Rhode Island Felony Defense Lawyer

In most cases, yes. Bail is set by a judge and depends on the severity of the charge, your record, and flight risk. Certain serious felonies can be held without bail. An experienced Bank & Munns felony lawyer can argue for reasonable bail at your arraignment.

Bank & Munns handles the full spectrum of Rhode Island felony charges in Superior Court across all four counties (Providence, Kent, Washington, Newport). Our felony defense practice covers:

Drug felonies: possession with intent to distribute, drug trafficking, manufacturing, delivery, and conspiracy charges involving cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and large-quantity marijuana.

Violent felonies: assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW), felony assault, robbery (first and second degree), kidnapping, home invasion, and felony domestic violence.

Sex offenses: first, second, and third-degree sexual assault, child molestation, internet sex crimes, and sex offender registration defense.

Firearms offenses: carrying without a license (CDW), felon in possession, straw purchases, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Property crimes: burglary, breaking and entering, arson, larceny over $1,500, felony shoplifting, and receiving stolen goods.

White-collar felonies: embezzlement, identity theft, forgery, insurance fraud, Rhode Island Medicaid fraud, and computer crimes.

Motor vehicle felonies: third-offense DUI, DUI with serious injury, DUI with death resulting, and habitual offender enhancements.

Enhancement cases: Rhode Island habitual offender and career-criminal sentencing enhancements, complex conspiracy, and multi-count indictments.

Every felony charge gets a case-specific strategy review at the free consultation. Call (401) 573-2265 to speak with an attorney today.

Bank & Munns built its reputation on felony defense, the cases where the stakes are highest and the margin for error is zero. We're Rhode Island's most-reviewed criminal defense firm with over 1,300 five-star Google reviews, recognized among the top felony and DUI defense attorneys in the state, with 13+ years of Superior Court trial experience across Providence, Kent, Washington, and Newport counties.

We've defended clients against:

• Drug trafficking and distribution
• Armed robbery and first-degree robbery
• Assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW)
• First-degree sexual assault and child molestation
• Burglary, arson, and home invasion
• Felony DUI (third offense, DUI with serious injury or death)
• Domestic felonies
• Firearms offenses including carrying without a license
• Complex white-collar indictments and multi-count conspiracies

Our approach to every felony case:

• Pre-indictment intervention where possible, the highest-leverage window before the grand jury locks in charges
• Full motion practice to suppress weak evidence and force the state's hand
• Direct attorney access, you call your attorney, not an assistant
• Trial-ready posture from day one, prosecutors negotiate differently when they know we'll actually try the case

Free consultation, flat-rate quotes for most matters, and a defense strategy built specifically to your charge, record, and goals. When your freedom is on the line, experience and local reputation matter.

Rhode Island felony penalties are among the most severe in New England. Prison sentences range from one year and a day (the minimum to qualify as a felony) all the way to life without parole for first-degree murder.

Common sentencing ranges:

• Drug distribution, 5 to 40 years depending on substance and quantity
• Assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW), up to 20 years
• First-degree robbery, 10 years to life
• First-degree sexual assault, 10 years to life, plus mandatory registration
• Burglary, up to life
• Kidnapping, up to 20 years
• Carrying a firearm without a license, 3 to 10 years with a one-year mandatory minimum

On top of prison time: fines up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, restitution, probation often 5+ years, mandatory DNA submission, and, for sex offenses, lifetime sex offender registration.

Collateral consequences of any felony conviction include:

• Permanent loss of firearm rights
• Loss of voting rights during incarceration
• Deportation for non-citizens
• Professional license revocation
• Employment barriers in healthcare, education, finance, government
• Public housing ineligibility
• Loss of federal student aid

Some Rhode Island felonies carry mandatory minimum sentences the judge cannot suspend or run concurrent. This is why every Bank & Munns felony defense starts with charge-reduction strategy, keeping exposure as low as possible before any plea or trial decision.

Absolutely not. Talking to police in a Rhode Island felony investigation is the single fastest way to turn a defensible case into a lost one. Here's why:

Detectives are trained interrogators. They use rapport-building, minimization ("it's not that big a deal, just help us understand"), false evidence claims (legal in Rhode Island, police can lie about what they have), and open-ended questions designed to get you talking, contradicting yourself, or placing yourself at the scene. Even if you think you're just "clearing things up," every word is recorded, scrutinized by a prosecutor, and often replayed to a jury months later stripped of all context.

