What Constitutes as White-Collar Crime?
In the criminal justice world, financial crimes can often impact the widest range of people while staying under the radar for extended periods. Businesses, hotels, and large financial institutions have seen their employees (and sometimes C-suite executives) find ways to move money around to benefit their bottom line and impact the earnings of the rest of the organization. These types of criminal offenses are considered “white-collar” crimes.
Defining White-Collar Crime
Broadly defined, white-collar crimes consist of nonviolent offenses committed by a person of high social status or by employees during their tenure at a specific job. The perpetrators often view them as victimless crimes because they don’t see the immediate impact on fellow employees or believe the institution won’t miss the moved-around funds. These offenses include:
- Fraud
- Large-scale Ponzi schemes
- Bribery
- Embezzling funds
- Intellectual property theft
- Racketeering
- Money laundering
- Identity theft
- Tax evasion
These crimes might not leave physical marks on their victims like a vehicle accident or an assault; however, they leave a lasting impact on their financial lives. These crimes have a way of leaving their victims in varying states of financial ruin that require years of economic rehabilitation to reach some semblance of normalcy again. It’s why when crimes committed of this nature do end up in court, the punishments cover a wide range after the perpetrator has pleaded guilty.
Repercussions of White-Collar Crime Convictions
Depending on the severity of the particular crime, the punishments consist of fines, home detainment, house arrest, and jail time of upwards of 20 years. The severity of each punishment can worsen depending on the number of victims negatively affected by a white-collar crime.
Whether it’s securities fraud, wire fraud, or something on a larger scale, this type of crime can have far-reaching effects on your long-term prospects. White-collar convictions can follow you every time you try to get a job in the financial services industry and prevent you from living your life. However, with the right criminal defense attorney on your side, your sentence can vary significantly, and you may end up avoiding the harshest punishments.
Paying Attention to the Details
No matter which side of the courtroom you find yourself on, most white-collar criminal cases will come down to the smallest details. Sifting through a large swath of financial documents during the discovery phase can help form the basis of your defense. Suppose your defense attorney has a history of working as a prosecutor and knows how they think and approach white-collar cases. In that case, you can form an iron-clad defense that can significantly improve your prospects at trial. The leading white-collar criminal defense attorney in Las Vegas can help your case.
Benjamin Nadig has experience working as a prosecutor in Las Vegas before he went into private practice as a felony lawyer in Las Vegas. Having extensive experience on both sides of the aisle means that he can draw on his experience from both perspectives and create the best defense strategy possible. Contact our office to schedule your free initial consultation and get started formulating your defense today.
