The criminal complaint on Form AO 91 is a United States District Court form, published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, on which a complainant states under oath the facts behind a charge. It records the date, county and district of the alleged violation, the code section and a description of the offense, and it ends with the complainant's signature and a judge's signature. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the blank form is published by the agency at uscourts.gov.
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What is AO 91?
Form AO 91, Criminal Complaint, is the United States District Court form on which a complainant states that certain facts are true to the best of their knowledge and belief and identifies the code section and offense a defendant is said to have violated.
The form is published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO). Its heading names the court: "United States District Court for the ______ District of ______". Below that comes the case caption, United States of America v. the defendant(s), with a space for the case number.
The body of the form has four working parts:
- A statement by the complainant that the following is true to the best of their knowledge and belief.
- The date(s) "on or about" which the offense occurred, the county and the district, followed by a table with two columns, Code Section and Offense Description.
- The sentence "This criminal complaint is based on these facts:", with space for the facts and a box to mark when they are Continued on the attached sheet.
- Signature blocks: the complainant's signature with printed name and title, and a judge's signature with printed name and title, city and state and date, under the line "Sworn to before me and signed in my presence."
The revision printed on this version is Rev. 11/11. The form itself does not describe any other filing steps, fees or deadlines.
Who needs to file AO 91?
The person who completes Form AO 91 is the complainant, the person who writes "I, the complainant in this case" and signs the statement. The form does not say who may act as complainant, so any question about that goes to the court where the case is brought.
A judge also has a part on the form. The sworn section reads "Sworn to before me and signed in my presence," and it carries the judge's signature, printed name and title, the date, and the city and state. The complainant therefore signs in front of the judge rather than in advance.
The form is captioned for a United States District Court and a named district, so it is used in that setting and not for state court filings. It is written for a single case and names the defendant(s) in the caption, so a separate form is completed for each case caption.
When to file AO 91
The form prints no due date. It is completed when the complainant is ready to state the facts of the alleged violation and to sign them in front of a judge, and the date that matters on the page is the date entered beside the judge's signature, under "Sworn to before me and signed in my presence." The offense dates are entered separately, in the line that begins "On or about the date(s) of," so gather the date, county and district of the alleged violation before you start.
Documents you need
- An attached sheet continuing the facts, only if the facts do not fit in the space on the form and you mark the Continued on the attached sheet box.
How to fill out AO 91
Enter the court district
In the heading, write the name of the District of the United States District Court in the two blanks after "for the" and "District of."
Complete the case caption
Under United States of America v., list the defendant(s) and enter the Case No. in the space provided.
Read the complainant's statement
The form begins "I, the complainant in this case, state that the following is true to the best of my knowledge and belief." Complete the form only with statements that meet that standard.
Enter the offense date, county and district
In the line "On or about the date(s) of ___ in the county of ___ in the ___ District of ___," fill in the date(s), the county and the district where the defendant(s) violated the law.
List code sections and offenses
In the table, put each Code Section in the first column and its Offense Description in the second, one row per violation.
State the facts
Under "This criminal complaint is based on these facts:" write the facts. If they do not fit, mark the box for Continued on the attached sheet and attach the sheet.
Add the complainant's signature block
Enter the complainant's printed name and title below the signature line. The complainant signs when the form is sworn.
Complete the judge's sworn section
Under "Sworn to before me and signed in my presence," the date, the judge's signature, the city and state, and the judge's printed name and title are entered.
Review, save and download the PDF
Check the district, case number, dates, code sections and signature blocks, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF.
How to submit AO 91
Form AO 91 prints no mailing address, portal or filing instruction, so its own text does not name a channel. What it does show is the court it belongs to: the heading reads "United States District Court for the ______ District of ______," and the caption leaves room for the case number. Complete those lines so the form identifies the right court and case.
The complainant signs, and the judge signs under the sworn section, so the form is completed in two stages: the complainant's statement and facts first, then the sworn signing before the judge. If the facts continue on another page, mark the Continued on the attached sheet box and keep the attached sheet with the form.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts publishes the blank form at https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/ao091.pdf. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's own channels.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the court heading blank: the form is captioned for a United States District Court and asks for the name of the district.
- Entering the offense in the Offense Description column without the matching Code Section, or the reverse; the table has a column for each.
- Marking the Continued on the attached sheet box without attaching the sheet that carries the rest of the facts.
- Signing the complainant's block without the printed name and title that sit below the signature.
- Leaving the sworn section incomplete: it needs the judge's signature, printed name and title, the date, and the city and state.
- Omitting the county and district where the defendant(s) are said to have violated the law, which the date line asks for next to the 'on or about' date(s).
Frequently asked questions
What is a criminal complaint on Form AO 91?
It is a United States District Court form published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The complainant states the facts, the date, county and district of the alleged violation, and the code section and offense, and signs; a judge signs the sworn section.
Who signs Form AO 91?
Two people sign. The complainant signs the statement and facts, with printed name and title. A judge then signs under "Sworn to before me and signed in my presence," with printed name and title, date, and city and state.
What goes in the Code Section and Offense Description columns?
Put the code section the defendant(s) are said to have violated in the Code Section column and a description of that offense in the Offense Description column. The table lets you list more than one pair, one per row.
What if the facts do not fit on the form?
Mark the box next to "Continued on the attached sheet" and attach a sheet with the remaining facts. The form's line "This criminal complaint is based on these facts:" is where the facts begin.
Can I fill out the Criminal Complaint form online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service that does not file the complaint; filing follows the court's own channels, and the sworn signing happens before a judge.
Which court is the form for?
The form is captioned for a United States District Court. You write the name of the district in the heading and again in the line that gives the date and county of the alleged violation, and you enter the case number in the caption.
What revision of the form is this?
The version printed on this page is AO 91 (Rev. 11/11), Criminal Complaint, published by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts at uscourts.gov.
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