White Collar Crimes and Fraud in Los Angeles & Orange County.

High-tech professionals, corporate executives and clergy who are criminally charged for offenses such as bribery, credit card fraud, embezzlement, extortion, and fraud (including insurance fraud, healthcare fraud, and identity theft) are often referred to as "white collar" offenders and are prosecuted for white collar crimes. In some cases, first-time offenders are convicted and sent to prison, even with no prior criminal history.

If you have been involved with a white-collar crime in Los Angeles or Orange County, you need to seek the legal counsel of an experienced white collar crime defense lawyer right away. Many people don't realize that they are being targeted for criminal investigation until formal charges are filed. Due to the complex nature of white-collar criminal prosecution, a person's potential exposure may not be clear in the early stages of the investigation.

Bribery

Bribery is defined as the corrupt offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty of value in return for official action. Depending on state law, bribery can be either a misdemeanor or a felony, and in some states even the offering of a bribe can constitute bribery. Also, in some states, it is considered a misdemeanor not to report a bribe offer.

Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud is the unauthorized and illegal use of a credit card to purchase property, and has become a momentous economic problem in our society. The merchant that sells said property (business, service provider, seller, etc.) is never legally paid, and/or the payment they receive becomes reclaimed by the card's issuing bank-often causing financial disaster for small businesses and start-up enterprises.

Embezzlement

Embezzlement is the fraudulent taking of personal property with which one has been entrusted, esp. as a fiduciary. Embezzlement sometimes involves falsification of records in order to conceal the theft. Embezzlers commonly steal relatively small amounts repeatedly over a long period of time, although some embezzlers steal one large sum at once. Some very successful embezzlement schemes have continued for many years before being detected due to the skill of the embezzler in concealing the nature of the transactions.

Extortion

Extortion is a criminal offense and in most states is defined as blackmail; i.e., obtaining money or property from another through coercion, intimidation, or written or oral threats. The threats can be of physical harm, or harm to one's reputation, livelihood, marriage, etc.

In some states, the act of extortion has only occurred when money or property has actually changed hands as a result of the threat. In other states, just the threat is enough to constitute extortion. Extortion currently carries up to a maximum prison sentence of 20 years in most states and under Federal law.

Fraud (Insurance Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Identity Theft)

In criminal law, fraud is the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them - usually, to obtain property or services from him or her unjustly. Fraud can be committed through many methods including mail, wire, phone and the internet, and can include the following areas:

• Insurance Fraud - the knowing misrepresentations or the concealment of material facts to induce another to act to his or her detriment regarding insurance matters.
• Health Care Fraud - a term describing numerous crimes aimed at defrauding one or another part of the health care system, for example, the filing of false medical insurance claims.
• Identity Theft is most commonly committed through one or more components of the Internet such as websites, chat rooms and/or email in which hacking, phishing, pharming, programming worms, viruses, and Trojans are used to steal an individual's personal information. Identity theft is a rising issue across America and carries substantial criminal charges. Recent headline stories involving breaches of security at major financial institutions have caused widespread panic in the financial community and among consumers.

If you or a loved one has been charged with any of these white collar crimes, time is of the essence. Contact a qualified criminal defense attorney who is experienced in this area of law, to fight for you and defend your legal rights.