Within the realm of criminal law, there are a number of charges a person may face for their actions depending on the circumstance. The term "white collar crime" has been coined because it generally means that there is some form of financial motivation behind the person's illegal actions. Another reason white collar crimes are given this term is because in many situations it is those who are in the corporate world (white collar workers) who end up getting mixed in large financial schemes; though not always.
The history of white collar crimes began with a criminal in 1939, Edwin Sutherland, who called himself the white collar criminal in a speech discussing his actions as those different than the motives of a typical street criminal; an act done by a respected and high social status individual in his occupation. After this man, white collar crimes have been generally focused on those types of illegal activities which tend to be a bit more grandeur in size, often attacking large corporations, wealthy people or even government operations, in order to receive extensive amounts of money. There are many different crimes that may be categorized as white collar offense, continue reading for a brief list of some of these possibilities.
Fraud Crimes. Fraud essentially means a person has misrepresented themselves or concealed information to make a personal gain (usually financial) or to harm another person. Fraud crimes are considered to be deceptive in nature and can involve taxes, banking, internet, insurance, credit cards, bankruptcy, and many others. Depending on the extent of the fraudulent activity, a person who is convicted may be forced to pay extensive fines, risk time behind bars as well as various other penalties.
Embezzlement Crimes. This too involves finances and it means one person misappropriated funds in some way. In most cases, the person who is embezzling funds is one who has been given the responsibility to oversee the financial matters of company, such as a boss or an accountant, who then somehow redirects the money into their own wallet rather than to the people whom it is due. Often times the person responsible will create a fake account to transfer the funds to, or a false vendor altogether to cover their tracks.
Forgery Crimes. Another form of white collar offense are called forgery, which means a person has some form of intent to defraud another person by way of using blank checks or other type of legal documents. Forgery crimes can include, but are not limited to, forging a signature in order to receive someone else's funds from a bank, etc., false identification to obtain access into an area that is off-limits, and many others. Forgery charges can range from minor to severe, and which ever it may be, having a criminal defense attorney on your side is crucial.
Extortion Crimes. More commonly known as blackmailing, extortion offenses are used by people to somehow receive money or property from another person by using means that would be considered illegal and unethical. For example, Johnny finds evidence of your past that could harm your current job, Johnny then uses this information to make you pay him monthly to keep your information secret. Extortion is essentially something a person does that is considered to be threatening against a victim and with the intent of causing harm and earning financial gain.
If you have been arrested for a white collar crime, contact a criminal defense attorney in your area for the legal represent action you need! White collar crimes may result in severe penalties with the law, take this serious and contact a lawyer today!
