If you have been accused of or arrested in connection with a white-collar crime, you are probably weighing your options to decide whether to plead guilty or go to trial. More often than not, this decision boils down to money.
Although white-collar crimes are non-violent criminal activity in the field of business, trade and commercial relations, the cost of mounting a criminal defense for a white-collar crime can be both unbearable and unthinkable for most people in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California.
White-collar crimes describe a plethora of illegal acts and schemes, which are typically committed for monetary gain through deceitful and fraudulent practices, including but not limited to tax evasion, money laundering, and embezzlement. Such types of scam and fraud as insurance fraud and Ponzi scheme are also classified as “white-collar crimes.”
The point being: white-collar crimes is one of the most prevalent types of crimes in the criminal realm. And yet, it can cost you a large chunk of money to defend yourself against these charges.
“It is almost as if the U.S. government leaves the defendants accused of white-collar crimes no choice but to plead guilty,” says our Los Angeles white-collar crime defense attorney from the Okabe & Haushalter law firm.
And the government’s plan is working out just fine: statistics show that more than 97 percent of all criminal cases in California and all across the nation are resolved with a guilty plea. Most people who are being accused of white-collar crimes opt to take responsibility for the crimes they are being accused of just because they cannot handle the high costs of mounting a criminal defense.
That is not to say, however, that pleading guilty is not a good option. It is a good option but only as long as you actually committed the crimes you are being accused of. If you have not, admitting your guilt for something you did not commit just to reduce your sentence in prison does not make much sense.
“Needless to say, just because pleading guilty is way cheaper than going to trial with your white-collar crime case, in no way does it mean that pleading guilty is cheap in itself,” says our experienced white-collar criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles.
The costs of a guilty plea, going to jail and all of its subsequent and collateral costs can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. When offering you a plea agreement, neither the prosecutor nor the government is looking out for your best interests.
Only a Los Angeles white-collar crime defense attorney by your side can ensure that you actually understand the law you are pleading guilty to and the consequences of that decision. While you are potentially saving a large sum of money by pleading guilty as opposed to going to trial, you may be ruining your life with this decision.
Even though many people believe that you do not need an attorney to plead guilty in a white-collar crime case, it is far from reality. In fact, only the best white-collar criminal defense lawyers in California are capable of negotiating the best deal in your particular case to reduce the severity of your sentence and penalties.
More often than not, criminal defense lawyers in Los Angeles and all across California are unable to properly and precisely calculate the full value of their clients’ white-collar criminal defense cases. Here at the Okabe & Haushalter law firm, our skilled criminal defense attorneys are blunt and straightforward about what our client’s case is going to cost. It is unfair to not disclose this kind of information in advance, especially given that white-collar criminal defense cases can amount to hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars by the time your case is resolved.
Get a free case evaluation by contacting the Okabe & Haushalter law firm today. Call our offices at 310-430-7799 or complete this contact form.
