Have You Been Charged with a Corporate Crime?
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Corporate Crimes Criminal Defense
Since 1995 criminal defense trial attorney Paul Looney has litigated
60 criminal jury trials with zero final convictions
Houston Corporate Crimes Attorneys
White-collar crime represents one of the fastest-growing types of crime in the world.
Highly visible white-collar prosecutions in the United States include: 1)Financier Ivan Boesky (1986). 2)Financier Michael Milken (1990) for billions of dollars in securities fraud. 3)Charles Keating (1992 and 1993) convicted for looting his own savings and loan. 4)Enron Corp.’s chief financial officer Andrew Fastow (2004) found guilty of manipulating off-balance-sheet transactions. This led to the collapse of Enron.
White-collar crime is part of an organized effort to serve financial interests of a corporation. In some cases, corporate crimes are conducted by false entities that pose as legal corporations or partnerships. Since corporations cannot be incarcerated, they can be criminally punished with fines and other sanctions. Criminal liability in these cases is based on acts or omissions of the company’s employees and executives.
Although white-collar crimes are varied, most have several characteristics in common, they:
- involve use of deceit and concealment rather than force or violence for illegitimate gain of money, property or services. For example, defendants convicted of making false statements to obtain a government contract are considered white-collar criminals.
- typically involve abuse of trust and power. Public officials soliciting/accepting bribes, or corporate officers fixing prices to drive competitors out of business, are abusing their positions.
White-collar crime is usually more difficult to detect than other types of crime because losses may not immediately be apparent to victims. It is also difficult because crimes can involve sophisticated schemes and cover-ups. For example, real estate fraud may involve an escrow officer, a buyer, an appraiser, and a bank officer. This happens when they all sign false documents for personal gain.
For assistance with Corporate Crime Defense, contact
the Houston Corporate Crimes Attorneys at
Looney Smith Conrad & Hefti P.C.
Call us at 281-597-8818 or 979-826-8484 or text us at 405-388-6191
An experienced Corporate Criminal Defense Lawyer is available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a
no-obligation case evaluation.
We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.
Call today for Houston Corporate Crimes Attorneys.
Categories of Corporate Crime
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Fraud
- A common type of white-collar crime is fraud involving obtaining money or services by making false representations or promises. The key question in these cases is whether the defendant intended to deceive the victims or if the business failed. A common type of fraud involves telemarketing schemes that misrepresent the value, terms of sale, or use of goods or services being sold.
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Perjury
- Perjury, obstruction of justice, false statements, and witness tampering are also considered white-collar crimes. Although the goal is not necessarily to obtain money or services, these crimes are illegal because they interfere with the proper functioning of the justice system.
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Bribery
- Bribery and extortion are more general, in that they constitute illegal means of influencing persons in power in public or private institutions. Giving something of value in exchange for an official’s exercise of power is bribery.
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Extortion
- Extortion is a threat made to obtain a benefit from either a public official or a private individual.
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Money Laundering
- Money laundering is a newer type of white-collar crime that is utilized by criminals wishing to conceal profits gained through illegal activities. Drug dealers and purveyors of counterfeit goods and currencies often create money-laundering schemes to hide the source of their earnings.
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Regulatory Crimes
- A variety of regulatory offenses are also considered white-collar crimes. These may include:
- Violation of tax laws
- Avoidance of currency-reporting requirements
- Securities violations
- Environmental crimes
In addition to criminal punishment, those convicted of regulatory violations may also be subject to civil and administrative penalties. Such violations, unlike common-law crimes, may not require any criminal intent by the defendant. Instead, they may be seen as “strict liability” crimes for which mere failure to comply with the legal standards is grounds to establish criminal liability.
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Computer Crimes
- Computer crimes represent one means by which white-collar criminals exploit technology. Examples include using a computer as a mechanism for committing securities fraud, credit card fraud, and identity theft. Computer crimes also may involve illegally accessing and tampering with other users’ computer files.
Are you looking for Houston Corporate Crimes Attorneys?
Looney Smith Conrad & Hefti P.C.
Call us today (281) 597-8818 or (979) 826-8484.
Text us at (405) 388-6191 Emergencies: (713) 828-7494
We are Criminal Lawyers Near 77079 and Criminal Lawyers Near 77445.
An experienced Houston Corporate Crimes Attorneys are available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a
no-obligation case evaluation.
Call today for a white collar crime lawyer near me.
We serve Houston, the State of Texas and the entire United States.
