White-collar crime covers many different types of activity. As a result, investigators often spend a long time selecting and collecting their evidence. They need to make sure that their facts fit the exact legal definition of one of the federal or state crimes in order to have the best chance of convicting you.
Facing charges, you would probably find yourself wondering what exactly you were being accused of. Knowing exactly what you are dealing with from the very beginning is one of the best ways to craft an effective defense. Please read on for a brief description of internet fraud, identity theft and embezzlement: three of the most common types of white-collar crime.
Internet fraud
Fraud is, in a general sense, not doing what you said you would or what was reasonably expected of you in a contract. You would probably be accused of multiple counts of this particular offense if you were the subject of an investigation that turned up suggestive evidence. This can be a serious charge over the internet, as interstate transactions may draw federal attention.
Identity theft
Using a fictional person’s information to fool people or steal money may also be fraud, but taking the identifying information from real people would be identity theft. Due to the close relationship between the two concepts, you may find this charge attached to many fraud, attempted fraud or accessory accusations.
Embezzlement
Embezzling money would require you to have a position of trust in the company and use that advantage to steal funds. It is a specific form of theft possible among highly trusted professionals, such as administrators, financial workers or company leaders.
Understanding how various white-collar crime investigations and accusations work together is one of the starting points towards understanding how prosecutors and investigators do their jobs. Since you would probably be facing multiple charges — or multiple counts of one type of offense — taking a strategic approach is often necessary to achieve the best possible results for your case.
