What They Mean And What To Do

Target Letters and Investigations

What They Mean and What to Do

Target letters are official correspondence from the Justice Department informing someone that he or she is being investigated for a crime.

They do not formally charge a person with a crime, but they do indicate that the person is a target of a grand jury investigation. Grand juries investigate alleged violations of federal or state criminal laws.

Target letters are often used to be fair to someone who is likely to be charged with a crime. They give the person an opportunity to hire an attorney and prepare a defense.

There are three key things to know about target letters:

1. They are not a formal charge of a crime.
2. They indicate that the person is a target of a grand jury investigation.
3. They give the person an opportunity to hire an attorney and prepare a defense.