Minneapolis Criminal Defense Lawyer for State and Federal Charges

If you have been arrested, charged with a crime, contacted by police, or placed under investigation in Minnesota, the decisions you make early can affect your freedom, record, career, reputation, and future. Keyser Law, P.A. represents clients facing serious criminal allegations in Minneapolis, Stillwater, and throughout Minnesota.

Founding attorney Christopher Keyser is a Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist focused on criminal defense. He represents clients facing misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, felony, and federal charges, including DWI/DUI, assault, domestic assault, drug offenses, theft, fraud, criminal sexual conduct, federal crimes, and probation violations.

Criminal cases can move quickly. Police reports, body-camera footage, witness statements, search warrants, chemical tests, digital evidence, forensic evidence, and prior records may all shape the direction of a case. A defense lawyer can help you understand what the government must prove, evaluate the evidence, protect your constitutional rights, and identify issues that may affect the outcome.

At Keyser Law, P.A., the defense strategy begins with understanding what happened, what evidence exists, and what risks and opportunities the case presents. That may involve challenging an unlawful stop or search, questioning witness credibility, examining forensic or digital evidence, negotiating with prosecutors, filing motions, or preparing the case for trial.

Hear From Christopher Keyser About Criminal Defense in Minnesota

Every criminal case is different. Watch the video below to learn more about how Christopher Keyser approaches criminal defense representation and the importance of building a strategy around the facts, evidence, and goals of each client.

What a Criminal Defense Lawyer Can Do Early in a Case

After an arrest or accusation, many people are unsure what to do next. Some want to explain their side of the story to police. Others assume a misdemeanor or first-time offense isn’t serious enough to require legal help. In some cases, decisions made during the first days of an investigation can affect the options available later.

A criminal defense lawyer can help you understand the charge, the possible consequences, the evidence the government may use, and the defenses that may apply. Early representation may also help preserve evidence, protect you from unnecessary statements, address release conditions, prepare for court, and identify important deadlines.

Defense work is not limited to trial. Depending on the case, it may involve investigation, negotiation, constitutional challenges, motion practice, sentencing advocacy, or preparation for a jury trial. The strategy should reflect the specific facts of the case rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Criminal Defense for a Wide Range of Minnesota Charges

Different criminal charges raise different legal and evidentiary issues. A DWI case may involve the legality of a traffic stop and chemical-test evidence. An assault or domestic assault case may depend on witness credibility, self-defense, conflicting accounts, or video evidence. Drug, fraud, sex crime, and federal cases may involve search warrants, digital records, financial evidence, forensic testing, or lengthy investigations.

Keyser Law, P.A. handles a broad range of state and federal criminal matters. Explore the practice areas below to learn more about specific charges and the issues that may affect a defense.

Arson

This type of criminal offense involves deliberately setting fire to a structure or land area, such as a house, car, or wooded area. You can also be charged with arson for failing to extinguish a fire you started, setting fire to possessions in order to claim insurance, or obstructing access to a fire hydrant.

Assault

Under Minnesota law, assault is considered an act intended to cause fear of immediate bodily injury or death, or an attempted or actual act causing bodily harm. You could be charged with assault for engaging in a fight with another person, touching another person without their consent

Residential Burglary

Minnesota law defines burglary as illegal entry into a residence with the intent to commit an offense, such as robbery, assault, or vandalism

Detox & Jail Release

In Minnesota, law enforcement and medical facilities can hold you against your will based on a mental or chemical health emergency. However, an attorney may be able to petition a district court judge to obtain your release.

Disorderly Conduct

Disorderly conduct is generally an act which tends to “alarm, anger or disturb others, or tends to provoke an assault or breach of peace.”

Domestic Assault / Domestic Violence

Assault charges are considered domestic assault offenses if you share a domestic relationship with the alleged victim. A domestic relationship could include current and former couples, parents and children, blood relatives, parents, and roommates

Drug Offenses

Drug crimes may include possession or sale of a variety of controlled substances, such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. The severity of these crimes typically depends on the amount and type of the substance in question

DWI / DUI

A DWI arrest can lead to criminal charges and consequences for your driver’s license. Keyser Law, P.A. represents clients facing first-time, repeat, and felony DWI allegations throughout Minnesota.

