the Internal Revenue Code;

•Fraud - may include mail fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, securities fraud, attempts to commit fraud and conspiracies to commit fraud;

•Terrorism - intentional acts of violence that appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government or affect the conduct of a government;

•Counterfeiting - making or distributing fake currency (money) or other securities; and

•Crimes that cross state lines - other crimes, such as kidnapping, may become federal crimes if the crime occurs in more than one state.
Federal Criminal Court
The only cases which may be heard in federal criminal court are those crimes that are specific violations of federal law. Each state has one or more federal district courts that acts as the federal criminal court when there is a violation of a federal criminal law. A federal criminal case is brought on behalf of the people of the United States by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Hiring a Criminal Defense Lawyer
State and federal prosecutors will be representing the people of your state or of the United States. Therefore, if you have been accused of a state or federal crime then it is important to seek the assistance of a criminal defense attorney to represent you in criminal proceedings.
sources from: http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/criminal-offense/state-federal-criminal-charges.htm