A federal criminal case in the Central District of California is heard in the United States District Court for that district — a different court, with different rules and different stakes, than the state courts most people are familiar with. For anyone facing a federal investigation or charge in the Los Angeles region, understanding that court and securing experienced federal counsel are the first priorities.
This guide explains federal criminal defense in the Central District of California — the court and its courthouses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office that prosecutes there, what the district’s caseload actually looks like, and how our firm represents defendants here. Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. handles federal criminal defense, appeals, and post-conviction matters nationwide, and Elizabeth Franklin-Best has been admitted pro hac vice in the Central District of California. She is recognized in Chambers USA 2026 for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations and was named to Best Lawyers in America 2026 as a “Best Lawyer” in Appellate Practice. This page is part of the firm’s federal courts directory.
If you are facing a federal investigation or charge in the Central District of California, the firm offers a paid, one-hour initial consultation to review the matter and the options.
Table of Contents
Quick Answer: Central District of California
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does the Central District of California cover? | The greater Los Angeles region — a seven-county area of Southern California — with courthouses in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside. |
| Who prosecutes federal cases there? | The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. |
| Which circuit hears appeals? | The Ninth Circuit, which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. |
| Where are post-conviction motions filed? | In the district of conviction — a Section 2255 motion challenging a CDCA conviction is filed in that district. |
| What kinds of cases dominate the docket? | Drug trafficking is the largest single category, but fraud, theft, and embezzlement make up about 21% of sentencings — roughly double the national share — reflecting the region’s entertainment, securities, healthcare, and technology sectors. |
| Has the firm appeared in this court? | Yes. Elizabeth Franklin-Best has been admitted pro hac vice in the Central District of California. |
Key Takeaways
- The Central District of California covers the greater Los Angeles region and is the most populous federal district in the nation, with the largest authorized district-court bench in the country (28 judgeships).
- The district holds court in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside.
- Fraud, theft, and embezzlement make up roughly 21% of the district’s federal sentencings — about double the national share — alongside a substantial drug-trafficking docket.
- Federal prosecutions there are brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
- The district sits within the Ninth Circuit, which hears appeals from its convictions.
- A federal case proceeds from investigation through charging, pretrial litigation, plea or trial, and sentencing.
- A notice of appeal in a federal criminal case generally must be filed within 14 days of the entry of judgment.
- Post-conviction motions, including Section 2255 motions, are filed in the district of conviction.
- Elizabeth Franklin-Best has been admitted pro hac vice in the Central District of California, bringing demonstrated experience in this court.
The Central District of California at a Glance
The United States District Court for the Central District of California is one of four federal trial courts in California. It covers the greater Los Angeles region — a seven-county area of Southern California that makes it the most populous federal judicial district in the nation — and it holds court in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside.
Federal criminal cases in the district are prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which represents the government in every federal prosecution brought in this district. The court sits within the Ninth Circuit, so appeals from convictions in the Central District of California are heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Like every federal district court, the Central District of California operates under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, supplemented by its own local rules. Those local rules govern the practical details of litigating a case in the district, and they are part of what makes experienced federal practice distinct from state-court work.
Federal Criminal Cases in the District
The Central District of California handles the full range of federal criminal matters — white-collar offenses and fraud, drug and firearms cases, and other federal prosecutions. A federal case in the district generally moves through a recognizable sequence.
Most cases begin with an investigation by a federal agency, sometimes signaled by a target letter or a grand jury subpoena. Formal charges follow, typically by indictment. After an initial appearance and arraignment, the case proceeds through pretrial litigation and discovery, and is then resolved either by a negotiated plea agreement or by trial. A conviction is followed by sentencing under the federal framework. The firm’s federal criminal process hub walks through each stage in detail.
Throughout that sequence, the firm defends clients across the offense types the district sees — building the factual and legal record, litigating pretrial motions, negotiating where a negotiated resolution serves the client, and trying cases where trial is the right course.
