When people hear the word crime, they usually think of violent acts or drug-related situations. However, not all crimes involve dangerous or violent circumstances. White collar crimes involve antisocial behavior toward others resulting in an individual’s or company’s financial gain.
While some people may not consider such offenses to be very serious, the government and the wronged parties do. There are, however, defense strategies that attorneys use that may help their clients get the charge dismissed or a lighter sentence imposed.
White collar crimes are costly
According to King University, white collar crimes cause losses of $300 billion every year in the United States. Both corporations and individuals can commit these crimes, and there are certain crimes that are more common than others.
One of the main concerns for law enforcement is corporate fraud. Such as insider trading and lying about financial information because these behaviors lead to great economic loss and diminished investor confidence.
The FBI also focuses its attention on money laundering cases. where money made illegally is given the illusion that it came from lawful sources. The related crimes include tax evasion, wealth accumulation and illegal activity funding. Another common type of white collar crime is securities and commodities fraud, such as investment fraud and broker embezzlement.
Common defense strategies
There are often many layers to white collar crimes, which make them challenging to investigate and prosecute. The National Paralegal College discusses some common strategies defense lawyers use when defending against a white collar crime charge. One is to focus on the defendant’s character and demonstrate that he or she is not a threat to the community.
Many attorneys will seek cooperation with prosecutors. This may result in dropped charges or a more lenient sentence. In addition, a white collar crime defendant often has the financial resources to better defend against criminal charges and avoid imprisonment if the he or she pays back the victims.