Mentor White Collar Crime Lawyer

Mentor White Collar Crime Attorney

Facing investigation or charges for a financial or corporate crime can have a profound impact on your life. An experienced Mentor white-collar crime lawyer from Fortress Law Group, LLC, can represent you and your family in these high-profile cases. White-collar crime statutes in Ohio are complex. Charges can lead to significant fines and prison time.

What Is a White-Collar Crime?

White collar crimes involve non-violent, financially motivated offenses. These cases are complex because they do not have any physical victims but rather focus on fraud, misrepresentation, and/or violation of trust. White collar charges can be brought against both people and companies, and evidence in these cases often includes piles of documents and electronic and financial records.

Historically, white collar crimes have been associated with career criminals and business professionals who were “trusted” by the people around them. In modern times, the term encompasses a broader range of crimes committed against individuals’ assets, cash, or data. White collar cases may seem less serious than other types of criminal matters, but financial, reputational, and possible criminal consequences are no less serious.

Common Examples of White-Collar Crime

White-collar crime is an umbrella term that covers a large variety of financial and business-related offenses. Some common white-collar crime cases in Ohio include:

• Fraud. This includes insurance fraud, mortgage fraud, and credit card fraud committed with the purpose of financial gain.
• Embezzlement. This is the misappropriation of funds or property that you may oversee or that is otherwise entrusted to you, such as in your place of employment.
• Forgery. This involves illegally signing or creating altered documents to deceive others and better benefit the offender.
• Bribery. Bribery is a form of corruption that involves offering incentives in exchange for favors.
• Money laundering. Money laundering is a way of concealing the true origins of financial transactions. For instance, if you obtained money in a drug operation, it would be money laundering to report it as if it came from a legitimate business venture.
• Tax evasion. This includes intentionally and willfully avoiding tax obligations.
• Identity theft. This involves using someone else’s personal information and posing as them for financial gain, such as using another person’s name and social security number to obtain a line of credit in their name.

Penalties for White-Collar Crimes

Yearly losses from white-collar crimes were between $426 billion and $1.7 trillion as of 2021. The huge variance in the number is because of the differences among the cases that have been prosecuted. In 2022, 4,180 people were prosecuted for white-collar crime. Up to 90% of such crimes go unreported, it’s estimated.

Penalties for white collar crimes can be steep. If a person is convicted, they can face significant fines and, depending on the offense, years in prison. Beyond prison, offenders can face additional consequences, such as the loss of professional licenses, trouble securing employment, reputational damage, career damage, civil suits, restitution to pay, probation, and federal monitoring.

Why Hire a White-Collar Crime Lawyer?

White-collar crime charges like fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering are different. In addition to the criminal charge, there are typically piles upon piles of evidence to sort through, including financial records, computer files, and all sorts of correspondence. It is not uncommon for multiple agencies, both at the state and federal levels, to be working together on a single white-collar crime case.

A Mentor white-collar crime attorney can help you from the moment you face allegations by intervening early to speak with investigators and protecting your rights from the beginning to the end of the process to prevent mistakes that may damage your case.

These charges not only put your freedom at risk; they also jeopardize your reputation, career, and financial stability. Hire a white-collar crime lawyer who has the skill and experience to develop a strong defense and aggressively pursue the greatest possible outcome for you.

About Us

At Fortress Law Group, LLC, we’ve defended Ohio clients since 2009 with professionalism and care. Based in Mentor, we regularly represent individuals at the Lake County Courthouse, giving us insight into local judges and prosecutors. Our priority is protecting your rights, future, and reputation every step of the way.

FAQs

What Is Considered Fraud in White-Collar Cases?

Fraud is deception deliberately perpetrated or done in order to gain something or deprive another of a right, whether by misrepresentation or concealment. Common examples include mortgage fraud, securities fraud, and falsification of corporate financial reports. If you are charged with fraud, having an attorney can drastically increase your chances of a more favorable outcome.

What Jail Do You Go to for White-Collar Crime?

In Mentor, white-collar criminals are not transferred to white-collar jails. Placement is the result of a formal risk assessment. While white-collar crimes are non-violent, most white-collar felons who are sentenced to prison serve their time in minimum or medium security prisons that are appropriate for non-violent offenders, based on the inmate’s security classification and not on crime type.

What Are the 4 Most Common White-Collar Crimes?

Fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, and identity theft are some of the most common white-collar crimes. Characterized by some form of deceit or abuse of trust in order to acquire financial gain, they make up a large proportion of financial crime. However, there are others that can also count as white-collar crimes, including bribery, forgery, and tax evasion.

Do All White-Collar Crimes Go to Prison?

No, not all white-collar crimes result in a prison sentence. Prison time is based on the type of offense, the number of victims, the damage done, and other factors. These crimes have historically been punishable by fines and social penalties. However, a convicted person has a higher chance of going to prison if there was significant damage done and/or if the case is high-profile.

Contact Fortress Law Group, LLC

If you have been charged with a white-collar crime, do not delay in seeking legal assistance. Fortress Law Group, LLC, can help you fight for your future. Contact us today to get started.

Ohio White-Collar Crime Resources:

• Federal Crimes vs Ohio State Crimes – What’s the Difference?
• An Ohio Criminal Defense Attorney Answers the Frequently Asked Questions About the Appeal Process