Applied Insight: The earliest stage of a federal case is often the most important. Decisions made during an investigation — before any charge is filed — can shape everything that follows. Anyone who learns they are under federal investigation in the Central District of California should treat that as the moment to seek counsel, not wait for an indictment.
What the District’s Caseload Actually Looks Like
The Central District of California is not a generic federal court, and the cases it sees are not evenly distributed across offense types. In fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported 926 individuals sentenced in the district. Drug trafficking was the single largest category at roughly 39 percent — but the figure that sets this district apart is fraud: fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases made up about 21 percent of the docket, more than double the national share. Add money laundering and bribery, and a clear picture emerges of a court whose white-collar caseload reflects the region’s economy — entertainment, securities, real estate, healthcare, and the technology and digital-asset sectors. Immigration cases, by contrast, accounted for under 3 percent, the inverse of California’s border districts.
Two other numbers matter to anyone weighing how a case here is likely to resolve. The district’s trial rate — about 5.2 percent of sentenced defendants went to trial rather than pleading guilty — runs well above the national rate of roughly 2.8 percent, meaning juries in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside hear federal criminal cases more often than in most districts. And cooperation is a real feature of practice here: substantial-assistance motions under U.S.S.G. § 5K1.1 accounted for roughly 18 percent of sentencings, among the higher cooperation rates in the country. For a defendant deciding between trial, an open plea, and cooperation, those are not abstractions — they describe the actual terrain.
The district has also been the source of nationally significant firearms litigation. In United States v. Duarte, 137 F.4th 743 (9th Cir. 2025), a felon-in-possession prosecution that began in this district before Judge André Birotte, Jr., the en banc Ninth Circuit held that 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) is not unconstitutional as applied to non-violent felons — aligning the circuit with the Fourth, Eighth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits. The Supreme Court declined review in January 2026, but Second Amendment challenges to felon-firearm statutes remain a fast-moving area, and a case originating in the Central District now anchors the governing rule across the West.
The Bench and the Prosecutor’s Office
The Central District of California has the largest authorized district-court bench in the nation — 28 judgeships under 28 U.S.C. § 133, increased from 27 in 2024. As of mid-2026, the chief district judge is Dolly M. Gee, and the district maintains a full complement of district and magistrate judges across its Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside courthouses. The size of the bench means that practice here is judge-specific in a way smaller districts are not: standing orders, scheduling practices, and motion preferences vary considerably from courtroom to courtroom, and knowing the assigned judge’s procedures is part of preparing a case. (All roster details here are stated as of mid-2026; the court’s own website controls the current bench.)
Federal prosecutions in the district are brought by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California — one of the largest U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country, with criminal units spanning public corruption, securities and financial fraud, healthcare fraud, cybercrime and digital assets, and narcotics. As of mid-2026, the office is led by Bilal A. Essayli under the title of First Assistant U.S. Attorney; the district has no Senate-confirmed United States Attorney, and after Essayli’s interim appointment lapsed in 2025 a federal court ruled he could not lawfully hold the U.S. Attorney or acting–U.S. Attorney title, leaving him to run the office as first assistant. That leadership question matters less to the day-to-day handling of a case — career Assistant U.S. Attorneys try the office’s cases — than to understanding the office’s posture. The breadth of the office’s specialized units is part of why an investigation here can move quickly from a target letter to an indictment.
Appeals and Post-Conviction Matters
A case in the Central District of California does not necessarily end at sentencing. A person convicted in the district has the right to appeal to the Ninth Circuit, and the notice of appeal in a criminal case generally must be filed within fourteen days of the entry of judgment.
Beyond a direct appeal, post-conviction relief is filed in the district of conviction — so a motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 challenging a Central District of California conviction is filed in that district itself. The firm also handles compassionate release and other post-conviction matters in the district. Appellate and post-conviction work is the firm’s core strength, and it travels well: because federal law is national, this work can be handled effectively in the Central District of California regardless of where the firm is based.
