White Collar Crimes Defense

24 Hour Help, contact Dallas Criminal Attorney John Raggio

White collar crimes can involve fraud, embezzlement or theft of a few dollars or many thousands of dollars. No matter what white collar crime you have been charged with and regardless of the amount of money in question, I can help protect your professional reputation and defend your rights.

White collar crimes cases are complicated and often involve lengthy investigations and mountains of evidence. You need an experienced, aggressive Dallas criminal defense lawyer to guide you through the criminal process and explain your options when faced with accusations of fraud, embezzlement or any other white collar crime.

I understand that white collar crimes are very serious charges. Due to the high-profile fraud crimes of the past decade, white collar crimes are punished more severely. I can help protect your rights and minimize the effects of an investigation or white collar crime charge, such as:

• Fraud, including wire fraud, mail fraud or securities fraud
  
• Internet crimes or cyber crimes
  
• Embezzlement
  
• Identity theft
  
• Conspiracy
  
• Forgery
  
• Conversion
  

You may not have been charged with a white collar crime yet, but you may know that you are under criminal investigation. If you have been approached by an investigator or believe you are being investigated for theft or embezzlement, I can help by protecting your rights even in the investigation stage. Because of my experience as a Dallas criminal lawyer, I understand what is at stake and can help you protect your rights and freedom.

As a Dallas white collar crimes lawyer, I draw heavily on my experience and knowledge of both Federal & State law. I have served people charged with crimes in the Dallas County area for many years. This experience gives me valuable and unique insight into the criminal process.

I understand how investigators gather evidence, how the prosecution pursues criminal charges, what makes a strong defense, and ultimately, how judges decide cases. This insight can be a valuable benefit as I protect my clients' rights in investigations and develop a strong fraud defense against white collar crime charges.

I have the professional, technical and financial resources to thoroughly investigate every possible defense. That often means calling in expert witnesses and specialists who clarify the evidence and challenge whether there is criminal intent. Often I am able to expose the prosecutor's lack of evidence as to criminal intent for charges, leading to the dismissal of charges or acquittal at trial.

White Collar Crime

As s successful Dallas criminal attorney, I handle complex, high profile criminal defense cases of all types. White collar crimes typically require an understanding of complex financial information and transactional processes across state and national borders. I have both the resources to manage complex and document-intensive business cases, as well as access to a network of financial experts and investigators to maximize your chances of prevailing.

Securities Fraud & Insider Trading: This is an evolving area with new federal prosecution strategies developing all the time. I see an increasing number of indictments for market timing trades, insider trading, investment schemes, and telemarketing fraud & a huge increase in bankruptcy fraud that usually includes some type of mortgage scam.

Bank Fraud: Embezzlement, larceny, forgery, money laundering, check cashing schemes, wire fraud, and mail fraud with criminal charges subsumed under federal depositor banking laws.

Insurance Fraud: Filing false or fraudulent claims, phony auto accidents, arson or other destruction of property in order to file an insurance claim, or conspiracy to commit fraud. These types of charges are very common after major natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados and floods.

Mortgage Fraud: Land flips, home flipping, shell games, loans in bogus names, fraudulent signatures on mortgages as first or second guarantors. Dallas market is flush with home owners struggling to find any avenue to resolve their own mortgage crisis.

Tax Fraud: Misrepresentation of financial status.

Health Care Fraud: Medicaid fraud and Medicare theft, fraudulent billing schemes, dental fraud, billing for services not performed, mischaracterized of medical services rendered, conflict of interest referrals to companies with which the doctor or clinic has a financial relationship.

Credit Card Fraud & Identity Theft: Credit card bust-out schemes, shell business entities, opening credit accounts using stolen or fraudulent information or a false identity, stolen social security numbers, telemarketing fraud, fraudulent use of a credit card. As more and more honest Texans struggle to keep their family from eviction & many cases the streets people resort to credit card and identity theft. These are serious charges that I may be able to resolve without going to court.

Pyramid & Ponzi Schemes: Establishing a business in which early investors or adopters reap rewards while later investors are guaranteed to lose money.

We also defend clients accused of other white collar crimes, including:

• Business Crimes: Industrial espionage and violation of import/export regulations.
• Money Laundering / Structured Transactions: Structured transactions, racketeering, failure to file CTRs.

