Have You Been Charged with a White Collar Crime?

Looney, Smith & Conrad, P.C., Criminal Defense Law Firm

Your Best Choice for White Collar Crime Criminal Defense

Since 1995 criminal defense trial attorney Paul Looney has litigated

60 criminal jury trials with zero final convictions

White Collar Crimes

White collar crimes account for $200 billion in loss every year, an amount higher than more traditional crimes like burglary or theft. These types of crimes are criminal offenses committed by people during the course of legitimate business activities. The crimes are often non-violent and may involve fraud, insider trading or money laundering.

State-corporate crime is another form of white-collar crime in which corporations relying on states for financial support commit crimes to gain profits illegally.

Principal owners and directors of corporations can be charged with corporate crimes and the corporation itself can be organized to commit crimes. Employees of businesses and corporations can also commit crimes without knowledge of the owners.

The term “white-collar” is often associated with professional employees who wear white business shirts and ties as opposed to blue-collar for employees in industrial or low-wage jobs. Many people who are charged with corporate crime are considered middle or upper class in society and are “professional” employees.

White collar crimes are serious offenses involving the freedom, professional reputation and livelihood of the person being charged. Recent scandals in the news have left people in a difficult position who are charged today with these crimes.

Bernie Madoff (2009) was prosecuted on a Ponzi scheme in which he lost $50 billion of his investors’ money and pled guilty to 11 felony counts including securities fraud, investment adviser fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, false statements, perjury, false filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and theft from an employee benefit plan which gave his scheme the distinction of being the largest white collar crime in U.S. history.

Fear is a key element driving public desire for prosecution of white-collar cases because of the difficulty of understanding issues involved in cyber-crime. For example, public fear about computer fraud and hacking can cause panic as people become concerned about identity theft, credit card fraud and virtual bank account robbery. Today, charges for these crimes reflect a person charged by the count, not the amount. Someone who has 15 stolen credit cards and charged $50 on each of them will have a larger level of criminal charges than a shoplifter who stole merchandise in the same amount.

“Having an attorney while being questioned never implies guilt. It ensures an equal and fair questioning process AND ensures you don’t get railroaded.” –DF (Our Client)

For assistance with white collar defense, contact

Looney, Smith & Conrad, P.C. at 281-597-8818 or 979-826-8484.

Text Us: 405-388-6191.

An experienced White Collar Defense Lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a

free, no-obligation case evaluation.

We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.

Types of White-Collar Crime

1. Bank Fraud

To engage in an act or pattern of activity where the purpose is to defraud of funds. Examples: Electronic bank fraud, check fraud, international bank fraud, loan fraud, and credit card fraud.

2. Blackmail:

A demand for money or other consideration under threat to do bodily harm, to injure property, to accuse of a crime, or to expose secrets.

3. Bribery:

When money, goods, services, information, or anything else of value is offered with intent to influence the actions, opinions, or decisions of the taker. Bribery charges may be filed whether the bribe is offered or accepted.

4. Cellular Phone Fraud:

Unauthorized use, tampering, or manipulation of a cellular phone or service. This can be accomplished by either use of a stolen phone or where an actor signs up for service under false identification or where the actor clones a valid electronic serial number (ESN) by using an ESN reader and reprograms another phone with a valid ESN number.

5. Computer Fraud:

Computer hackers steal information sources contained on computers such as bank information, credit cards, and proprietary information.

6. Counterfeiting:

When someone copies or imitates an item without having been authorized to do so and passes the copy off for the genuine or original item. Counterfeiting is most often associated with money; however, lately, it has become increasingly popular to counterfeit designer clothing, handbags and watches.

7. Currency Schemes:

The practice of speculating on the future value of currenceies.

8. Embezzlement:

When a person entrusted with money or property appropriates it for his or her own use and benefit.

9. Environmental Schemes:

Overbilling and fraudulent practices exerciced by corporations purporting to clean up the environment.

10. Extortion:

When one person illegally obtains property from another by actual or threatened force, fear, or violence, or under cover of official right.

11. Forgery:

When a person passes a false or worthless instrument such as a check or counterfeit security with the intent to defraud or injure the recipient.

12. Health Care Fraud:

Where an unlicensed health care provider provides services under the guise of being licensed and obtains monetary benefit for the service.

13. Insider Trading:

When a person uses inside, confidential, or advance information to trade shares of publicly held corporation.

14. Insurance Fraud:

To engage in an act or pattern of activity wherein one obtains proceeds from an insurance company through deception.

15. Investment Schemes:

Where an unsuspecting victim is contacted by the actor who promises to provide a large retrun on a small investment.

16. Kickback:

When a person selling an item pays back a portion of the purchase to the buyer.

17. Larceny/Theft:

When a person wrongfully takes another person’s money or property with the intent to appropriate, convert, or steal it.

18. Money Laundering:

Investment or transfer of money from racketeering, drug transactions, or other embezzlement schemes so it appears its original source either cannot be traced or is legitimate.

19. Racketeering:

Operation of an illegal business for personal profit.

20. Securities Fraud:

Act of atrificially inflating price of stocks by brokers so buyers must purchase a stock on the rise.

21. Tax Evasion:

When a person commits fraud in filing or paying taxes.

