Does a search warrant mean charges were filed?

What a warrant is

Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 41 lets a magistrate judge issue a warrant at the request of a federal officer or government attorney, based on probable cause. The warrant covers evidence of a crime, contraband, property used in a crime, or persons to be arrested. The officer gives a copy of the warrant and a receipt for property taken, then returns the warrant and an inventory to the judge. The Fourth Amendment says a warrant must rest on probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describe the place to be searched and the things to be seized.

What a charge is

A complaint is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense, made under oath before a magistrate judge (Rule 3). Felonies are generally charged by indictment from a grand jury unless the defendant waives it, and misdemeanors may be charged by information (Rule 7). The federal courts' journalist guide describes these three routes.

Why the two get confused

• A search can happen at any stage of an investigation, before anyone is charged. Executing a warrant does not by itself mean anyone has been charged or found guilty.
• The courts' journalist guide says warrant applications remain sealed until after a search, and sometimes until after an arrest or the end of an investigation. Reporters may know little about the reasons at first.
• FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations says its agents can obtain and execute search and arrest warrants, and that the Justice Department prosecutes. A warrant tied to an FDA matter therefore does not itself show who, if anyone, will be charged.

What to look for in coverage

• A charging document: a complaint, information or indictment in court records, not just a report that agents were present.
• Which agency made a statement, and whether it described a search, an arrest or a charge.
• Whether the people named in coverage are named in a court document or only in a report.