Criminal Defense - White Collar Crime
By Todd Going
White Collar Crimes are defined as non-violent acts committed by individuals or businesses in the course of daily working activity. Some of these crimes include embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, false advertising and other types of fraud. They are generally used to obtain money, property or services to gain advantage in business or in ones personal life.
According to the FBI, white collar crimes cost the United States more than $300 billion annually. These crimes are considered to be federal offenses and even though state and local law enforcement may be involved in the cases, charges will most often be presented by federal agencies such as the FBI, IRS, US Customs, Secret Service, EPA or the SEC.
Penalties for white collar offenses generally include fines, house arrest, community confinement and sometimes imprisonment. Federal agencies will many times make mistakes when prosecuting these criminals. They routinely make mistakes that violate peoples constitutional and civil rights. That is why it's so important to hire a lawyer if you've been charged with any of these types of crimes. Just going to trial can be enough to humiliate, embarrass and often time destroy the future of a growing business. It's best to just settle these cases outside of the courtroom and protect the name of your business.
Please visit our San Diego Criminal Defense Law Firm if you have been convicted of Fraud or any other type of crime at http://www.sddefenselawyers.com
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White Collar Criminal Defense
By Steve Valentino
While the word crime immediately springs to the mind images of theft, rape and murder, it also has another association that is not so gruesome. White collar crime is something that takes place in the almost sanitized environments of an office and is committed by people one would never normally associate with any wrongdoing. These are not the typical crimes of passion driven by emotional surges nor are they carried out to settle scores. Rather, most of the white collar crimes are carefully thought out, complex plans that are prompted by the greed for money or power. The phrase -white collar crime" was first coined by Edwin Sutherland while addressing members of the American Sociological Society in 1939. He termed it as a -crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation."
Mostly non-violent in nature, white collar crimes cover a wide spectrum of transactions that may involve antitrust violations, computer frauds, credit card misuse, bankruptcy appeals, healthcare benefits, violations of environmental laws, insurance payments, tax evasion, financial misappropriations, insider trading in stocks and shares, bribery, currency counterfeiting, embezzlement of funds or thefts of trade secrets. Tracking down white collar crimes and those who commit them is always considered a tough proposition because the pattern of such crimes is truly complicated that brings into play a series of transactions, many of which have been carefully hidden or erased.
If there is a general feeling that white collar criminals often get away with light sentences, the feeling may be the case because it is often true. And it could be thanks to the fact that they can very often afford the best legal help. It is possible the difference in the quality of the defense that the disparity exists in punishment of white collar and conventional crime offenders even though cases of frauds and embezzlement involving huge sums of money can be equally stressful and psychologically injurious. A study conducted in the United States led to the conclusion that most white collar criminals get away with more crimes and less punishment than others. For example, white collar offenders received an average sentence of 22 months as compared to burglary and motor vehicle theft offenders who were punished for 31 and 27 months respectively.
A more specific study conducted during the nineties laid bare the disparity in clear terms. In terms of duration of imprisonment, those incarcerated for losses in excess of $100,000 or more as a result of the savings and loan scandals received an average of 36.4 months in prison. During the same time period, those non-violent federal offenders who committed burglary got 55.6 months, car theft received 38 months, and first-time drug dealing averaged 65 months.
Criminal Defense provides detailed information on Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense Attorneys, White Collar Criminal Defense, Criminal Defense Law and more. Criminal Defense is affiliated with San Diego Dui Laws.
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