Expungement / Criminal Record Sealing

When you go through the legal process of expunging or sealing your criminal record, that record can no longer be accessed by authority figures such as employers and landlords. Expunging your criminal record can make it easier for you to find work, secure housing, and obtain loans

Federal Crimes

Federal crimes are crimes tried in federal courts under federal law, and are usually more serious than state-level offenses. Some common examples of federal offenses include white collar crimes, certain types of drug and sex crimes, and immigration crimes

Felonies

Far more serious than misdemeanors, felony charges almost always involve fairly lengthy jail sentences and other penalties that can upend your entire life

Fraud

There are all kinds of ways to commit fraud, and sometimes people may not even understand that they are doing it until they find themselves charged. Don’t face this serious offense alone.

Homicide & Murder

In Minnesota, homicide and murder charges can carry the most severe penalties and consequences. There are three degrees of murder, two degrees of manslaughter in addition to criminal vehicular homicide.

Juvenile Crimes

There is a very specific process that juvenile crimes follow in our state. If you want your child to have the best possible outcome in their case, you need to work with someone who understands the system and knows how to work within it.

Kidnapping

Kidnapping is a felony level offense in Minnesota. If a victim is released in a safe place without great bodily harm, the maximum punishment for kidnapping is 20 years imprisonment and/or a $35,000 fine. If a victim is not released in a safe place, or if a victim suffers great bodily harm during the course of a kidnapping, or if the person kidnapped is under the age of 16, the maximum punishment for kidnapping is 40 years imprisonment and/or a $50,000 fine. Kidnapping is different and separate from burglary, robbery, or assault charges.

Criminal Defense for Military Service Members

Captain Christopher Keyser currently serves as a Judge Advocate (JAG) in the U.S. Army Reserves. As a civilian, Captain Keyser is a criminal defense attorney who understands the consequences of military service members facing criminal charges.  

Probation Violations

The vast majority of criminal defendants are placed on probation rather than sent to jail. This is especially true for people charged with first-time offenses. Whenever the court places a defendant on probation, there is a jail or prison sentence stayed or "suspended" in order to provide incentive for the defendant to successfully complete probation, stay out of trouble, and prove to the court and community that he or she deserves a break.

Prostitution

The key to successfully defending Minnesota prostitution charges is a combination of knowing how the court system works, having solid relationships with prosecutors, and a willingness to bring the case to trial when the prosecution refuses to fairly negotiate. Minneapolis prostitution defense lawyer Christopher Keyser was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer, and has a Superb rating on Avvo.com.

Criminal Sexual Conduct / Sex Crimes

Criminal sexual conduct, commonly called “sex crimes,” is an umbrella term covering a variety of offenses, including indecent exposure, rape, child molestation, child pornography crimes, and prostitution crimes

Shoplifting / Retail Theft

Adults face the possibility of jail time even for the lowest level of shoplifting, and if someone under 18 engages in retail theft, parents or guardians can be held liable for up to $1,000. To protect your rights and future, you need a strong defense.

Simple Robbery

Minnesota defines simple robbery as the intentional taking of personal property from another with use or threatened use of imminent force. Simple robbery is a felony level offense carrying a maximum of 10 years imprisonment and/or a $20,000 fine. Simple robbery is different from burglary or other types of robbery offenses in Minnesota. Click our links to read about the differences.

Solicitation

Minneapolis solicitation defense lawyer Christopher Keyser is an aggressive trial attorney who wins cases. In every Minnesota solicitation case, Mr. Keyser works to get charges dismissed and keep your criminal record clear. When a dismissal is not possible, he pushes the solicitation case to trial.

Theft

Theft crimes in Minnesota range from stealing petty amounts of merchandise to thousands of dollars in bad checks, to stealing cars and embezzling corporate funds. Theft convictions leave a permanent and damaging stain on records that affect employment, housing, licenses, and loans. The punishments for theft are wide ranging depending on the type of theft offense involved.

