White collar crimes are non-violent offenses typically committed in business or financial settings. These crimes often involve fraud, deception or misrepresentation and are prosecuted under federal law due to their complexity and widespread impact.
The federal government aggressively pursues white collar crimes through agencies like the FBI, IRS, SEC and the Department of Justice, often seeking the imposition of severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment in the event of conviction. As a result, strong, personalized defense strategies are necessary for those accused of these kinds of wrongdoing.
Wire fraud and mail fraud
Wire fraud and mail fraud are among the most frequently charged federal crimes. Wire fraud involves using electronic communications—such as emails, phone calls or online transactions—to carry out a fraudulent scheme. Mail fraud operates similarly but involves the U.S. Postal Service or private carriers like FedEx or UPS. Since these crimes rely on interstate communication, they fall under federal jurisdiction.
Securities and bank fraud
Securities fraud includes various offenses related to deceptive practices in stock trading and investment markets. Common examples include:
- Insider trading – Trading stocks based on non-public information
- Market manipulation – Artificially inflating or deflating stock prices to deceive investors
- Ponzi schemes – Fraudulent investment operations where returns for earlier investors are paid using new investors’ funds instead of actual profits
Bank fraud involves schemes designed to defraud financial institutions. This includes forging checks, providing false information on loan applications, identity theft and embezzling funds from financial institutions.
Health care fraud
Health care fraud involves defrauding federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid through fraudulent billing practices, unnecessary medical procedures and falsifying patient records. Doctors, hospitals and medical companies have faced criminal charges for submitting fraudulent claims, resulting in billions of dollars in penalties and long prison sentences.
White collar crimes are highly complex, and they often require complex approaches to the defense of someone who has been accused of such offenses. Seeking legal guidance as soon as possible after an investigation is initiated or an arrest is made is, therefore, very important.