Fresno White Collar Crimes

While white collar crimes are so named because they are committed by business professionals, executives, and anyone who is considered to be in a white collar profession.  In today’s society, federal, California, and Fresno white collar crime laws imply a simpler definition: that these crimes are not violent.  The laws surrounding white collar crimes in Fresno are complex, particularly since prosecution is likely to come from the federal government.  While it is easy to be unaware of certain laws, ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.  White collar criminal defense in Fresno requires an attorney with an established history of defending these cases successfully.

Crime and Criminal Defense

Literally hundreds of different types of Fresno white collar criminal charges are possible, including—but certainly not limited to—these:

• Fraudulent handling of securities: These cases include insider trading, stock manipulations, retail sales practices, and Ponzi schemes.  Cases generally begin with an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to obtain evidence prior to prosecuting.  For this reason, it is critical to retain a Fresno white collar crime lawyer early in the SEC investigation process.  An attorney will tell you whether you need to use your Fifth Amendment rights, and tries to help you avoid prosecution during the investigation in many ways, including defraying the value of perceived evidence found by the SEC.
• Improper use of records:  Employees charged with improper use of records generally have access to confidential data and used that information for illegal means.  A common example would be identity theft.  Our Fresno white collar crime lawyers have a number of possible defenses against these charges, including that the accused did not have access to the records, or that security systems installed prevented use of the data.
• Tax evasion:  This white collar crime in Fresno involves filing false tax returns or not filing any tax return.  Depending on the degree of the offense, prosecution can be handled by tax officials at the local or federal level.  Often, those charged with tax evasion filed their returns with good intentions, but fell victim to the complexities of the tax laws.  An experienced white collar crime lawyer in Fresno knows how to present this defense and others to achieve the best possible results for the case.
• Computer / Internet fraud:  While computer crimes include such activities as hacking or initiating email worms or computer viruses, Internet fraud involves use of the Internet for criminal activities, such as spoofing or phishing.  Although these crimes can be difficult to defend, Fresno white collar crime attorneys can potentially show that the defendant did not have the access that would allow commission of the crime or that the defendant was unaware of crimes committed by others.  Frequently, the attorney can fight computer or internet fraud charges by providing evidence showing groundless assumptions and circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution.

Fresno white collar crime law can be complex, causing well-meaning individuals to inadvertently run afoul of the law.  Anyone accused of even a seemingly minor infraction needs an experienced white collar crime attorney in Fresno to provide a solid defense.  The Law Office of Rick Berman & Eric Schweitzer has built a reputation for providing strong arguments for clients charged with Fresno white collar crime.  Contact us today for assistance.