If you’ve been charged with a white-collar crime, the first thing to know is that white-collar crimes are very different from other cases. There can be occasions where you have been contacted by an Assistant United states Attorney regarding an ongoing investigation or impending indictment. There may be months between learning about an investigation and charges being filed. During this period, it’s critical you get an experienced white collar-crime criminal defense attorney to help you prepare for possible charges.
Common White Collar Crimes
There are a number of crimes that fall within the designation of “white collar.” In the majority of cases, these crimes have an underlying goal of financial gain. Often the defendant is a professional who works in business or finance.
The most common white-collar crimes we defend against include:
- Bribery
- Bank fraud
- Credit card fraud
- Embezzlement
- Health care fraud – including Medicare/Medicaid and prescription fraud
- Insurance fraud
- Insider trading
- Mail fraud
- Making false statements to officials
- Money laundering
- Securities fraud
- Tax fraud
Although these are non-violent crimes, the penalties can be as severe or even more severe than crimes involving violence or controlled substances. Once a while-collar crime prison sentence is rendered, it’s imperative you get strong and aggressive legal representation if you’re under investigation or have been charged with a white-collar crime in New York.
New York White Collar Crimes Attorney
In a federal white-collar crime case, the prosecutor will have abundant resources and try to use thousands of documents to build the case, along with extensive witness testimony. The nature of white-collar crime is typically complex, and the prosecutor is faced with the task of tying all the pieces together to make a strong case. Due to the multi-tiered nature and elaborate legal theories involved in white-collar crimes, an experienced white-collar criminal defense attorney will have room to find and exploit weaknesses in the case.
Some of the ways we can attack the prosecutor’s argument are as follows:
- A lack of intent, which involves proving that you did not intentionally violate state or federal law.
- Entrapment, which can be used as a defense if you were pushed into the criminal activity by undercover law enforcement officers.
- Evidence obtained through unlawful search or seizure, which, if established, can result in the illegally seized evidence being thrown out by the court.
- Coercion, which requires proof that you were coerced or forced into committing the fraudulent act in question.
- Lack of knowledge, which involves providing proof that you did not have knowledge that a crime was being committed.
New York White Collar Crime Attorney Gilbert C. Parris
Criminal defense lawyer Gilbert C. Parris has been practicing criminal law for over 20 years. He spent years on the other side working as a State Prosecutor[GP1] in Kings County, NY. He leverages his unique experience on both sides of the courtroom to build strong defense strategies for every client. Mr. Parris can help you navigate your white-collar crime investigation and give you the best chance of beating the charge.