How Georgia Law Handles White Collar Offenses
Our Columbus GA felony lawyers handle the following Georgia white collar offenses:
| Embezzlement Larceny Impersonation Conspiracy Theft Securities Fraud RICO / Racketeering Money laundering Insurance Fraud Forgery |
Pyramid schemes Bribery Graft Wrongful appropriation Identity theft Tax evasion Wire Fraud Credit Card / Debit Card Fraud Telemarketing Fraud |
There are several broad categories of crimes. Under the current, mainstream American judicial system, there are violent crimes, non-violent crimes, and the so called “white collar” crimes. White collar crimes involve the misuse, misappropriation or outright theft of money, usually within the business or corporate world. Though no violence occurs during the commission of white collar crimes, the number of victims that are involved are usually far higher in number with white collar crimes, as opposed to any other type. These are the most common white collar crimes adjudicated in the state of Georgia.
Monetary Theft
One of the most common white collar crimes is the theft of large amounts of money through coercion, deception or force. Usually, this involves the use of an “inside” person to facilitate the theft by the offender, and in nearly all cases, there is no use or threat of violence during the commission of the crime. Monetary theft offenders face years in prison and open themselves up to civil liability litigation.
Identity Theft
Another common form of white collar crime is identity theft. When an offender “steals” another person’s identity, they do so to open credit accounts, charge up huge balances, and run off with the merchandise while the victim is left to cope with the aftermath. Identity theft can leave victims attempting to clear their credit for years after the commission of the crime. Under Georgia law, cases of identity theft usually bring significant prison time and heavy fines.
Fraud
Fraud is sort of an umbrella term, when it comes to white collar crime, since so many different types of fraud occur. Everything from credit and currency scams, to health care, bank, accounting, investment and tax fraud can apply here. Usually, depending on the nature of the fraud that takes place, the amount of money that is involved, and the number of victims that are defrauded, most fraud cases involve extensive prison sentences, fines of nearly limitless amounts and the possibility of loosing millions of dollars in civil litigation.
Embezzlement
Embezzlement, too, is one of the most common, and certainly the most famous type of white collar crime. It usually involves an inside offender with intimate knowledge of a company’s financial situation, and often involves more than one offender. Embezzlement can lead to fines far beyond the amount embezzled, significant prison sentences, the application of RICO charges by the District Attorney and the forfeiture of all of the offender’s assets to repay the embezzled money and any fines that are due.
Racketeering
Another common white collar crime is the famous “conspiracy” that some offenders enter into to commit any of the above listed crimes. When a group of co-conspirators commits an act of fraud, theft, embezzlement or identity theft, they open themselves up to not only the penalties for those crimes, but also to significant prison time for forming the conspiracy as well. A RICO racketeering charge can add up to a decade of prison time for white collar crimes.
If you are suspected of or charged with a white collar crime in the Columbus Georgia area, then contact a seasoned Columbus white collar crime defense attorney today.