You have no obligation to explain, deny, or cooperate. The Fifth Amendment exists for exactly this moment. The correct response to any felony-level questioning is:

"I'm not answering any questions without my lawyer."

Then stop talking, even if they keep asking. Additional rules:

• Do not text, call, email, or post anything about the case on social media.
• Do not try to contact alleged victims or witnesses, that can trigger witness tampering or obstruction charges on top of the original felony.
• Do call Bank & Munns immediately.

We handle every communication with law enforcement and prosecutors on your behalf, protecting every defense and every negotiating angle from the start.

A Rhode Island felony conviction is permanent unless you actively remove it. Under Rhode Island's expungement statute, a single non-violent felony conviction is typically eligible for expungement ten years after the completion of your sentence (including parole and probation), with no intervening convictions during that period.

Several categories of felonies are not expungeable under Rhode Island law:

• Violent felonies as defined in R.I.G.L. 11-47-2(14)
• Most sex offenses
• Felonies carrying a life maximum
• Certain firearms offenses

If you have multiple felony convictions, expungement options narrow significantly and often require a gubernatorial pardon through the Rhode Island Parole Board.

While the conviction remains on your record, it shows up on:

• Every criminal background check
• BCI reports
• Firearms purchase checks
• Housing applications
• Employment screenings
• Professional licensing board reviews

A felony conviction also costs you Second Amendment rights, voting rights while incarcerated, and, for non-citizens, almost always triggers removal proceedings regardless of how long you've been in the U.S.

The only guaranteed way to keep a felony off your record permanently is to prevent the conviction at the front end. Bank & Munns fights every felony case from that posture: our job is to prevent the record from ever existing.

Yes, Rhode Island prosecutors regularly reduce felony charges to misdemeanors, but it takes leverage. The real paths to reduction are:

1. Negotiated reduction based on case weaknesses. A bad search, Miranda violation, weak identification, unreliable witness, chain-of-custody issue, or a charging decision that overreaches the facts all create bargaining room.
2. Motion practice. Filing motions to suppress evidence, motions to dismiss for lack of probable cause, or motions challenging grand-jury procedure often forces the state to bargain rather than risk losing the case entirely. Superior Court judges in Rhode Island take these motions seriously when they're well-supported.
3. Strong mitigation. No prior record, solid community ties, stable employment, proactive treatment or counseling enrollment, and cooperation can make the state willing to offer a lesser charge.
4. Pre-indictment intervention. Often the highest-leverage window, engaging counsel before the grand jury returns an indictment that locks in felony-level charges. The longer you wait, the fewer options remain.

Bank & Munns has secured hundreds of felony reductions and outright dismissals across 13+ years in Rhode Island Superior Court. We understand how the local prosecutor's offices evaluate cases and how to create the pressure that produces a reduced charge or dismissal. The earlier you hire counsel, ideally before the grand jury meets, the more leverage you have.

A Rhode Island felony is any criminal offense punishable by more than one year in state prison at the Adult Correctional Institutions. Felonies are prosecuted in Rhode Island Superior Court (not District Court like misdemeanors) and carry dramatically more severe consequences across every dimension, sentence length, collateral consequences, and long-term impact.

Common Rhode Island felonies include:

• Drug offenses, possession with intent to deliver, drug trafficking, and manufacturing involving cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, or large-quantity marijuana
• Violent crimes, robbery (first and second degree), assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW), felony assault with serious bodily injury, kidnapping, home invasion
• Domestic violence, felony-level domestic assault, especially with prior convictions
• Sex offenses, first, second, and third-degree sexual assault, child molestation
• Property crimes, burglary, breaking and entering, arson, larceny over $1,500
• Firearms offenses, carrying without a license, felon in possession
• White-collar, identity theft, embezzlement, forgery
• Motor vehicle felonies, third-offense DUI, DUI with serious injury, DUI resulting in death, and habitual offender enhancements

Some Rhode Island felonies carry mandatory minimum sentences the judge cannot suspend. Every felony case Bank & Munns handles starts with a charge-by-charge analysis: can it be reduced, can it be dismissed, what are the trial odds, and what does a best-case plea look like.