Charges Of A White Collar Crime Can Jeopardize Your Future

Traditionally, “white collar crime” is referred to nonviolent economic crimes that required a particular professional skill to carry out. Often, this involved embezzlement of funds by a fiduciary charged with overseeing an account, but it always involved deliberate, thoughtful criminality. Today, business owners and corporate officers must contend with so many state and federal regulations that it has become easy to violate the law on a mere technicality. Very often, innocent oversights or noncriminal negligence can prompt investigations that may lead to criminal charges.

At Herold Law, P.A., we provide proactive defense counsel for companies and corporate officers to resolve criminal accusations with minimal disruption and limited consequences.

Common White Collar Crimes And Penalties In New Jersey

In some situations, an act may only violate the law in New Jersey. More commonly, however, factors such as the interconnected nature of our economy, the existence of federal regulations, and the tendency of commerce to cross state lines tend to make white collar crimes federal offenses. Typical charges include:

  • Criminal conspiracy
  • Fraud
  • Insider trading and self-dealing
  • Embezzlement
  • Tax evasion
  • Intellectual property theft/piracy
  • Money laundering
  • RICO violations

Many well-trained, highly-skilled federal agents pursue charges for white collar crimes. To minimize the consequences of a federal investigation and to avoid any appearance of attempting to obstruct justice, you need experienced and knowledgeable legal representation.

Our attorneys counsel key witnesses and targets of investigations on the best strategies for limiting the scope of investigations, the interference with business operations, and the exposure of the company and its officers. In many cases, if we begin early enough, we can negotiate a resolution to an investigation that avoids the filing of criminal charges, especially secondary charges for obstruction of justice.

What Is Fraud?

Simply put, fraud is theft by deception. The authorities must prove the defendant got something he wasn’t entitled to by fooling the victim, generally with a false promise or a false claim. Common examples of fraud are:

  • Bank fraud
  • Corporate fraud
  • Health care fraud
  • Identity theft
  • Insurance fraud
  • Investment fraud/Ponzi schemes
  • Mail and wire fraud
  • Mortgage fraud
  • Real estate fraud
  • Securities and commodities fraud

Truth, fair dealing and innocent error are defenses to fraud. A customer may be dissatisfied with a business’s product or service, but even widespread customer dissatisfaction is insufficient to prove fraud. Our attorneys focus on resolving allegations on terms favorable to our clients by engaging in talks with investigative authorities in state and federal agencies.

Contact An Attorney Right Away

If you are charged with a white collar crime or think you may be under investigation, the sooner you contact an attorney, the better. To schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys, call our Warren office at 908-647-1022 or contact us online.