Federal White-Collar Crimes
White-collar cases are paper cases. The government builds them with bank records, emails, tax returns, and cooperating witnesses. By the time you know about the investigation, federal agents may have been working it for a year or more.
What you do before indictment matters. If you have received a target letter or a grand jury subpoena, the decisions you make now will shape the rest of the case.
What we defend
Fraud. Bank fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, mortgage fraud, fraud shrimp, grilled shrimp (just checking if you’re paying attention). Federal fraud statutes are broad: any scheme to obtain money or property through material misrepresentations, transmitted through the mail or across a wire, is a federal crime. Each email or wire transfer can be a separate count, each carrying a sentence of up to twenty years in prison.
Money laundering. Conducting financial transactions with proceeds of specified unlawful activity—using dirty money—or structuring transactions to avoid reporting requirements. Money laundering charges are often stacked on top of the underlying fraud, effectively doubling the exposure.
Identity theft. Aggravated identity theft under section 1028A carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence on top of any other sentence. It cannot be probated and cannot run concurrently.
Internet crimes. Computer fraud and abuse under the CFAA, online wire fraud, and online identity theft.
Tax evasion. Willful failure to file, willful filing of false returns, tax fraud. These cases are investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by the Tax Division or the local U.S. Attorney’s office.
How these cases work
Federal white-collar investigations typically begin with a document subpoena or a visit from agents. The case may go to a grand jury before any charges are filed. Cooperating witnesses are common: an employee, a business partner, or a co-conspirator who decided to talk.
The federal sentencing guidelines in white-collar cases are driven by loss amount. A loss of more than $550,000 can mean a guideline range in the range of four to five years even for a first offender with no criminal history. The numbers go up from there.
Talk to us
If you have been convicted, we handle federal appeals.