22. Telemarketing Fraud:

People place telephone calls to residences and corporations where he or she requests a donation to an alleged charitable organization or where he or she requests money up front or a credit card number up front, and does not use the donation for the stated purpose.

23. Welfare Fraud:

To engage in an act or acts where the purpose is to obtain benefits (i.e. Public Assistance, Food Stamps, or Medicaid) from the State or Federal Government.

24. Weights and Measures:

Act of placing an item for sale at one price but charging a higher price at the time of sale or short weighing an item when the label reflects a higher weight.

For assistance, contact  a White Collar Crime Attorney at

Looney, Smith & Conrad, P.C. at 281-597-8818.  Text Us: 405-388-6191.

An experienced White Collar Lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a

free, no-obligation case evaluation.

We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.

Types of White-Collar Schemes:

1. Advanced Fee Schemes:

A person induces victim to give him or her some type of advanced fee in return for a future benefit. The benefit never occurs and the victim never receives the advanced fee back.

2. Auto Repair:

A person hangs out around an auto repair shop and approaches victims who leave after getting estimates. This person claims to do work off duty at a low cost. Once the person has the car, inferior work is completed and the victim cannot get the return of the car until the high bill is paid.

3. Check Kiting:

A bank account is opened with good funds and a rapport is developed with the bank. A person deposits a series of bad checks but prior to their discovery, withdraws funds from the bank.

4. Coupon Redemption:

A business such as a grocery store amasses large amounts of coupons and redeems them to manufacturers when in fact the merchandise was never sold.

5. Directory Advertising:

A person either impersonates a sales person from a directory company (e.g., the yellow pages) or fraudulently sells advertising which the victim never receives.

6. Home Improvement:

A person approaches a home owner with a low estimate for a repair or improvement. Inferior or incomplete work is performed. Upon completion of the repairs, the person intimidates the victim to pay a price greater than the original estimate.

7. Inferior Equipment:

A person travels around selling inferior equipment such as tools at high prices.

8. Land Fraud:

A person induces the victim to purchase tracks of land in some type of retirement development which does not exist.

9. Odometer Fraud:

A business person purchases used cars and turns back the odometer mileage. The used car is sold at a higher price because of its low mileage.

10. Ponzi:

An investment scheme when a person solicits investors in a business venture, promising extremely high financial returns or dividends in a very short period of time. The person never invests the money, however, does pay dividends. The dividends consist of the newest investors funds. The first investors, pleased to receive dividends, encourage new investors to invest. This scheme falls apart when the person no longer has sufficient new investors to distribute dividends to the old investors or the person simply takes all the funds and leaves the area.

11. Pyramid:

An investment fraud in which an individual is offered a distributorship or franchise to market a particular product. The promoter of the pyramid represents that although marketing of the product will result in profits, larger profits will be earned by the sale of franchises. For example, if a franchise price is $10,000; the seller receives $3,500 for every franchise sold. Each new franchise purchaser is presented with the same proposal so that each franchise owner is attempting to sell franchises. When the supply of potential investors is exhausted, the pyramid collapses. Many times, there are no products involved in the franchise, simply just an exchange of money.

12. Quick Change:

Victim is confused by a person’s speedy series of money exchanges and in the end, is short changed.

13. Utilities Impersonators:

A person impersonates a utility employee by wearing a uniform with a name tag. This person gains entry into the home with a bogus story such as a gas leak or electrical surge. Valuables are then stolen from the home.

For assistance with a white collar crime, contact

Looney, Smith & Conrad, P.C. at 281-597-8818.  Text Us: 405-388-6191.

An experienced White Collar Lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a

free, no-obligation case evaluation.

We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.

White-Collar Criminal Proceedings

White collar crimes are usually prosecuted at the federal level. Federal Courts are different from State Courts and require white collar crime lawyers experienced in federal cases.

Federal charges are investigated by large government agencies with virtually unlimited resources and time to build cases. Federal criminal cases are usually prosecuted aggressively and can carry severe mandatory prison sentences. When a person suspects charges may be filed or he or she is under investigation by the federal government, it is critical to obtain the services of experienced white collar crime attorneys.

Penalties for White-Collar Crimes

The most common penalty for most white collar crimes is restitution (return of money or property to damaged parties). In addition, the court can impose interest, fines or penalty assessment fees. This can result in high restitution penalties that can create a lifelong financial burden for the defendants. Prison is also a common form of punishment for white collar crimes.

Even the accusation of a crime, regardless of the evidence, can do substantial harm to a person’s professional reputation and future employment.

A white collar crime lawyer can help minimize penalties and fines, saving the defendant possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars. An experienced defense attorney can also assist with a payment schedule allowing the defendant to pay back damages over a reasonable period of time, while even keeping the defendant out of jail or prison.

Are you looking for a criminal defense law firm?
Call us today (281) 597-8818 in Houston or (979) 826-8484 in Hempstead.

We are Criminal Lawyers Near 77079 and Criminal Lawyers Near 77445.

 

For assistance with white collar defense, contact

Looney, Smith & Conrad, P.C. at 281-597-8818.  Text Us: 405-388-6191.

An experienced white-collar defense lawyer is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a

free, no-obligation case evaluation.

We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.