Weapons Charges

Mr. Keyser has been helping people in Minnesota to battle weapons charges for years. He knows exactly what is needed to help you. Work with Chris Keyser and he will do everything in his power to get your charges reduced, dropped, or altogether dismissed.

White Collar Crimes

Because white collar crimes do not involve any physical violence, most people in Minnesota tend to view them as less serious offenses. After all, holding someone up at gunpoint is a far more disturbing image than clicking a few computer keys to access someone else’s money or credit information. But white collar crimes can be just as devastating to victims, and in many cases they affect a far larger group of people.

How Keyser Law, P.A. Builds a Criminal Defense Strategy

The defense strategy in a criminal case depends on the charge, the evidence, the jurisdiction, the client’s prior record, and the client’s goals. No single approach works in every case.

Keyser Law, P.A. may review police reports, body-camera footage, squad video, 911 calls, witness statements, search warrants, laboratory reports, chemical-test records, digital evidence, financial records, and other materials relevant to the allegations. The goal is to understand what the prosecution can prove, what it cannot prove, and what legal or factual issues may improve the client’s position.

Potential defense issues may include whether police had a lawful basis to stop, search, question, or arrest someone; whether witnesses are reliable; whether evidence was properly obtained and preserved; whether the prosecution can establish intent; whether self-defense or another legal defense applies; or whether forensic or digital evidence supports the government’s theory.

Some cases may be resolved through negotiation. Others require motions, evidentiary hearings, or trial preparation. A defense lawyer’s role is to help the client understand the risks, options, and possible consequences so they can make informed decisions at every stage.

Why Early Representation Matters

The period immediately after an arrest, accusation, or law-enforcement contact can be important. Statements made to police, lost or overwritten evidence, missed deadlines, violations of release conditions, or contact with an alleged victim or witness may affect how the case develops.

Getting a lawyer involved early can help preserve evidence, review police conduct, prepare for court, address release conditions, and begin evaluating the government’s case before important decisions are made.

If you believe you are under investigation, have received a citation or summons, were arrested, or have already been charged, you do not need to wait until the first court appearance to seek legal advice.

Consequences of a Criminal Conviction in Minnesota

A criminal conviction can affect far more than the immediate court sentence. Depending on the charge, consequences may include jail or prison, probation, fines, restitution, treatment requirements, driver’s license consequences, firearm restrictions, immigration issues, professional licensing concerns, and a criminal record.

A conviction may also affect employment, housing, education, family matters, security clearances, military service, and future sentencing exposure. Certain offenses may carry additional consequences such as registration requirements, mandatory minimum penalties, or long-term restrictions.

For that reason, a defense strategy should consider both the criminal case and the practical consequences that may continue after the court process ends.

Why Choose Keyser Law, P.A.?

Keyser Law, P.A. focuses on criminal defense for clients facing serious charges in Minnesota. Christopher Keyser is a Board-Certified Criminal Law Specialist and represents clients in misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, felony, and federal criminal matters.

Clients receive direct guidance about the evidence, court process, potential consequences, and available defense options. The firm’s approach emphasizes preparation, communication, and a strategy built around the specific facts of each case.

For answers to common questions about Minnesota criminal cases, visit the Minnesota Criminal Defense FAQs or learn more about when to contact a Minneapolis criminal defense lawyer.

Contact a Minneapolis Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

A criminal charge in Minnesota deserves immediate attention. Whether you are facing a sudden DWI arrest, a serious felony, a domestic assault allegation, a drug charge, a probation violation, or a federal investigation, the earlier you get legal advice, the sooner you can begin protecting your rights and future.

Keyser Law, P.A. represents clients in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Stillwater, and throughout Minnesota. Contact the firm to schedule a free initial consultation and speak with a criminal defense attorney about your case.

• Call the Minneapolis office at (612) 338-5007.
• Contact Keyser Law, P.A. online through the contact page.
• Speak with Christopher Keyser about the charges, evidence, risks, and possible defense strategy.