Blog Posts - White collar crimes
Property as Collateral in Federal Court
In federal court, posting property as collateral for a secured bond is one option for defendants seeking release from custody while awaiting trial. Secured bonds require defendants to provide collateral, such as real estate, which guarantees their appearance in court. The court can seize the property if the defendant fails...
How Common is Wire Fraud?
Unfortunately, wire fraud is a common crime the federal government takes seriously. It involves using electronic communications, such as phone calls or emails, to deceive individuals and persuade them to send money or provide sensitive information. This type of fraud can cause financial losses and other harm. If the federal...
What are the Stages of Money Laundering?
Money laundering is a complicated and unlawful process that involves disguising the origins of illegally obtained funds to make them appear legitimate. This criminal activity is conducted in several stages, each with its purpose and method. When seeking a conviction for money laundering, prosecutors must demonstrate that a defendant followed...
Computer Crime Penalties in New York
Computer crimes cover many illegal activities, from hacking and identity theft to online fraud. If you’re accused of a computer-related offense, it’s important to understand the possible consequences and how New York computer crime lawyer Peter Katz can help defend your case. Types of Computer Crimes and Their Penalties Computer...
What are the Possible Consequences of a Financial Crime Conviction?
Federal charges for financial offenses might not seem as serious as charges of drug trafficking or violent crimes, but the law takes serious financial harm very seriously. The consequences of a conviction can be severe and have long-lasting effects on your personal and professional life. If convicted of a financial...
What is a Financial Crime?
Financial crime is a broad term for illegal activities involving deception or dishonesty for financial gain. Being charged with this offense could severely impact your career, reputation, and freedom. New York financial crimes lawyer Peter Katz can determine the most effective defense strategy to protect your rights and future. Common...
Best practices for preventing white collar crime in business
White-collar crime encompasses a range of non-violent, financially motivated offenses, including fraud, embezzlement, insider trading and cybercrimes. The potential for these crimes is higher than ever. Therefore, learn how to protect your company from white-collar crimes. Hiring and training processes Start with your hiring process. Check backgrounds and references for...
How do pyramid schemes work?
The internet is full of ways to make “easy money.” Oftentimes, these opportunities involve signing up others who pay a fee. While some situations have some value in that they actually give you something for your money, others are little more than a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes have been around...
3 FAQs about wire fraud
In an era of technical advances, the internet often serves as an arena for get-rich-quick schemes and other endeavors that the law considers wire fraud. The Federal Trade reported that American consumers lost $8.8 billion to fraud in 2022. That staggering number has state and federal law enforcement agencies on...
What is embezzlement
In the realm of financial crimes, embezzlement occupies a unique position. It often involves a breach of trust that makes it distinct from other forms of theft. In today’s business world, it is important to understand embezzlement and take steps to stop it. The act of embezzlement Embezzlement is a...
Don't let your home purchase lead to bank fraud
Buying a home today is an expensive undertaking. It can be challenging to scrape together enough money to afford the down payment on a home. Some homebuyers turn to their parents for assistance with covering the down payment. It’s great if your parents (or grandparents or other wealthy relatives) can...
Potential penalties for an embezzlement conviction in New Jersey
Embezzlement, also known as employee theft or financial fraud, is a serious white-collar crime involving misappropriating funds or property by someone in a position of trust. In New Jersey, embezzlement is a criminal offense that carries severe penalties. New Jersey has specific laws and statutes that govern embezzlement and the...
The consequences of fraudulent real estate valuations
The real estate world is a cutthroat place where exorbitant amounts of money are often on the line. When a single investment can make or break one’s financial future, a homeowner might feel the temptation to turn to fraud as a way to skew transactions in their favor. One common...
Signs of cryptocurrency fraud
In 2009, Bitcoin became the first cryptocurrency in an effort to decentralize the money supply. Over the last 14 years, more than 21,000 additional currencies have entered the market. Today, more than 50 million Americans own some type of crypto, and 57% of those are millennials. However, with the recent...
