White-collar crimes refer to non-violent crimes that are financially motivated. They typically involve business or government officials committing crimes at or through their work with the most common being identity theft, embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, securities fraud, wire fraud and tax invasion.
The term “white collar” was first defined by renowned criminologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939 because they were committed by “a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.”
While white-collar crimes do not necessarily involve acts of physical violence, the threat to society and the cost usually incurred on the public was enough to make legislators crack down on the related penalties. Potentially, white-collar convictions tend to result in substantial fines, restitution orders, costs and lengthy periods of incarceration either in state or federal prison, or both. Moreover, white-collar crime convictions have an overwhelming potential to devastate personal and professional reputations.
Being accused of a white-collar crime can be extremely traumatic, as the accused generally has no previous criminal history and may not know what steps to take to protect himself.
White-collar crime cases often begin long before charges are filed, with investigations by state and federal agencies and industry regulators. At William F. Caye II, LLC, we expertly handle these matters, prioritizing your reputation and freedom at every step along the way. While some investigations never result in criminal charges, others do. When faced with a potential conviction, your greatest asset is an experienced white-collar crime defense attorney with practice-proven trial experience.
More importantly, we understand the many state and federal laws that apply, and we will zealously investigate and defend you against these charges. With hard-hitting investigation and lawyering, we will try to convince the authorities to drop and dismiss cases at their inception. When cases do go forward, we will aggressively defend you against these charges.
