Wire and bank fraud are non-violent white-collar crimes. These offenses are typically charged as a part of an indictment involving a central conspiracy charge and numerous other crimes that are individual acts within the conspiracy. v.
Even if you have not been charged and you are under investigation, you need the assistance of an experienced South Florida white-collar attorney.
At Kirlew Law Firm, we have the experience, expertise, and resources necessary to defend clients against wire and bank fraud charges at the state or federal level. Being a Miami white-collar law firm that understands the nuances of these fraud cases makes us an excellent choice when facing accusations of fraud-related criminal offenses.
You must consult a qualified, dedicated white-collar attorney to discuss your options if you are under investigation or have been arrested for wire or bank fraud. Call us today at 305-521-0484 to take that first step toward your freedom.
Working with us means that our legal team will investigate your case thoroughly. We will ensure that your rights were not violated during the police investigation. We would fight to reduce or clear your criminal charges if you were unaware you were breaking the law.
At the Kirlew Law Firm, we understand the severity of wire and bank fraud charges and can create a tailor-made defense to secure a favorable outcome in your case.
Wire fraud occurs when someone uses technology to obtain money illegally. The technology can be a phone, fax, computer, internet, bank account numbers, or credit cards. This can be a type of bank fraud, but there are other types of wire fraud. Federal charges can be brought against these crimes because they usually involve the transmission of communication across state lines.
Wire fraud crimes are identical to mail fraud using the U.S. Postal Service; they are committed through technology such as wire, email, television, radio, the Internet, fax machine, or telephone.
The perpetrators of these offenses are usually individuals acting alone, but businesses or criminal organizations can also orchestrate them. For example, telemarketing or email scams can be a form of wire fraud.
Wire fraud and other crimes of this nature can carry severe penalties and result in the forfeiture of property. If you have been arrested for wire fraud in Miami or are being investigated, you need an experienced white-collar attorney to protect your rights.
Unlawfully obtaining money or assets from a financial institution constitutes bank fraud. When someone uses the phone, internet, mail, or fax to unlawfully get this money, the charges because a federal offense because they affect interstate commerce.
A variety of different tactics can be used to perpetrate bank fraud. The most common are credit card fraud, check kiting, embezzlement, identity theft, money laundering, creating synthetic identities, fraudulent loan documents, falsifying information, prevent fraud, phishing, bank wire transfer fraud, and accounting fraud.
Wire and bank fraud penalties in Miami may vary depending on the type and extent of fraud committed, your criminal history, and other factors. It is important to note that federal crimes are punished more severely than state crimes.
You may receive fines, restitution, probation, and mandatory imprisonment time as your punishment.
For example, committing mail fraud may result in up to a couple hundred thousand dollars in fines (or even millions), depending on the nature of the offense. There is the potential for a few years behind bars or a sentence of up to thirty years.
Wire and bank fraud defense can be highly complex. It requires extensive knowledge of federal court proceedings and experience representing individuals or organizations charged with this serious white-collar crime.
Our team at the Kirlew Law Firm will work closely with you to build a strong defense strategy for your case. Our mission is to protect your rights and secure a favorable outcome so your life can get back on track. Call (305) 521-0484 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.
Antitrust laws were established to protect trade and commerce from abusive practices. Violations can include price-fixing, price discrimination, restraints, and monopolization.
This form of white-collar crime is increasingly common as more people use computers, phones, and other internet-enabled devices to commit acts of fraud, hacking, extortion, and theft.
Thieves take personal information to access banking and financial accounts, make purchases, open utility accounts, or steal tax refunds. In some cases, an identity thief may even use a false identity during an arrest.
This white-collar crime occurs when a thrift utilizes a stolen credit card or other information from that account to make unauthorized purchases. In some cases, they may use the stolen information to take out cash advances against the account.
The illicit selling of fake goods or services over the phone. Many phone scams are framed as a giveaway, or free offer in exchange for sensitive information, like access to banking or credit card accounts.
Often paired with another form of fraud, bankruptcy fraud can be the concealment of assets to prevent forfeiting them, filing incomplete or false forms, filing multiple times in different locations using fake or forged documents, and bribing of court-appointed trustees.
Largely committed by organized crime groups, this form of fraud includes performing unnecessary procedures to bill an insurance company, billing for services that were never rendered, and billing every step of one procedure as if they were individual procedures.
Environmental law makes actions like the illegal disposal of waste, improper storage of hazardous materials, or failure to comply with EPA and state regulations illegal.
An act committed to defraud an insurance company is considered a white-collar crime. This could include attempting to obtain benefits or advantages that an individual is not entitled to or when an insurer denies benefits that someone is due.
