Port St. Lucie White Collar Crimes Attorney
Smart, Strong and Effective Defense of White Collar Criminal Charges
White collar crimes are generally those considered to be accomplished through deception rather than force or the threat of force. Because there is no element of violence involved, you may think white collar crimes are not enforced as vigorously as crimes such as assault, drug crimes or sex offenses. Actually, though, white collar crimes are taken very seriously. In addition, they are often investigated and prosecuted by government agencies with huge amounts of resources and highly sophisticated tools and technology who spend months or even years building a complex and formidable case.
Persons convicted of white collar crimes face lengthy prison sentences, enormous fines and even asset forfeiture. In addition, they are unable to take a job in banking, accounting or the securities industry, or any job where their responsibilities include handling money. In fact, they are often unable to get any job or professional license where honesty is an important part of the job. A conviction for a white collar crime often ruins the person’s reputation much more so than a conviction for a violent theft offense.
Smart, Strong and Proactive Defense of White Collar Charges
The Port St. Lucie criminal defense attorneys at Baginski Brandt & Brandt provide smart, aggressive and proactive defense against charges of white collar criminal offenses. Call our office right away if you have been arrested or believe you are being investigated for any of the following:
Fraud – Generally speaking, a fraud can be any intentional misrepresentation of fact intended to induce another person to part with money or property or surrender some legal right in reliance on that false representation. Many statutes deal with specific types of fraud, such as tax fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud, insurance fraud, Medicare fraud, etc., but fraud in general could refer to any criminal deception, such as scams, pyramid schemes and Ponzi scheme.
Embezzlement – Embezzlement generally involves wrongfully taking funds held in the public trust by a government official or bureaucrat, or an employee stealing funds from the company or employer. People with access to or control over money that is not theirs sometimes borrow funds for a short period, intending to fully repay the amounts in a short time but not intending to steal.
Forgery – Making a copy of a banknote or legal document, or putting someone else’s signature on a legal document, may constitute forgery. It is possible to commit these acts without criminal intent and without knowledge that one is actually committing a crime.
Uttering a Forged Instrument – This offense requires knowingly trying to pass off a forged instrument as real. Key to a prosecution for this crime is proving the individual knew the document was forged and intended to misrepresent it as real.
Check Kiting – Check kiting is a fairly complicated fraudulent scheme involving writing checks drawn from an account with insufficient funds and depositing them in another account at a different bank, taking advantage of the time it takes to settle checks between banks. Some people engage in this practice to make sure their bills are paid while waiting for their paycheck to arrive, without intending to illegally profit from the transaction.
Money Laundering – Money laundering involves taking illegally obtained money and moving it through different bank accounts or business investments in order to hide the original source of the funds from the government. Complex, legal business transactions may sometimes look like money laundering, and government agencies may launch extensive investigations trying to prove money came from an illegal source.
Tax Evasion – The Internal Revenue Code is over a thousand pages long and is further supplemented with volumes of regulations and legal opinions. Whether a particular activity constitutes legal tax avoidance or illegal tax evasion can be a highly technical and complicated matter, and even tax law experts may disagree over whether a particular act is lawful or illicit.
Call Baginski Brandt & Brandt for Help with White Collar Criminal Charges in Port St. Lucie
Government investigators may conduct lengthy investigations before making any arrests on a white collar crime, and they may try to interview you during that period. Statements you make, even innocent but inconsistent statements, can put you at a disadvantage or even provide the basis for an arrest. If you are arrested for a white collar criminal offense in St. Lucie or Martin County or approached by officers wanting to interview you, before you do anything else, call Baginski Brandt & Brandt to discuss your situation with a skilled, knowledgeable and effective Port St. Lucie white collar criminal defense lawyer.
