The federal government should turnover its evidence to the defense attorney. This is called discovery, and federal rule of criminal procedure Rule 16 controls discovery. However, one of the most difficult problems in a federal criminal case is obtaining adequate discovery, and in any event, discovery is limited in most federal cases. Rule 16 provides access generally to statements of the defendant, criminal record of the defendant, physical evidence, scientific reports and summaries of expert testimony as well as the bases for expert opinions.


