Secret Service Left a Business Card - What Do They Investigate
You came home to find a business card stuck in your door. United States Secret Service. A phone number. Maybe a handwritten note asking you to call. Your stomach drops. Your mind races.
Your first thought is probably this: I have nothing to do with the President. This must be some kind of mistake.
The Secret Service has two missions. Protection - of the President, Vice President, and other officials - is only half of it. The other half, the original half going back to 1865, is investigating financial crimes. That business card in your door has nothing to do with dignitary protection. It has everything to do with money.
Welcome to Spodek Law Group. We handle federal criminal defense in cases involving financial crimes, fraud investigations, and white-collar federal charges. If the Secret Service has contacted you, left you a message, or showed up at your home or workplace - this article explains what they investigate, why they might be at your door, and what you need to do before you pick up that phone.
Why the Secret Service Is at Your Door
Most people don't realize the Secret Service was created in 1865 specifically to combat counterfeit currency. After the Civil War, aproximately one-third of all currency in circulation was counterfeit. The Secret Service was established as part of the Treasury Department to fight this problem. Presidential protection didn't come until 1901, after President McKinley was assassinated.
In 2020, the Secret Service merged there Electronic Crimes Task Forces and Financial Crimes Task Forces into unified Cyber Fraud Task Forces. There are now 42 domestic CFTF locations and 2 international locations in London and Rome. The agency plans to expand to 160 offices in the coming years.
That business card means someone flagged something in the financial system. A credit card transaction. A bank transfer. Cryptocurrency movement. A suspicious deposit. Something triggered there attention.
Heres the uncomfortable truth most people dont want to hear: unlike street crime, financial crime leaves an electronic trail. When Secret Service agents show up at your door, they've typicaly already traced transactions through the banking system. They dont knock on your door to gather information from scratch. They knock because they already have enough to justify contact - and they want to see how you react.
The pandemic connection matters here too. The Secret Service recovered more than $1 billion in stolen pandemic relief funds. If you recieved PPP loans, EIDL funds, or unemployment benefits during COVID and anything about those applications was irregular, the Secret Service may have jurisdiction. They've been activley investigating pandemic fraud for years and show no signs of stopping.
What Financial Crimes They Investigate
The Secret Service investigates a wide range of financial crimes. Protection of the President is what makes the news. Protection of the financial system is what fills there caseload.
Types of financial crimes the Secret Service investigates:
- Counterfeit U.S. currency, bonds, and checks
- Bank fraud and wire fraud
- Credit card fraud and access device fraud
- Identity theft and aggravated identity theft
- Cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering
- Computer network breaches and ransomware
- Business email compromise schemes
- Pandemic relief fraud (PPP, EIDL, unemployment)
The penalties are severe. Federal sentencing guidelines for financial crimes can stack multiple charges from a single scheme:
- Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343) - up to 20 years, or 30 years if it affects a financial institution
- Bank Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344) - up to 30 years
- Aggravated Identity Theft (18 U.S.C. § 1028A) - mandatory 2 years consecutive
The aggravated identity theft statute is particulary dangerous. Each count carries its own mandatory 2-year consecutive sentence. If prosicutors charge five counts - one for each victim who's identity was allegedly used - thats 10 mandatory years before even getting to the underlying fraud charge. Federal judges have zero discretion on this. They cant make it concurrent. They cant reduce it for good behavior. They cant reduce it for acceptance of responsability.
Recent Secret Service cases show how this plays out in real courtrooms:
Steven Finkler (Connecticut, 2021): Career criminal who stole credit cards from his employer's customers. Made more then 40 fraudulent charges in Connecticut and New York, purchasing jewelry, Apple products, and consumer goods. Sentenced to 96 months - eight years in federal prison.
Adiam Berhane (Arlington, Virginia, 2023): Million-dollar credit card fraud scheme involving stolen identities. After a jury trial, convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, trafficking access devices, aggravated identity theft, and possession of device-making equiptment. Sentenced to 10 years federal prison.
Guerra-Pena (Florida/Colorado, 2024): Credit card skimming operation manufacturing clone cards from stolen data. Used fake cards to purchase diesel fuel resold on black market. Also stole vehicles and construction equiptment, removed VINs, sold to unwitting buyers. Sentenced to 55 months.
The conviction rate for aggravated identity theft is crushing. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 99.0% of people convicted under 18 USC 1028A go to federal prison. Not probation. Not house arrest. Federal prison.
What to Do When You Find That Business Card
The instinct when you see that business card is to call back immediately and "clear this up." The agent seemed friendly. Maybe they just have a few questions. You haven't done anything wrong, so what's the harm in talking?
Do not call that number without a lawyer.
Heres why. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, making false statements to federal agents is itself a federal crime - up to 5 years in prison. Even if the underlying conduct wasn't criminal, even if your completely innocent of whatever there investigating, one misstatement during that "innocent" callback can become its own felony charge.
Federal investigators distinguish three levels of involvement: witness, subject, or target. As a witness, the government beleives you have information about someone else's case. As a subject, your conduct is within the scope of there investigation but no decision has been made about charges. As a target, the government beleives you committed a crime or helped someone else commit one.
The problem? You have no way of knowing which category your in without legal counsel. Federal agents cannot disclose the nature of the investigation to you directly.
You might not be the target at all. The Secret Service may want you as a witness. They may be gathering information about a business partner, an employer, or someone else in your life. But heres the trap: a witness can become a target based on what they say in an unprotected interview. One statement that seems helpful to you could shift there entire focus.
If you've found a Secret Service business card, heres what to do:
- Do NOT call that number yet. Resist the urge to "clear this up" on your own.
- Gather any information you have about potential financial issues. Account problems. Identity theft notices. Unusual transactions.
- Think about who in your life might be under investigation. Business partners. Employers. Associates. Family members.
- Contact a federal criminal defense attorney immediately. Before you say a single word to anyone.
People think cooperating with federal agents will help them. Without formal protection, cooperation is just confession. Your attorney can negotiate proffer agreements, immunity deals, or cooperation frameworks that actually protect you while you provide information. Without those protections, every word you say becomes potential evidence.
Todd Spodek has handled financial crime cases investigated by the Secret Service and other federal agencies. He can contact the agent on your behalf, find out what the investigation is about, and protect you from inadvertently incriminating yourself. The agent cannot disclose the nature of the investigation to you - but they can, and must, disclose it to your attorney.
When Your Ready
If the Secret Service has left a business card at your door, at your business, or with someone you know - Spodek Law Group can help you understand what you're facing and what options exist.
Your attorney can say the words that protect you: "My client will not be making any statements at this time." Thats it. Thats all that needs to happen while we figure out what this is about.
We offer free consultations. We'll give you an honest assessment of the situation - are you a witness, subject, or target? What is the investigation about? What are realistic outcomes based on what we learn?
Call us at 212-300-5196. The sooner you have legal counsel, the more options you have. Once you've talked to federal agents without protection, statements cant be unsaid. Evidence cant be ungiven.
The business card is sitting there. The clock is running. Were here when you need us.