Can the police open your phone
People use their phones for everything these days. They use them for text messages, email messages, social media profiles, taking pictures and videos, doing online banking and much more. As such, if you’re being investigated for financial crimes, the police may want to look at your phone to see if...
How can you defend yourself against loan fraud charges
A huge number of Americans will apply for a loan at some point in their lives. The idea that a mistake during the application process can lead to loan fraud charges is truly terrifying. Loan fraud can come in a variety of forms, such as bank fraud, mortgage fraud and...
What is a money mule
Many criminals realize that getting someone else to do work for them reduces the chance that they will be caught and allows them to bring in even more profits. Sometimes, those whom they select know what they are getting into, such as when people sign up to sell drugs for...
What's trending in criminal tax enforcement efforts
It is widely known that the IRS recently received a significant influx of funding via the Inflation Reduction Act that was signed into law last August. What is less clear is exactly how individual Americans and corporate entities will be directly impacted by the shifts that will be made as...
Check related fraud is on the rise
In numerous cities across the U.S., check-related fraud rates are on the rise. In Chicago alone, banks have reported twice as many check fraud-related crimes over the last year than they did during the previous two years. Local news outlets have reported that some fraudsters feel so emboldened by their...
White collar prosecution rates continue to drop
Although there are some kinds of criminal wrongdoing that have been escalating in recent years, there is reason to believe that white-collar offenses are not among those that are spiking. According to the Syracuse University joint data center known as the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), white-collar prosecution hit an...
Stay off social media until your criminal case is resolved
There are many reasons why millions of Americans log on to social media platforms each day. These electronic resources can help individuals to network professionally, keep in touch with loved ones and find support for unique challenges. Yet, if you’re under investigation for a white collar crime or you’ve been...
4 things to consider if you are offered a plea deal
Prosecutors love plea deals. They use them to secure yet another conviction without going through the hard work of proving someone’s guilt in court. What’s more, plea deals guarantee them a win, and they know a jury might not. Things are not so clear-cut if you are on the other...
3 behaviors to avoid if you have been accused of white collar crime
People make mistakes all the time, and usually, the consequences of everyday mistakes are minimal. However, you’ll need to be particularly careful to avoid making certain mistakes if you are under investigation for a white-collar crime. Doing what might seem logical in the heat of the moment could lead to...
What investors should know about securities fraud
The term securities fraud refers to deceptive behavior involving stocks and investments. A range of crimes qualify as securities fraud, including pyramid schemes and insider trading. Investors should understand the types of securities fraud and how to avoid them. Fraud and investments Securities fraud involves attempts to falsify or omit...
Tax avoidance versus tax fraud
Tax fraud is the failure to pay or evade your tax bill. The IRS calls fraud the misrepresentation of material facts or failure to speak when your knowledge may prevent material damage. Paying less in taxes does not mean you committed tax fraud. There is tax evasion and tax avoidance....
A close look at a recent embezzlement case in New Jersey
While each instance of alleged white-collar crime has unique factors, a close look at a specific case can reveal some aspects of the New Jersey legal system. Embezzlement, the fraudulent taking of assets by another person entrusted with those assets, often involves a complex mix of actions. One case, involving...
What does it take to convict you of wire fraud
When you use electronic communications across state lines to defraud others, you may face conviction, severe fines and up to 20 years in prison. These penalties may also apply even if you do not succeed in stealing someone’s money or property. A prosecutor can use the following strategies to steer...
How do embezzlement and larceny tie together
Allegations of theft via embezzlement fall under larceny charges in New York statutes. This applies to missing or lost data, utilities and trademarks under theft laws, and a loss of money or property. Board of directors or employers may begin the initial investigation if they discover property missing. Depending on...
Can you go to prison for tax evasion
When you file your New Jersey tax return each year, it is important that you include all relevant information and report all income received during the tax year to the IRS. Failing to report all income received is among the most common reasons the IRS may decide to audit you....
What happens during an SEC investigation
Securities and exchange issues are complex. If the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission believes you did anything to create an unfair advantage within the securities or stock markets, it may decide to launch an investigation into you, your New Jersey business or both. Per the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,...
