Includes Federal Criminal Defense and Crimmigration
Section 1: Experience & Competence
Does the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler, PLLC handle criminal cases like mine?
Yes. Criminal defense is the core of the Law Offices of Robert Tsigler, PLLC, and its attorneys defend state and federal charges across New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and nationwide. Posted results cover violent felonies, sex offenses, firearm charges, felony DWI, and white collar fraud. For federal cases, Robert Tsigler is admitted in the Eastern, Southern, and Western Districts of New York and the 2nd and 6th Circuits, per his bio. For non-citizens, the firm defends the criminal charge and its immigration consequences together, a practice known as crimmigration.
Does the firm actually go to trial?
Yes. Attorneys at the firm have taken criminal cases to verdict and won. Ryan Forbes won a full acquittal, a not-guilty verdict on all charges, in a felony firearm possession trial. Helena Stranger won a full acquittal at trial in a Queens gun case. Prosecutors know which defense firms are ready to try a case, and that readiness drives better plea offers. The firm’s lawyers also include former prosecutors, including Managing Attorney Joseph Caldarera, a former Special Victims Bureau prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA’s Office.
Has the firm handled serious or high-stakes criminal cases before?
Yes. The firm’s posted results include charges carrying decades of prison exposure. Joseph Caldarera secured the dismissal of an attempted murder charge in Brooklyn, with the accompanying firearm charge reduced to a misdemeanor and no incarceration. John Fink won the dismissal of a Rape in the First Degree charge in Queens on CPL §30.30 speedy trial grounds. Walter Roesch IV resolved a fraud scheme involving more than $3 million in claimed restitution with a reduced plea that avoided lengthier state prison exposure. John Fink took a client facing multiple A-1 felony drug sale charges, punishable by up to life in prison, down to a misdemeanor possession plea.
Can the attorneys explain my options clearly?
Yes. Charges, plea offers, and sentencing ranges are explained in plain language, along with how each option affects your record, your job, and, for non-citizens, your immigration status. One client wrote in a Google review that John Fink “took the time to explain everything clearly.” Strategy also gets more than one set of eyes: the firm’s 12-Attorney Roundtable reviews cases as a group, so the options a client hears reflect collective analysis, including input from former prosecutors who know how the other side evaluates a case.
Section 2: Trust & Transparency
What will this cost?
Cost depends on the charge, the court, and how far the case goes. A misdemeanor in Criminal Court, a felony in Supreme Court, and a federal case in the Eastern or Southern District of New York require very different amounts of work, and a case that goes to trial costs more than one resolved by motion. The consultation is where the attorney reviews the charge, explains the likely path, and gives a direct fee answer. Ask what the fee covers and what would change it before you sign. The firm offers payment plans and financing options.
What happens after I hire the firm?
The defense starts on the court and evidence timeline right away: getting discovery, tracking deadlines, and identifying motions that end cases early. John Fink’s dismissal of a Rape in the First Degree charge came from holding the prosecution to the CPL §30.30 speedy trial clock. When a client is under investigation but not yet charged, the work starts even earlier: Ryan Forbes helped a client avoid charges entirely after a $65,000+ fraud investigation in the Bronx. For non-citizen clients, immigration consequences are analyzed before any plea is discussed.
Will the firm be honest with me about my chances?
Yes. Several of the firm’s attorneys have worked on the prosecution side, including Joseph Caldarera, a former Special Victims Bureau prosecutor in Brooklyn, Helena Stranger, who worked in the Munich DA’s Office, and Robert Tsigler, who interned in the Kings County DA’s Homicide and Green Zone Units, per his bio. Attorneys who have evaluated cases from the prosecution’s side give realistic assessments of the evidence, not optimistic ones. Clients hear the strengths and the weaknesses before they decide between a plea and a trial.
Section 3: Strategy & Results
What can be done for my situation?
The answer depends on the evidence, and the firm’s posted results show the tools that work. Speedy trial motions under CPL §30.30 have ended serious felony cases. An ACOD at arraignment resolved a firearm possession charge at JFK Airport. Pre-charge advocacy has stopped a fraud investigation before filing. Trial has produced full acquittals. SORA modification hearings have lowered sex offender risk levels to Level I, including for a combat veteran previously classified as Level III. For federal matters, the firm’s attorneys are admitted in the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Districts of New York, per the bios of Robert Tsigler and John Fink.
Can my charges be reduced or dismissed?
Yes. The firm’s posted results show both. An attempted murder charge was dismissed in Brooklyn. A Rape in the First Degree charge was dismissed on speedy trial grounds. A felony gun possession case was reduced to Disorderly Conduct, a non-criminal violation, and sealed. A felony DWI was reduced to a misdemeanor with no jail. Robert Tsigler states on his bio that he has secured the dismissal of thousands of criminal cases, and one client wrote on the firm’s testimonials page that “he got the CHARGES DISMISSED.” Recent results add a B felony gang assault charge dismissed and sealed by Helena Stranger, a grand larceny charge involving more than $1 million reduced to petit larceny by John Fink, and a Manhattan gun case Scott Migden had dismissed and sealed within two months of the arrest. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Can I avoid jail?
Often, yes, even when the charge is not dismissed. Walter Roesch IV took a Brooklyn D felony from a five-year jail offer to no jail time. Joseph Caldarera resolved a felony falsifying business records case with a conditional discharge and no incarceration after restitution. Scott Migden persuaded a Bronx court to impose probation instead of the standard two to seven years in prison on a Rape in the Second Degree charge, and secured a no-jail misdemeanor plea for a DWI client who blew a .46 BAC. For non-citizens, avoiding jail is only half the goal: the firm structures pleas to protect immigration status too, drawing on Robert Tsigler’s experience in more than 1,000 removal hearings.
What factors affect the outcome of my criminal case?
Specific procedural and legal factors drive criminal outcomes. Speedy trial time under CPL §30.30 can end a case regardless of the evidence, as it did in John Fink’s Rape in the First Degree dismissal. The legality of a stop or search, the strength of identification evidence, and the county where the case is charged all shape strategy. In federal cases, the Sentencing Guidelines and the prosecutor’s charging decisions control exposure. For non-citizens, the wording of a plea can trigger deportation, a risk Michael Elkin wrote about in the Chicago Review, per his bio.
Section 4: Client Experience
Will I be judged for what I’m charged with?
No. An arrest is not a verdict, and the firm treats every client as a person with a defense to build, not a charge to process. Robert Tsigler started in the Kings County DA’s Office and then built his career defending the accused, per his bio. Scott Migden published a law review Note in Family Court Review arguing against felony convictions for offenders under 21, per his bio. Clients facing sex offense, violent felony, or DWI charges get the same respect and the same fight as anyone else.
“I came to this law office in one of my darkest times of need, and I couldn’t recommend it more… Over half a year later and the situation is long behind me.”
How involved will I need to be in my case?
It depends on the case, and your attorney will tell you exactly what is needed. Most criminal cases require court appearances, and some require the client to gather documents, identify witnesses, or complete programs that support a better outcome. In Joseph Caldarera’s conditional discharge result, full restitution was part of the resolution. Walter Roesch IV’s Assault 2 reduction followed the client’s compliance with court conditions. The attorney handles motions, negotiations, and court strategy, and tells you in advance when your part matters most.
The firm responds to every client inquiry within one business day, and right away for emergency matters. Questions about reaching your attorney, case updates, payment plans, and confidentiality are answered on the firm’s main Q&A page.
