Being the subject of a government inquiry in your job or personal life as a healthcare practitioner, business owner, CEO, or other professional can have devastating consequences. If federal investigators and prosecutors uncover enough evidence to charge you with a white-collar crime, you might face harsh penalties and extended periods of jail.
If you are convicted, protecting your professional reputation will be the last thing on your mind. If you need a consultation with an experienced federal defense attorney, call Chambers Law Firm right now at 714-760-4088.
White-collar crime can take various forms
In all types of federal white-collar investigations and prosecutions, we can defend people and companies. In a variety of situations, including those described below, our white-collar crime attorneys can defend physicians, other professionals, executives, board members, firm owners, and corporate organizations.
Fraudulent checks and bank accounts
According to federal law, bank fraud is defined 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.
Bank fraud includes forging signatures on financial papers, altering checks, check kiting, and using identity theft to get a loan or credit. Bank fraud carries a fine of up to $1 million as well as a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison.
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is a white-collar crime that includes unlawfully obtaining cash from a federally insured financial institution, such as through bank misapplication. Federal prosecutors must be able to show that you are knowingly and intentionally embezzled or misapplied money as an officer or employee of an FDIC-insured bank, with the purpose to harm and defraud the bank.
Forgery
Forgery is the act of falsifying a document in order to defraud a person, a financial institution, the federal government, or a private enterprise. This includes not only the forging or altering of signatures on checks and other financial instruments, but also the forging or altering of any other information on a legal document or financial instrument. Federal forgery carries severe penalties, including up to 20 years in federal prison.
Health-care deception (including Medicare fraud)
Obtaining money from commercial insurance companies or federal healthcare benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare using a variety of unethical methods is known as healthcare fraud. Federal authorities employ the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Stark Law to investigate and punish healthcare practitioners who are accused of fraud.
Contact Chambers Law Firm at 714-760-4088 for a free legal consultation with an expert attorney if you have been charged with any of the aforementioned crimes or any other white-collar federal felony.