One of the most common forms of fraud, mail fraud is when the USPS or private carrier is used to commit a crime of deceit. This could be to obtain money or to sell and distribute illicit goods.
These forms of fraud start with a scheme to steal or obtain financial information by using false representation or promises of goods and services in return.
Crimes committed through extortion and coercion are considered racketeering. Generally, a racketeer obtains money or goods from someone using intimidation tactics or force.
Largely connected to federal government contracting or federally-funded programs, government fraud might involve public housing, agricultural programs, corporate subsidies, and bribery.
This form of white-collar crime is the deliberate failure to pay your taxes or the underpayment of the taxes you owe. It can be underreporting of income, overreporting of deductions, or improperly claiming tax credits and exemptions.
Also called investment fraud, securities fraud involves misrepresenting the information that investors use to make financial decisions.
This is the trading of the stock or securities of a public company that is based on non-public information about the company. This is the profiteering of information based on a company’s assets.
A bribe is the giving or receiving of something of value in order to influence the actions of another person or group.
The major focus of the FBI, public corruption covers a variety of crimes, including the violation of federal law by public officials, fraud related to the procurement, contracts, and funding of federal programs, and other crimes that are related to local, state, and federal governments.
By withholding assets, funds, or goods from an employer or business partner, you are committing an act of embezzlement.
Generally sponsored by foreign entities or outside corporations, economic espionage can target the U.S. government, U.S. companies, or other establishments and institutions. Economic espionage is the unlawful obtaining of financial information
Trade secrets are the information or assets that give a company an advantage over others in the market. The theft of these assets is when someone uses this information without consent of the business.
In almost every federal white-collar criminal investigation, the federal agents and local police officers involved in the case shadow their suspects for months and even years. They utilize wiretaps, subpoenaed bank records, videotape conversations and meetings, property and assets, business records, and cooperating witnesses. The agents often seek to make pre-indictment deals with codefendants or coworkers who they threaten to charge if they don’t talk.
The feds have unlimited resources and they are extremely patient in their investigations. Many times, an agent will get so committed to an investigation that they bend the rules, alleged they witnessed activity that they didn’t and innocent people get wrapped up in the conspiracy that they knew nothing about. This is why it is critical to contact a Miami white-collar attorney the moment you suspect you are the target of a white-collar criminal investigation. With the help of our investigators and forensic accountants, we can often mitigate the exposure a client may face in a white collar criminal prosecution.
Generally, white-collar crime is investigated and prosecuted by federal authorities. This means that white-collar crime cases have higher conviction rates than other crimes. Federal prosecutors are able to leverage more resources to pursue a white-collar crime case and are encouraged to close the case quickly.
The punishment for a white-collar crime varies based on what level the crime is being prosecuted at, whether state or federal, and the amount of money involved in the crime. There are no set guidelines that dictate the severity of penalty based on the amount of money stolen; however, generally, larger amounts are punished more severely.
Since the 2002 and 2008 financial crises, there have been more penalties and convictions for white-collar crimes, and as such, penalties have become more severe. On average, a sentence for money laundering is about 48 months in prison. Those convicted of bribery could face 16 months, and those for fraud, 12 months. Tax offenses generally result in 16 months of jail time. And if there are more than five victims, the loss amount is in the millions as opposed to the thousands or the accused qualifies for a host of other enhancements, these penalties can be significantly higher.
Given the harsh nature of the penalties for white-collar crimes and that federal authorities often lead these investigations, you must hire an attorney in Miami as soon as you’re convicted. In some cases, defendants are only aware of the investigation just a few weeks or months before an arrest is made. It’s important to use any lead time you may have to build a case with an attorney.
While your attorney can’t stop an investigation, they can work with you to defend your rights before, during, and after the trial. If nothing else, you must have a legal representative with you whenever you deal with a federal investigator or while you’re being questioned.
When you work with a skilled criminal defense attorney like those at the Kirlew Law Firm, they’ll maintain clear lines of communication with the prosecution throughout your investigation. This could lead to a favorable negotiation before any arrests are made, or the formal prosecution starts.
More than just negotiations, a competent white-collar crime attorney can help draft legal defenses that can help your case. Our attorneys can cross-examine witnesses, manage information about the case, and challenge physical exhibits and financial records that may be used to seal your case. Ultimately, a talented attorney like Brian Kirlew can find small inconsistencies or faults in the prosecution to bolster your defense.
If you are being investigated for a White Collar crime at the state or federal level (or both), the sooner you get a qualified attorney on your side to protect your rights, the better. Brian Kirlew, Esq. is experienced and skilled at handling these complex and sensitive matters, and is here to represent you in court. Our criminal defense attorneys in Miami are proud to offer you a free phone consultation to ensure that we can best serve you. Contact us immediately to get started.
