White collar crimes can generally be regarded as criminal activity involving money or property. They are commonly referred to as white color crimes based on the identity of the offender who is someone that occupies a white collar job position, and therefore the offense in turn involves money or property associated with that position. These crimes are also known as paper crimes because the evidence is often based on paper or electronic records.

These crimes are often committed by professionals, business people and public officials act in which money is at stake. White collar crimes can include bribery, embezzlement, various types of fraud, computer hacking, identify theft and corruption charges.

Often, white collar crimes are prosecuted at the federal level. Federal Courts are different from State Courts and require a different type of defense. Federal charges are investigated by large government agencies with virtually unlimited resources and time to build their cases. Federal crimes are usually prosecuted aggressively and can carry severe mandatory prison sentences. If you suspect that you may be charged or are under investigation by the federal government, it is critical that you obtain the services of an experienced federal criminal defense attorney.

The most common penalty associated with most white collar crimes is restitution, the return of the money or property to the damaged parties. In addition to the return of the actual money or property damages, the court can impose interest, fines or penalty assessment fees. This can result in high restitution penalties that can literally create a lifelong financial burden for the defendants in these cases. Even the accusation of a crime, regardless of the evidence, can do substantial harm to your professional reputation and future employment.

An experienced attorney can often be instrumental in minimizing these associated penalties and fines, saving the defendant thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. An experienced attorney can also help work out reasonable payment plans that actually allow for the defendant to pay the damages back over a reasonable time period, while even keeping the defendant out of jail or prison.

Your lawyer should always consider the possibility of trial in your case, particularly if you did not commit the crime alleged. A trial does not only establish whether the crime was committed. It also is used to establish the amount of loss.

For example, you may stipulate or admit to committing the crime of embezzlement of $5,000, while your employer maintains that you are responsible for a $30,000 loss. The amount of actual loss may be an issue for trial.

Remember it is up to the prosecution to prove the amount of actual loss. Here again a strong aggressive attorney along with his team of forensic accountants and experts can make all the difference in the world, in the results of your case.

Pre-trial preparation is the key to successful defense of white collar charges. Your defense team needs to have the experience and expertise to determine which records are relevant to your case and thoroughly analyze these records.

White collar criminal defense requires specific techniques depending on the type of charge. The investigation generally requires discovery motions to compel prosecutors, employers, banks and other institutions to turn over records that can be used in your defense. Because of the time and specialized skills involved, mounting a successful defense requires a defense TEAM, not just a single attorney. Prosecutors generally do not pursue cases that they don't feel they can prove in trial. This is why it is critical to dig even deeper into your case than the prosecution and inject the reasonable doubt that will let you win in the courtroom if necessary.

The obvious goal of a criminal defense firm is to get charges against you dismissed or, barring that, get a not guilty verdict. In the case of white collar crimes, there can be many individual charges, each of which carries its own sentence.

In the event that it is not possible to disprove a specific charge against you, we can be extremely helpful at sentence reduction. The complexity of white collar cases creates many opportunities for plea bargains, and the lattitude that state court judges can have makes it possible to greatly reduce sentences and penalties.

At LibertyBell Law Group, we have assembled a national team of top trial attorneys with specific experience defending against white collar criminal charges. Our experience spans state courtrooms across the country and the federal court system. Our attorneys have successfully defended clients in cases involving millions of dollars and multiple years of defense work.

Call us now at 1-800-432-BELL (2355) for a free consultation with one of our star attorneys. We stand ready to defend you both inside and outside the courtroom. Early intervention is the key to our mutual success.