White Collar Crimes

White Collar Crimes Attorney in St. George, Utah

Investigating a white-collar crime involves all the problems of solving a normal crime but without clear proof of its occurrence. Since white-collar crimes are hard to detect, you should take extra care in defending yourself against any accusations. Allegations of fraudulent and illegal activities can seriously harm you, your business, and your reputation. This is why it is most beneficial to you if you seek legal advice from financial crime lawyers in Utah.

Whether you are accused of embezzlement or fraud in the United States, a conviction can result in prison time, hefty fines, and restitution. It can cost you your career, life, and freedom. With so much at stake, you need a reliable St. George criminal defense attorney by your side to help you protect your rights.

Why Do I Need a White-Collar Crimes Attorney in Utah?

Defending white-collar cases often requires a level of complexity that sets them apart from theft charges, violent crimes, and other criminal charges. It is a distinct and highly specialized area of Utah criminal law. Therefore, businesses or individuals faced with a government investigation, trial, or indictment need prompt, innovative, and competent legal representation from a credible St. George financial crime lawyer.

At Boyack Christiansen Legal Solutions, we provide a vigorous defense of individuals and companies facing criminal proceedings either in a state or federal court. We have extensive experience in representing numerous clients who have been charged with fraud, embezzlement, and other white-collar crimes. Our criminal defense law firm has an established track record of success in handling complex, high-profile criminal cases involving state and federal law. 

We’ll walk you through the charges and the defense strategies against them to make sure your rights are protected. Contact our law office now and schedule an initial consultation with our criminal defense lawyers to learn more about your legal options.

What is a White-Collar Crime?

A white-collar crime is any non-violent criminal conduct that takes place in the business or commercial realm. It refers to a variety of crimes that do not typically involve physical violence but are based on deceit, concealment, or violation of trust. Most white-collar crimes involve some form of theft by fraudulent representation for obtaining money under misleading circumstances.

White-collar Offenders

In most cases, white-collar crimes involve powerful, educated, and wealthy people in a corporate and upscale business setting. Most white-collar offenders are people who for a multitude of reasons make rash or uncharacteristically poor decisions. They see their way out of difficulty through illegal and fraudulent means.

Cases involving white-collar crimes are notoriously complex since it’s not always obvious whether a crime was committed. Someone charged with a financial crime should seek legal advice from a knowledgeable St. George white-collar crime attorney as soon as possible.

What are the Types of White-Collar Crimes?

White-collar crimes involve a wide variety of illegal acts and schemes. These types of crimes are committed through deceit and in pursuit of monetary gain. These illegal acts often use complicated tactics that either obscure operations entirely or make them appear legal. A qualified St. George white-collar crime lawyer can help you understand the nature of your criminal charges and build a strong defense based on the circumstances of your case.

White collar crimes cover a broad range of financial misconduct, but most involve some sort of fraud or public corruption. Many different types of offenses fall under the umbrella of white-collar crime, including but not limited to the following:

Fraud

Many white-collar crimes fall into a general category of fraud since they rely on deceit for financial gain. Private customer information, credit card numbers, and other personal details can all be used to take advantage of clients, financial institutions, or other businesses. Some of the most common types of white-collar fraud include

• Securities Fraud. Securities fraud is an illegal activity carried out involving securities or asset markets to profit at the expense of others. This type of fraud case is a serious crime that usually involves the fraudulent trading of securities (like stocks and mutual funds) on highly regulated and publicly-traded markets. Examples of securities fraud include Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, and late-day trading.
• Bank Fraud. Like other fraud offenses, bank fraud involves the use of a scheme to obtain something of value. It refers to any illegal act that involves the use of deception to obtain money or other property from a bank, a financial institution, or a bank’s depositor. It may involve an intentional action aimed at receiving assets, money, securities, credits, or property from a financial institution through the use of false information.
• Tax Evasion or Tax Fraud. Tax evasion is an illegal activity in which a person or entity deliberately avoids paying a true tax liability. It can range from simply filing tax forms with false information to illegally transferring or concealing property to avoid tax obligations.

Failure to pay taxes can lead to criminal charges. To be convicted of tax evasion, it must be determined that the avoidance of taxes was a willful act on the part of the taxpayer.

Public Corruption

Public corruption is the violation of a public official’s duty of faith toward his or her community. Most public corruption occurs when an official is offered something of value in exchange for a favorable decision. Examples include extortion, bribery, bid rigging, conflicts of interest, illegal gifts, and collusion.

Embezzlement

An embezzlement is a form of white-collar crime in which a person or entity intentionally misappropriates the assets entrusted to them. This crime takes place when a person intentionally uses funds for a different purpose than they were intended to be used. The act of embezzlement constitutes a breach of fiduciary responsibility in the context of a principal-agent relationship.

Embezzlers use their relationships and positions of trust to commit their crimes. The most common example is an employee that funnels money from the employer into a personal account. Employees who handle cash directly, such as cashiers, servers, bartenders, or delivery drivers can embezzle funds by destroying or falsifying transaction records and pocketing the cash.

Money Laundering

Money laundering is the criminal act of filtering illegally obtained money through a series of transactions designed to make the money appear legitimate. The money from the criminal activity is considered dirty, and the process “launders” it to make it look clean.

Major financial institutions, such as banks, are frequently used for money laundering. For example, instead of depositing a large sum of money all at once at a bank, a money launderer will deposit small sums over time to avoid drawing attention.

Get the preparation, dedication, trial experience, and personal attention you need in your criminal defense case. Take a proactive approach to your defense and speak with competent Utah financial crime lawyers today.

Call Our Seasoned St. George White Collar Crime Attorneys Now!

White collar crime becomes an increasing problem as the world turns out to be more technologically advanced. While these crimes rarely involve accusations of violence, they are still penalized harshly. If convicted, these crimes usually result in jail time, large fines, and restitution to the victims. Failure to build a strong defense can risk your future and your freedom.

If you are recently accused of committing a financial crime, it is critical to seek legal advice from our experienced St. George white-collar crime attorneys at Boyack Christiansen Legal Solutions. Our criminal defense law firm will work aggressively to challenge the prosecution, their theories of the criminal case, and their evidence at every point in seeking a successful outcome for our clients.