There are many situations in which you may need to hire a white collar crime lawyer. There are more ways to commit these types of crimes than you might think, and hiring an attorney after you knowingly or unknowingly commit one will give you the best chance of getting through your case and coming out the other side with a fair sentence.
5 Situations to Hire a White Collar-Crime Lawyer
1. If You’ve Been Insider Trading
Insider trading may not seem too criminal at first glance. After all, all you’re doing is using non-public information to give yourself a little advantage when it comes to success in the financial markets. However, this is actually classed as a white-collar crime.
An example of insider trading would be if you knew company X was about to buy company Y, and therefore company Y’s stock prices were about to skyrocket in price after the public learned of the acquisition. You may purchase company Y’s stock before it rockets to give yourself an advantage, then you’d sell it after it rockets.
2. If You’ve Been Embezzling
You can knowingly or unknowingly commit embezzlement. If you knowingly commit this crime, then you definitely need a Houston white-collar crimes lawyer to defend you. However, there are many ways you can unknowingly commit this crime, too. For example, if you get caught taking a few dollars out of the petty cash drawer, even if you intend to replace it when you have the cash to do so, it counts as embezzlement.
It’s also embezzlement if your company finds out you’ve been stealing equipment such as ink or toner for the printer, paper, pens, or groceries/clothes if you work in retail, and more. It may not seem like a big deal, but it has a financial impact on the company, so therefore it counts as embezzlement.
3. If You’ve Committed Fraud
If you committed fraud in any way, then you most certainly need an attorney to defend your case. It’s almost impossible to commit this crime unknowingly, so you’ll definitely need an attorney who’s well-experienced in lowering sentences for people who’ve committed this crime. It doesn’t matter how big or small the fraudulent crime you committed was. You need an excellent attorney to argue your case.
4. If You’ve Committed Cyber Crimes
Cyber crimes are more widespread than ever. The United States has lost billions of dollars in the last few years from identity theft and computer hacking. If you stole someone’s identity or hacked a computer, even if it was to better your company or bring down a company you knew to be committing crimes of their own, you’ve still committed a crime and need an attorney to defend you.
5. If You’ve Committed Espionage
Espionage is typically classed as a white-collar crime. You may not see it as something that’s too big a deal, as it seems innocent enough at first. For example, if company A wants to obtain technology from company B, then you may approach a company B employee and offer to pay them for a copy of their company’s technology. However, doing so damages company B, and therefore it’s a crime.
Should I Hire an Attorney If I’ve Been Falsely Accused of a White-Collar Crime?
Yes, you should always hire an attorney if you’ve been falsely accused of a crime. You may think you can prove your innocence by yourself, but there are always loopholes that will enable the defense to further attempt to incriminate you. An attorney is more thorough and understands the law well, so they’ll be able to take on your case and determine the right defense strategy that will give you the best chance of getting off your charge.
Should I Hire an Attorney if Someone Else in My Company Has Committed a White-Collar Crime?
If an individual or group of individuals within your company has/have committed white-collar crimes, then you should definitely contact an attorney just in case you’re investigated, too. If crimes are committed on a large scale within your company, then there’s a high chance that most of the employees working there will be investigated. Have your defense ready beforehand just in case.
Should I Hire an Attorney If I Accuse Someone Else of a White-Collar Crime?
Yes, make sure you have an attorney on your side if you discover a co-worker has committed a white-collar crime and you wish to inform your employer or the law. You want to ensure there’s somebody who can prove that you weren’t involved in the crime and are attempting to lower your sentence by throwing your co-worker under the bus.
Numerous crimes require an attorney to defend you, and you often need to hire a white-collar crime lawyer even if you haven’t committed the crime in question. Protecting yourself is of utmost importance if white-collar crimes are occurring in your workplace.