Even though many people believe that white collar crimes are victimless, in reality, everyone suffers from this type of criminal activity. Lying, cheating, and stealing are the basic forms of white collar crime. Deception promoted to create financial gain is the objective of white collar crime. The impact of being convicted for white collar crimes can affect your entire future and even that of your family. White collar crimes involve basic dishonesty, which is punishable under state and federal laws.
The term “white collar crime” originated in 1939, and today refers mostly to fraud committed by business and government professionals. These scams can harm many people and companies, so they are not victimless. Financial losses occur when white collar crimes wipe out personal savings, cost investors billions of dollars, destroy a company, or result in all three situations. Schemes today are more sophisticated than ever, as perpetrators of fraud utilize modern technology, computers, and the internet.
Attorney Edward Bajoka can help. The Bajoka Law Group conducts complex internal investigations for corporate clients regularly. They conduct thorough investigations quickly. Our attorneys help clients understand their exposure by setting priorities, assessing witness credibility, making factual findings, and planning the best course of action.
Some examples of white collar crimes include:
Accounting Fraud and Abuse
Bribery and Corruption
Bank Fraud
Forgery
Embezzlement
Inside Trading
White collar crimes are a growing segment of overall criminal activity. The stakes are higher today, and with modern technology, those who commit white collar crime can hide their activity more easily. Most of the people committing white collar crimes are college educated white males. These men create 4 times greater losses than losses from schemes carried out by women. The real estate sector is especially prone to being affected by white collar crime. Activities associated with white collar crime include computer/cyber crimes, financial fraud, and public corruption.
Possible punishments for Federal white collar crime include:
Prison: Embezzling money owned by the federal government for less than $1,000 can lead to a year in jail. Embezzling over $1,000 from the federal government can lead to up to 10 years in prison. A conviction for a single count of tax evasion can lead to five years in prison. Each additional conviction can add another five years. Other white-collar crimes have potentially severe prison penalties as well.
Probation: Probation is an alternative to jail that a judge can sentence someone for a white collar crime conviction. As part of the probation, the offender will have to follow certain guidelines, may have to submit for drug or alcohol screening, and will have an assigned probation agent that they will need to stay in close contact with. Violations of probation can result in lengthy prison sentences.
Restitution: A judge can order an offender to pay back the money improperly obtained due to their illegal activity. This number can easily end up in the millions of dollars.
Fines: Anyone convicted of a white-collar criminal offense is subject to hefty fines. A conviction for tax evasion can result in up to a $250,000 fine per offense. Tax evasion by organizations can result in up to a $500,000 fine per offense.
Other: A white-collar criminal conviction can result in the suspension or revocation of your professional license (i.e. medical, law, accounting).
The first priority of Attorney Edward Bajoka as your white collar crime defense lawyer is to protect your rights while you are under investigation, in custody or after arraignment. Once Attorney Bajoka has met that objective, he will aggressively pursue any leads and begin mounting a solid defense. Attorney Bajoka will never forget that protecting your reputation in the community is just as important as helping you get the best possible outcome for your charges.
A white-collar crime requires a criminal intent to unjustly enrich oneself through the use of some sort of false or illegal claim or activity. It is the United States Attorney’s burden to prove that you had a criminal intent to commit a white-collar crime. A common possible defense is that of mistake. In order to prove a criminal intent, it must be proven that the act was intentional, with the intent to defraud the United States government. What about other defenses? Were there constitutional violations? Is there even enough evidence? Does proper forensic accounting show fraudulent activity? These are just a few of the defenses and questions a seasoned federal white collar crime attorney will ask while building a proper defense.
For representation from an attorney industry leader, call Michigan Attorney Edward Bajoka at
(844) 4BAJOKA
today.