A white collar crime can entail many things. Usually it is a non-violent crime that is done for personal financial gain. Such crimes can involve medical fraud when dealing with Medical or Medicare, banking fraud, credit card fraud, forgery and whole other litany of things that one can be arrested for.
These crimes differ from the “run of the mill” criminal case because of the way in which they are investigated. While a violent or street crime generally occurs fairly quickly and arrests are made based on witness accounts and circumstantial evidence, the evidence in a white collar arrest is generally documentation and could be the result of an extensive investigation carried out by law enforcement personnel. Many times a case such as those dealing with work related fraud or health care fraud can have evidence comprising of several boxes of documents. The prosecution will try to intimidate people by showing this evidence as a scare tactic for the accused to assume that with all the evidence they “must have a strong case against me.” Don't be fooled into submission, a case for fraud is hard to prove and with the right attorney working on your side, you can often times have your case dismissed or be found not guilty after trial.
We Conduct Our Own Investigation Using Qualified Examiners
The police have used their resources and abilities to investigate your case leading up to your arrest. Even if you have yet to be arrested but were served with a subpoena or a warrant for your records, know that by the time of your arrest the police have done extensive investigative work on your case. You are entitled to the same rights as they are and allowed to have a qualified individual review the same documents that the police are reviewing to determine if there is a case against you or not. Many times we have used this technique to keep a case from being filed against our clients or having those cases already filed dismissed.
When you have been targeted for investigation the best thing you can do for yourself is to act fast and retain an attorney who will lead the defense. Immediately hiring an attorney who will in turn hire an investigator to thoroughly review your case can make all the difference in your case. We work with several investigators made of former law enforcement personnel, fraud investigators and other former government officials that know what the people investigating you are thinking because they used to do their jobs. It any stage in the case you need someone on your side that will fight for you.
The White Collar Net
Often times in a white collar investigation police have what we refer to as “blinders” on when conducting a case. To them once they find evidence of what they perceive to be wrongdoing by one person, then anyone involved with that person is deemed guilty by association. Often times, innocent people are lumped together with culpable ones despite the fact that they are not guilty of a crime. This is sometimes used as a strategic tactic because police know that if a person is innocent or even less culpable of wrongdoing than others involved they will do anything in their power to get out of the situation including providing damaging information against the person they are in fact seeking. Although this sounds unfair and a violation of the trust society puts in our policing agencies, unfortunately this is a fact of life that we deal with.
The best thing you can do for yourself in a situation where you are being investigated for white collar crimes is to contact an attorney as soon as possible. The police will try to make it seem like they are on your side, but don't be fooled, they are not. The police are legally allowed to lie to you in order to investigate a case and they use this right often. When facing criminal charges, you only have one person that is on your side and that is your attorney. Make sure that attorney is experienced and aggressive. At Sigal Law Group we have handled numerous white collar cases from forgery or check fraud to the most complicated Federal cases involving millions of dollars. We have spent countless hours with government investigators, federal and state prosecutors and police officers and know how they work and how they think. You need an attorney that is on your side that can save you from unthinkable consequences. Contact a Van Nuys white collar crime lawyer at the Sigal Law Group today and schedule a free consultation.