How the Firm Practices in This Court
Elizabeth Franklin-Best has been admitted pro hac vice in the United States District Court for the Central District of California — meaning the firm brings demonstrated, in-court experience appearing before this specific court. Pro hac vice — roughly, “for this occasion” — is the procedure by which a qualified attorney who is not a member of a particular district court’s bar is admitted to appear in a case before that court.
Prior admission in the Central District of California reflects that the firm has actually practiced in this courthouse, not merely that it could. Federal criminal law is national, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure apply in every district, and experienced federal practitioners regularly appear across district lines through pro hac vice admission — but having already done so in a particular court is a meaningful point of experience.
What matters most in choosing federal counsel is genuine federal experience — particularly in the appellate and post-conviction work that is our firm’s focus. Across her career, Elizabeth Franklin-Best has handled more than 330 federal proceedings, including over 100 federal appeals, and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court and all twelve federal circuits — the Ninth Circuit among them. She handles federal trial-level defense, appeals, and post-conviction matters for clients in the Central District of California. That focus is well-suited to the circuit a Central District conviction lands in: the Ninth Circuit granted compassionate-release motions at roughly 31 percent in fiscal year 2025 — the highest rate of any federal circuit — and its substantial body of sentencing and Second Amendment law shapes what is possible on appeal and in post-conviction litigation here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area does the Central District of California cover?
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California covers the greater Los Angeles region, a seven-county area of Southern California. It is the most populous federal judicial district in the nation and holds court in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside.
Who prosecutes federal crimes in the Central District of California?
Federal criminal cases in the Central District of California are prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which represents the federal government in every federal prosecution brought in the district.
Which appeals court covers the Central District of California?
The Central District of California sits within the Ninth Circuit. A person convicted in the district can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the largest federal appellate circuit, which covers the Western states and Pacific territories.
How does a federal criminal case proceed in the Central District of California?
A federal case generally begins with an investigation, followed by formal charges, usually by indictment. After an initial appearance and arraignment, the case moves through pretrial litigation and discovery and is resolved by plea or trial. A conviction is followed by sentencing under the federal framework.
Has the firm appeared in the Central District of California?
Yes. Elizabeth Franklin-Best has been admitted pro hac vice in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which reflects demonstrated, in-court experience appearing before this specific court.
Does the firm handle federal cases in the Central District of California?
Yes. Elizabeth Franklin-Best, P.C. represents federal defendants in the Central District of California and handles trial-level defense, appeals to the Ninth Circuit, and post-conviction matters in the district.
What types of federal cases are most common in the Central District of California?
Drug trafficking is the single largest category, but the district stands out for white-collar work. In fiscal year 2024, fraud, theft, and embezzlement made up about 21 percent of sentencings, roughly double the national share, reflecting the Los Angeles region’s entertainment, securities, healthcare, and technology economies. Money laundering and public-corruption cases are also a meaningful part of the docket.
How often do federal cases go to trial in the Central District of California?
More often than in most districts. About 5 percent of sentenced defendants in the Central District went to trial in fiscal year 2024, compared with roughly 3 percent nationally. The vast majority of cases still resolve by plea, but the district’s higher trial rate means a jury trial is a realistic option that should be evaluated seriously rather than assumed away.
Is the federal felon-in-possession law still enforced in the Ninth Circuit?
Yes. In United States v. Duarte, a case that began in the Central District of California, the en banc Ninth Circuit held in 2025 that the federal felon-in-possession statute is not unconstitutional as applied to non-violent felons, and the Supreme Court declined to review that decision in January 2026. Second Amendment challenges to firearm statutes remain an active area of law, so the precise contours can change, but the statute is being enforced across the circuit.
Talk With a Federal Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you are under federal investigation or facing charges in the Central District of California — or weighing an appeal or a post-conviction motion after a conviction here — we offer a paid, one-hour initial consultation to assess the matter and map the realistic options. Given how much a Los Angeles federal case can turn on the specific judge, the charging unit, and the choice among trial, plea, and cooperation, an early conversation with experienced federal counsel is worth having before the first major decision is made.