Money Laundering Defense

Money laundering is the popular term for a number of criminal charges based on efforts to legitimize money earned through alleged criminal activity. Like wire fraud and mail fraud, charges of money laundering are often used by prosecutors to charge people when there is insufficient evidence of the primary crime.

As a Dallas money laundering lawyer, I represent individuals and companies who have drawn the attention of the federal government by engaging in banking, financial transactions or financial reporting procedures that the government considers suspicious. If you have been charged, are under investigation or believe your company’s financial dealings may be illegal, contact me immediately.

Prevention services

As a Dallas attorney, I also work proactively with executives and directors of casinos, banking institutions and businesses covered by anti-money laundering regulations to identify compliance deficiencies with federal statutes and to implement due diligence procedures. Such precautions allow my clients to avoid charges and penalties for financial crimes.

International cases

Charges of money laundering are often based on alleged transfer of funds from U.S. banks to overseas banks or vice versa. This means that you need a Dallas attorney with significant experience with banking systems in the U.S. and abroad. A Dallas lawyer that can handle cases involving transactions in Canada, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean basin and Western Europe.

Money laundering is a way for prosecutors to bring charges

We represent individuals and institutions in matters such as:

• Hiding money
• Failing to file require cash transaction reports
• Making multiple cash withdrawals or deposits slightly below the $10,000 reporting threshold
• Evading taxes by underreporting income

Such activities are often viewed by federal prosecutors as indicators of money laundering. I provide a vigorous defense of clients who have drawn scrutiny from the federal government for their financial transactions. If the government is able to make the case that your financial transactions were an effort to “launder” money received from criminal activities such as drug trafficking or weapons trafficking, you will face forfeiture of your assets.

An effective criminal defense throughout the legal process

In these matters, it is necessary to have the legal advice of Dallas attorney experienced in cases involving federal charges. I will represent you from the initial investigation forward and will be by your side throughout the criminal justice process. I ensure your rights are protected during:

• Extradition
• Arrest
• Grand jury indictment
• Charging
• Bail hearing
• Arraignment
• Plea negotiations
• Trial
• Verdict
• Pre-sentencing investigation and reports
• Post-conviction appeals, writs and motions
• Probation
• Jail or prison
• Parole

Larceny By Check

In Texas it is a crime to deliberately pass a bad check. The law states that if you pass, make, draw or deliver a bad check knowing that there are insufficient funds to cover that check. If you are convicted of this crime you are guilty of larceny by check. An interesting aspect of this law is that a bounced check is prima facie evidence of intent to defraud and of knowledge of insufficient funds. The exception is where funds sufficient to cover the check are deposited within two days of receiving notice of insufficient funds from the bank.

District Attorneys prosecuting Dallas larceny by check cases must prove four things beyond a reasonable doubt to sustain a conviction of this offense:

1.That you wrote, cashed, passed or delivered a bad check;

2.That you obtained money, property or services as a result of doing so;

3.That when you wrote that check you that you did not have sufficient funds in the bank to cover the check, and;

4.That you did this with the intent to defraud the bank or the person who received the bad check.

In as much as this is a form of larceny the potential punishment is the same as established for larceny. If the district attorney shows that the bank sent you notice (or even advised you orally) that the check bounced a judge can instruct the jury that your failure to make good on that check within two days of receiving that notice can be used to infer 1) that you knew that you were writing a check without funds to support it and 2) that you wrote this check with the intent to defraud. An instruction like this can be quite damaging to your defense. Therefore, it is critical that your lawyer is an experienced Dallas Theft Crimes Defense Lawyer who has handled these types of cases and understands the nuances that might arise during the course of negotiations or trial.

There are also civil consequences to bouncing checks. In addition to criminal penalties for a civil suit to recover the face amount of a bounced check there can be a civil fine of between $100 and $500 imposed if a written demand for payment goes unanswered.

Preparing a Thorough, Proactive Defense Strategy

In the real world, conviction for fraud, embezzlement or another white collar crime doesn't. result in a "slap on the wrist” or a trip to “Club Fed.” Life as you know it is on the line. You need an aggressive, experienced attorney with the skills to handle complex financial evidence. You need a Dallas lawyer who has access to the right kind of experts — forensic accountants, economists, computer specialists — who can make or break your case.

If you have been charged with a white collar crime and need skilled embezzlement or fraud defense, contact today for a free initial consultation and case analysis. I can be reached by phone at (888) 232-7313.