Protecting Our Clients Throughout West Texas

Being accused of a crime is stressful anywhere in the Permian Basin, whether you live in the Tall City or out past West Odessa. From Monahans to Rankin, hard-working West Texans facing a charge want two things: someone who understands the pressure they’re under, and someone who knows exactly how the other side works. That’s us.

Here’s what most people don’t realize. By the time you hear about a charge, the case against you has usually been building for a while. Investigators have pulled records, talked to people around you, and started forming a theory. The sooner you have a lawyer, the more say you have in what happens next.

Our attorneys live and work in the Permian Basin. We’ve stood in courtrooms and detention centers from Big Spring to Pecos. And unlike firms that only advertise that they know the area, we practice exclusively in West Texas. We know the judges, the prosecutors and the community leaders. More importantly, they know us.

Contact our Midland criminal defense lawyers today for a free consultation.

Schedule a Free Consultation Today

DID YOU KNOW? Midland partner Brandi Young spent 16 years as a federal prosecutor, including more than 9 years as the chief federal prosecutor in Midland. She is the only practicing defense attorney in Midland and the surrounding area with experience as a supervisory federal prosecutor. In other words, she knows how federal cases get built in this district, because she supervised the people building them.

Keith & Lorfing: Your Trusted Permian Basin Criminal Defense Lawyers

When the State of Texas or the federal government charges a West Texan, we take on the prosecutors, and we enjoy it. We serve every West Texas community from offices in Abilene, Lubbock, Midland and San Angelo, and this is where we live too. Our Midland office is downtown, just around the corner from the courthouse.

Our team brings more than 150 years of combined legal experience and works with local judges and prosecutors every day. Many of us were prosecutors first. We’ve made the charging decisions ourselves, so we know what prosecutors look for, which weaknesses worry them, and when they’re open to a deal.

Once you hire us, we use that knowledge to fight for you and protect your rights at every stage of your case.

“Almost twenty-five years ago I made the decision to leave the big city of Houston and move to West Texas. I’ve raised my family here. I attend church here. I’ve served my fellow West Texans as a public servant and now I serve those West Texans I’m fortunate enough to call clients as their most loyal advocate in the criminal justice system. Midland is my home and successfully representing West Texans is what I do.”
-Brandi Young, Partner

Types of Criminal Charges We Handle

We defend state and federal cases across West Texas. Some, especially fraud and white-collar cases, are now built from data long before anyone knocks on your door.

• Fraud: Mail fraud, bank fraud, healthcare fraud, identity theft, securities fraud and related offenses. Many of these cases no longer start with a whistleblower. Investigators scan billing and financial data and flag anyone whose numbers look different from their peers.
  
  
• White-Collar Crimes: Embezzlement, cybercrimes, forgery, bribery, obstruction of justice and more. Embezzlement cases often surface from something small: a missing invoice, an odd wire transfer, or a vendor asking why its payment was never credited.
  
  
• Federal Crimes: Firearms offenses, drug trafficking, racketeering, terrorism-related charges and others. We have a dedicated federal defense site for these cases.
  
  
• Child Exploitation: Cases involving the abuse, trafficking and exploitation of minors, both online and offline.
  
  
• Drug Possession: Charges range from a Class B misdemeanor to a state jail felony or a third-, second- or first-degree felony, depending on the drug and the amount.
  
  
• Drug Distribution: Manufacturing, transporting, selling or possessing illegal drugs with intent to distribute.
  
  
• Firearms Offenses: Illegal possession, trafficking, use of firearms and other weapons charges.
  
  
• Conspiracy: Agreeing with others to commit a crime, even if the crime never happens. Prosecutors like conspiracy charges because one agreement can make you answer for what others did.
  
  
• Domestic Violence: Assault, threats and intimidation within a household, family or dating relationship.

Federal Fraud Cases Are Won or Lost on the Math

In a federal fraud case, the number that matters most is the loss amount. The sentencing guidelines work like a ladder: each time the loss crosses a threshold, your offense level climbs. Under the inflation-adjusted table that takes effect November 1, 2026, the first rung is $9,000, and the rungs keep coming at amounts like $200,000 and $750,000. Prosecutors can also count what you allegedly intended to take, not just what was actually lost.

Then come the add-ons. More victims, a fake identity or “sophisticated means” each push the level higher. In the Fifth Circuit, which covers West Texas, sophisticated means can apply to something as ordinary as routing money through a second “shell” account to hide personal spending. Stack enough of these and a “simple” fraud case can become the difference between a halfway house and a prison fence.

The government’s loss figure isn’t carved in stone. It’s usually a spreadsheet full of assumptions. We go through it line by line, looking for credits for real services, dollars counted twice, victims listed twice or already repaid, and “intended” losses that were never realistic. Cutting even $50,000 from a loss figure can drop you a bracket and take real time off a sentence. You don’t just plead to the government’s number. You litigate the math.

If you or a loved one have been accused of a state or federal crime, call Keith & Lorfing at (325) 308-6960 or contact us online. Consultations are by appointment, and we can meet you at our Midland office.

When to Hire a Criminal Defense Attorney

Hire a criminal defense attorney the moment you think you’re under investigation, not after you’re charged. Investigations start quietly. Agents subpoena bank records, analyze data and interview people around you, like bookkeepers, co-workers or former employees, long before you hear a word. By the time it feels real to you, the case is usually much further along than you think.

That early window matters. Our attorneys can influence prosecutors during the pre-filing stage, when they decide whether to charge you and how serious the charges will be. Once those decisions are made, you’re reacting to them instead of shaping them.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE CHARGED TO HIRE AN ATTORNEY IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

Three Mistakes We Saw Sink Cases When We Were Prosecutors

1. Deleting evidence. Clearing out emails, texts or financial records doesn’t make a problem go away. It creates a new one: obstruction. That charge is often easier to prove than the original one, because the government can show what existed, what was deleted and when. Preserved evidence, on the other hand, can become leverage when your lawyer uses it strategically.
2. Hoping it goes away. While you wait, the government keeps gathering records and talking to witnesses. These cases look slow on the surface, but underneath they never stop moving. Every week you delay is leverage you lose.
3. Explaining your side alone. Talking to investigators feels like the honest thing to do, but anything you say becomes part of their case. Let your lawyer make first contact and find out what the government already knows.

If you didn’t (or couldn’t) hire a lawyer before being charged, hire one immediately after your arrest. We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions and start fighting for your freedom.

Schedule a Free Consultation Today