Tax fraud, embezzlement, corporate misconduct. Decades of work can be undone by a single financial charge, and what happens before anyone files anything shapes everything that follows. Generic criminal representation is a liability here.
Dean Johnson is a former homicide prosecutor with 35+ years defending clients across the Peninsula and in federal court. The defense is discreet, strategic, and built to limit exposure before it becomes public.
650-680-3664Consultations are private and protected by attorney-client privilege from the first conversation, whether or not you retain the firm.
RECOGNITION
Dean Johnson has appeared repeatedly as a legal commentator, breaking down complex prosecutions for general audiences. The same clarity is what clients get in a consultation.
WHEN TO MAKE THE CALL
White collar matters are decided in the investigation, not the courtroom. Every one of the situations below is a reason to have counsel before anyone files anything.
The government has told you where you stand. What you do in the next two weeks shapes everything that follows.
For your testimony, your records, or your company's. How you respond to the first one sets the terms.
There is no such thing as an informal conversation with a federal agent. Statements made in one become evidence.
Your employer's counsel represents the company. Their interests and yours may already have diverged.
Seizure and forfeiture move on their own timeline, and challenging them has deadlines that run early.
You do not need to be charged, named, or certain of anything to justify a private conversation with a defense lawyer.
WHAT WE DEFEND
Embezzlement, money laundering, corporate misconduct, and breach of fiduciary duty allegations.
Wire and mail fraud, securities matters, accounting irregularities, and tax offenses.
Grand jury proceedings, target and subject matters, and appeals in the Northern District of California.
Professional licenses and clearances can carry reporting obligations that trigger on indictment rather than conviction. Asset restraint and forfeiture run on deadlines of their own. Charging documents are public. A defense built with all three in view is worth more than one built around the verdict alone.
Most of these cases are decided long before anyone climbs these steps.
WHY A FORMER PROSECUTOR
Dean Johnson began his career more than 35 years ago prosecuting homicides for the state. That work is the reason he can read a government file the way the people who assembled it do — what they are confident about, what they are still trying to shore up, and where the case is thinner than the charging document suggests.
For white collar matters, that perspective is the entire value. Most of these cases are resolved through what the government decides to charge and what it decides to leave alone. Both are negotiable, and both are decided long before a jury is selected.
OUTCOMES
In a federal prosecution involving nearly forty defendants, Mr. Johnson's client was the only one to secure a full dismissal of all charges.
A client already convicted retained the firm for appeal, and secured a two-year reduction of the sentence in the Court of Appeals.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
"Dean is the most comprehensive, astute, and reliable individual you should ever be so resourceful to meet."
Judy W."Knowledgeable, responsive, and compassionate throughout my case. His professionalism and clear guidance made a complex case much easier."
Verified client"If you need an attorney who knows what he is doing, Dean Johnson is the only attorney I would put my life in his hands."
Erica B."I would like to commend Attorney Dean Johnson for his A+ legal services. He achieved the unthinkable."
Anthony S.Calling is faster, and Mr. Johnson can tell you on the spot whether your situation needs immediate action. If now is not a good moment, leave your details and we will call you back.
333 Bradford St, Suite 290, Redwood City, CA 94063
No. Agents are trained interviewers and there is no informal version of that conversation. Declining to speak until you have counsel is not an admission of anything, and it is what every defense lawyer would tell their own family to do.
The opposite. White collar cases are largely shaped during the investigation, and the window to influence what gets charged closes once an indictment is returned. Pre-indictment is the most valuable time to have counsel involved.
Company counsel represents the company. If the company's interest is in demonstrating cooperation, that can mean identifying individuals. You need someone whose only client is you.
Communications with the firm are privileged from the first conversation, whether or not you retain us. Consultations are private and are not disclosed.
Sometimes, and the deadlines run earlier than most people expect. Restraint and forfeiture proceedings often move on a separate track from the criminal case and need to be addressed on their own terms.
It depends on whether the matter is pre-indictment, charged, or on appeal, and on the volume of financial records involved. Mr. Johnson will give you a clear picture of the structure during the consultation.
