A criminal charge is like a stigma that you carry for a lifetime.
It stays with you and follows you everywhere — when you seek admission to college, apply for a job, look for a rental property, or want to immigrate.
Hence, it is significant that you don’t take a criminal charge frivolously, even if it is for a white-collar crime.
Essentially, white-collar crimes refer to the ones involving frauds or criminal activities by professionals or businesses with the intention of a financial gain.
They do not involve violence, but such charges can still put your future at stake. So it becomes all the more important to deal with them in the right way.
It is best to fight back legally and get into action even before charges are filed against you.
But before you do that, here are some significant facts you should know about white-collar crimes.
Understand the coverage
First things first, you need to know that white-collar crimes encompass any scheme which is designed to deceive someone and obtain money illegally.
Even if you try hiding the actual financial status of your business to cheat investors, it comes under the coverage of such crimes.
The motivation for the act may vary but both businesses and individuals can be accused of such activity and would need legal help to save themselves. Here are the most common ones:
- Fraudulent trade
- Computer fraud
- Money laundering
- Healthcare fraud
- Mortgage fraud
- Insider trading
- Falsification of financial information
- Forgery
- Tax evasion
- Copyright infringement
Be aware of the possible penalties
The implications of criminal acts involving fraud and financial deception can be quite serious, even if there is no physical violence against the victim.
The person or business entity charged with a white collar crime can face penalties, prison time, and other serious consequences that can have a life-changing impact.
Apart from the legal penalties, a conviction could affect your career, good standing in the community, and even an impending custody dispute.
Know how to avoid conviction
Despite the serious consequences of white-collar crime, you still have a legal recourse to avoid conviction.
However, this is possible only if you have a seasoned defense attorney to represent your case.
Someone with a thorough knowledge of the law and good experience in the criminal justice system can help you get through.
The lawyer can use the following approaches to steer the verdict in your favor:
- Challenging the evidence against you
- Evaluating the viability of the prosecution’s case
- Validating if your rights were violated
- Identifying problems with the process of search and seizure
Considering the serious nature and possibilities of penalties and reputational damage by white-collar crimes, you need to go the extra mile to deal with the charges.
At the same time, you must have realistic expectations about the outcome, depending on whether you are actually guilty or implicated falsely.
Hiring a legal expert can make all the difference because they can nail the right options for you and come up with a defense strategy that is effective enough to get you a clean chit.