Los angeles White Collar Crimes Lawyers
White Collar Crimes Lawyers
Criminal actions fall into many kinds of categories. In general, crimes can be divided into crimes that physical harm and those that do not. Crimes that cause physical harm include rape, sexual assault and murder. The law recognizes the impact of these crimes on the victims and punishes the defendant accordingly. There is another type of crime that can also cause all kinds of damage. This type of crime is known as white collar crime. White collar crimes differ from other types of crimes in many ways. They don’t cause bodily harm. They also tend to get lesser penalties in the justice system.
An Extremely Broad Category
White collar crimes fall into a fairly broad category that can be hard to define. However, experts consider these kinds of crimes crimes that require a certain level of expertise to carry out. For example, someone might engage in what is known as insider trading. This is when they have access to information about the securities market and use it to their advantage. Entrepreneur Martha Stewart was sent to jail because she acted on information based on information she was not supposed to have. This is an example of the kind of crime where the person is convicted of breaking a law that might not be known to the general public.
Other examples of white collar crimes may not be as complicated. Someone might attempt to bribe a local official in order to get a contract for their business. Another person might take funds from a business that are not intended for their personal use. People might deliberately fail to report income they have earned to the IRS. A person might have a major job and a side hustle. Failing to report the income from the second job is known as tax evasion.
Many other types of crimes also fall under the umbrella of white collar crimes. If someone attempts to blackmail another person into doing something, this is known as extortion. A businessman might have some unpleasant facts about another person on hand. For example, they might know that a rival is having an affair with more than one person. If they tell the person either agree to increase the price of a given item or they’ll expose the affairs to the world, this is considered a crime. Making threats of any kind to another person even a threat to that person’s reputation is a crime.
Potential Penalties
People tend to think the penalties for white collar crimes are less severe than the penalties for crimes that harm someone else physically. In some instances, this is the true. A person who robs a single person and makes off with their purse while shoving them into traffic may be held more liable than someone who takes money from their retirement account and makes it harder for that person to get access to lifesaving medical treatment. At the same time, those who are convicted of this kind of crime will still face the possibility of significant jail time and probably fiscal penalties.
Many people who are convicted of this type of crime have never been in trouble with the law before. They have never gone to court in any capacity. They have certainly never seen the inside of a jail cell before this time. That often makes them unfamiliar with any aspect of the criminal justice system. A white collar defendant may also be facing a civil trial. For example, if they have embezzled funds from an employer and taken money intended for that company’s clients, the clients might seek to be paid back in a court of law. A civil trial is different from a criminal matter. However, the penalties can be equally severe in many ways. The defendant can face the loss of their home, their car and their other financial assets. They can also face the loss of a medical or legal license, making it hard to earn a living once released from prison.
Getting Effective Counsel
Getting effective counsel is imperative. Many white collar crimes are very complicated. The law not be clear. New laws are in place all the time. What was once not a crime at all may be considered a crime under certain instances. The defendant might not even know they are engaging in criminal activities. Judges have to follow what are known as sentencing guidelines. These are guidelines that take into account many factors such as the defendant’s prior criminal history and the impact of their crimes on other people. The lawyer can help a defendant muster the best possible defense and ensure they are given all due consideration under these guidelines. That can help them reduce the impact of legal penalties on their overall lives and further future career.