To get a professional consultation about White Collar Crimes in Bucks County, contact experienced white collar lawyers.
As a general proposition white collar crimes are viewed with slightly less scorn under the law than a violent offense harming another person physically.
In other words hurting someone physically is punishable by a sterner sentence than hurting someone by some sort of fraud, theft, or embezzlement. However if you or someone you are close to is being charged with crime that is considered business, financial, or theft (such as embezzlement) in Pennsylvania you can’t afford to operate on assumptions that it will turn out ok. These days there is a wide spread trend in the law and courts to be tougher on white collar criminals.
Additionally, you may not even be subject to the same court system you would be in a violent offense case. The reason is many white collar crimes which are alleged to have been perpetrated in Pennsylvania often have facts where physical or electronic transmission was done over state lines. If this is the case there may be (and often are) charges for violation of Federal Law. Throwing all these factors together, it is plain to see that white collar crimes are a complicated area of the law demanding you seek out a specialist in the field.
No matter the jurisdiction, a white collar crime is defined generally as a financially motivated and non-violent crime. Bank Fraud is one type of white collar crime and falls under the catch-all term known as white collar fraud. Other types of white collar fraud include blackmail, bribery, counterfeiting, and credit card fraud. Forgery, embezzlement, insurance fraud, mortgage fraud, and racketeering of any type also would be considered examples of white collar fraud. Tax evasion also falls under this label. There are actually more ways to commit white collar crime than could be completely listed, and with the emergence of advanced wireless and digital technology, the possibilities continue to grow.
In Pennsylvania, as in most states, white collar crime often finds you facing Federal charges. In many instances, the FBI, DEA or Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are leading the investigation and evidence gathering and the Department of Justice is handling the prosecution. Very often the violation of state law in a white collar case is also a violation of federal law. Due to the fact that the federal government generally has the greater resources via bodies like the FBI, DEA or SEC, you will be facing Federal charges in a white collar case.
Regardless of jurisdictional issues, white collar cases are often very fact-intensive, requiring large amounts of research and discovery of relevant documents. A white collar crime attorney with deep experience will have knowledge of exactly what is needed in preparing your defense regardless of the charge.
Generally speaking white collar crime attorneys will practice only in that area, but not always. Doing your homework on the top white collar crime lawyers is absolutely critical. This is because in white collar cases, generally the people handling the prosecution have much wider discretion in offering satisfactory and lenient plea bargains than would be available in a violent crime’s case such as robbery or murder. The stronger the background and reputation of your lawyer, the more likely it is you can escape with far less criminal exposure.