What happens when you fail to pay your taxes
Whether you simply forgot to pay last year’s income taxes or you knowingly avoided the arduous task, you should know the potential penalties that accompany this issue. While many people strive to file their taxes by the tax deadline, a number of others procrastinate and fail to submit them at...
IRS worker pleads guilty to tax evasion
Claiming deductions on a tax form may help save money in taxes, provided the deductions are permissible under law. A person who claims illegal tax breaks could end up in serious trouble with the IRS. Even individuals who work for the agency do not escape scrutiny. In March of 2022,...
Can working too much be a sign of fraud
Being a hard worker is a quality many business owners value in their employees. However, as surprising as it may sound, sometimes overachieving in an office job may invite suspicion, particularly if you handle financial records. This is because some employees who put in too much time at the office...
Policy changes to how the department of justice investigates white collar crimes
Corporate crimes often receive less scrutiny than those involving violence. That said, people are acknowledging that financial misdealing can be equally harmful. In some cases, they are even more so. This realization is causing the Department of Justice to toughen investigations. New policies are turning up the heat. Soon, it...
Wire fraud guilty plea results from boiler room investigation
Wire fraud, in the digital age, falls into a niche set of parameters considering that computer fraud is technically a different charge. Phone calls, text messages and emails are all tools when it comes to wire fraud. The United States Department of Justice recently released a report regarding an international...
How are white collar criminal investigations handled
When a government agency decides to launch an investigation into your company, it can cause everyone to feel overwhelmed, underprepared and anxious. Now is not the time to panic, though. The way you react during an investigation could have a much bigger impact than you think. It is important to...
What is the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion
When it comes to IRS tax issues, you must have a good understanding of what is and is not legally permissible. This is especially important when it comes to tax evasion, which is a significant crime that may even amount to a felony charge. The primary purpose of tax evasion...
Understanding your rights as a whistleblower
If you are an employee whose employer is engaging in misconduct, then you might feel that you need to expose their wrongdoing. However, the thought of moving forward with your claims may seem daunting, and you might worry about what type of retaliation you could face. If you are considering...
How does larceny relate to embezzlement
Larceny charges filed under New York statutes include allegations of theft by embezzling. If a company trusted you with money or property, a loss may raise allegations of embezzlement. Larceny also applies to lost or missing data, trademarks and utilities under the Empire State’s theft laws. An employer or a...
What to expect when the IRS audits you
Becoming the subject of an IRS audit is not common, but there are certain things that may lead the tax collection agency to take a closer look at your tax returns through an audit. Also, in some situations, the IRS may audit you completely at random, and not because anything...
Can I go to jail for not paying my taxes
Taxes are an unfortunate but inevitable part of life. If you earn an income, you most like have to file a return and pay taxes on your earnings. When life gets hectic, problems can arise with your tax returns or your ability to meet your tax obligations. Here is what...
Why is inadequate disclosure unethical
Securities fraud can disrupt your career and ruin your reputation. Dealing with the ramifications of your behavior could last years and make it difficult to achieve professional success the way you once did. Understanding why inadequate disclosure is a form of securities fraud may help you to identify your next...
What do you need to know about embezzlement
If charged with embezzlement, you could face serious repercussions that threaten various aspects of your future, from your finances to your career and even your freedom. There are many different factors that you need to take into consideration when dealing with an embezzlement case, and it is vital to keep...
Your reputation after embezzlement charges
Embezzling money or facing accusations of other white-collar crimes can damage your reputation and jeopardize your career. Even after you recompense and settle any legal repercussions, others may view you differently. Your decision to take control of your actions may help you rebuild your personal and professional image. With time...
Mistakes to avoid during a white collar crime investigation
An investigation by the FBI, SEC, FINRA or other government agency is an alarm bell that might have everyone in your company on edge, but this is not the time for impulsive responses. Your reaction to this news must be coolheaded and deliberate if you want to avoid further trouble,...