Fight Back Against Federal White-Collar Crime Allegations with the Help of an Aggressive Criminal Defense Attorney
As a healthcare practitioner, company owner, CEO, or other professional, becoming the subject of a government investigation in your work or personal life can have disastrous repercussions. You may face hefty penalties and long-term incarceration if federal investigators and prosecutors find enough evidence to prosecute you with a white-collar crime. Protecting your professional reputation will be the last thing on your mind if you are convicted.
Call Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088 right now if you are in need of a consultation with an experienced federal defense attorney.
There are many types of white-collar crime
We can defend individuals and corporations in all sorts of federal white-collar investigations and prosecutions. Our white-collar crime attorneys can represent physicians, other professionals, executives, board members, company owners, and corporate entities in a number of instances, including the ones listed below.
Check and bank fraud
The crime of bank fraud is defined by federal law as knowingly executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme or artifice to defraud a financial institution, or to obtain any of the moneys, funds, credits, assets, securities, or other property owned by, or under the custody or control of, a financial institution, through false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises.
Forging signatures on financial documents, changing checks, check kiting, and utilizing identity theft to get a loan or credit are all examples of bank fraud. Bank fraud is punishable by a fine of up to $1 million and up to 30 years in federal prison.
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is a white-collar crime that involves improperly acquiring funds from a federally insured financial institution, such as by misapplication of bank funds. Federal prosecutors must be able to prove that you, as an officer or employee of an FDIC-insured bank, knowingly and willfully embezzled or misapplied funds, and did so with the intent to injure and defraud the bank
Forgery
Falsifying a document with the aim to deceive a person, a financial institution, the federal government, or a private company is referred to as forgery. This covers not only the fabrication or modification of signatures on checks and other financial instruments, but also any other information on a legal document or financial instrument. Federal forgery is punished by significant penalties and up to 20 years in federal prison.
Health care fraud (including Medicare fraud)
Healthcare fraud is obtaining cash from commercial insurance companies or federal healthcare benefit programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare through a variety of unethical ways. The False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Law are among the legislation used by federal authorities to investigate and prosecute healthcare professionals accused of fraud.
Fraudulent mail and wire transfers
Mail and wire fraud are two federal felonies that are frequently charged together with other white-collar crimes. Both violations are punished by up to 20 years in jail and fines of $250,000 for people and $500,000 for businesses, with these penalties applied to each act of fraud.
Using the U.S. Postal Service, the internet, a cell phone, or any other kind of electronic communication in the conduct (or attempted commission) of a white-collar criminal activity is enough to prove responsibility for mail or wire fraud. As a result, when pursuing people and organizations for additional white-collar crimes, federal prosecutors nearly invariably use these statutes.
Money laundering
Money laundering is the practice of concealing the source or destination of unlawfully obtained funds through one or more financial transactions. Money laundering accusations are frequently filed with charges for other serious white-collar felonies, like mail fraud and wire fraud.
Mortgage fraud
Providing false information or fraudulent documents in order to get a loan for the acquisition of real estate is referred to as mortgage fraud. Several types of mortgage fraud have been uncovered by federal prosecutors, and they are likely to result in charges carrying harsh, life-altering consequences.
These are some of them:
- Income fraud (exaggerating income or “borrowing” money from a third party to look financially secure)
- Appraisal fraud (intentionally exaggerating or underestimating the value of real estate)
- Fraudulent disclosure (misstating debts or liabilities, misrepresenting employment status, and falsification of other loan application information)
Investment fraud
Securities fraud is a broad word that refers to a variety of breaches of SEC regulations and federal securities laws. Securities fraud investigations frequently target brokers, advisers, and financial organizations who are accused of scamming investors. Selling unregistered financial goods, account churning, offering inappropriate investment advice, and misappropriating portfolio assets are all ways to commit fraud.
Disclosure breaches may also be a subject of securities fraud charges (and may trigger disclosure obligations). Individuals and businesses accused of securities fraud must respond promptly and aggressively to minimize the impact of federal investigations.
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is a federal white collar crime that can result in fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars (in addition to responsibility for unpaid taxes and penalties) and up to five years in federal prison for each prosecutable violation. Tax evasion accusations are frequently pursued by federal prosecutors against both people and corporations. To defend against such allegations, you must first grasp the foundation for the government’s inquiry.
If you have been charged with any of the above crimes, or any other white-collar federal crime, contact Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088 to request a free legal consultation with an experienced attorney.
