San Antonio White Collar Crime Lawyers

White Collar Crime

The proliferation of white collar crime investigations and prosecutions continues on both the federal and state sides of the criminal law. These cases vary from complex international transactions to simple local allegations of theft or embezzlement.

When a white collar client seeks legal representation, the Government has probably been investigating for months, if not years. It is critical that defense counsel catch up as quickly as possible by using all available means to investigate the allegations of wrongdoing. This type of investigation will entail obtaining the names of other “white collar” participants, following the money trail, and hiring forensic experts, such as accountants and appraisers.

The Government’s evidence in almost every white collar case will be document intensive. Defense counsel must obtain all documents pertinent to the transactions at issue. The pre-indictment phase of white collar crime cases is more challenging, but every effort should be made to obtain them at this stage. Once the documents are secured they must be carefully studied for inconsistencies and exculpatory materials. The documents should be reviewed multiple times during the investigative phase, and again at the trial phase.

The document process should enable a white collar crime lawyer and his client to identify all witnesses and participants that are involved in the criminal investigation. Defense counsel cannot compel these interviews (unlike the Government which possesses the grand jury subpoena power in criminal investigations), so there are obvious challenges with this process, but vigorous representation will often yield results in this area.

The investigation of white collar crime initiated by the Government almost always follows the money- where did it go, who did it go to, and how much was it. It is very important to understand the flow of the proceeds to evaluate potential culpability and the types of potential white collar charges such as bribery, false statements, money laundering, mortgage fraud and bank fraud.

Each case in the area of white collar crime is unique; some involve possible political motivation and concern high-profile individuals. Others are less publicly charged, but are complex nonetheless done to the type of allegations and the amounts of money that may be involved. The key to exoneration in all of theses cases is through investigation and preparation, through the gathering of documents, statements, and appropriate experts.

Examples of white collar crimes cases include:

• Identity Fraud
• Tax Evasion
• Mail Fraud
• Business Fraud
• Internet Fraud
• Securities Fraud
• Credit Fraud
• Insurance Fraud
• Embezzlement
• Corporate Kickbacks
• Counterfeiting Conspiracy

Contact Kevin Collins when you need a white collar crime lawyer in the San Antonio area.