Professor Robert Weisberg explains the reasoning behind why federal agents might serve a warrant in a public place and what it says about the case they’re working on. 

When federal agents walked into Allentown City Hall last week brandishing a search warrant, it was a signal, experts say, that their investigation has already borne fruit.

“What a search warrant tells you is that the government has shown in court that there was probable cause to believe a crime was committed, and probable cause that there is evidence of that crime in that place that they searched,” said Lauren Ouziel, a Temple University law professor and former federal prosecutor.

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When federal agents execute a search warrant in a public place, it usually means prosecutors are feeling pretty good about their case or want to put public pressure on potential witnesses to cooperate, said Stanford Law School professor Robert Weisberg.

“It shows a fair amount of confidence by prosecutors,” he said, because once the probe becomes public, “people can try to hide evidence, or be a little more cautious in talking to the FBI.”

Ouziel, Weisberg and other experts interviewed for this story spoke generally about federal prosecutions involving government contracts, and not about Allentown’s case.