“White collar crime” is a label applied to any type of crime that is committed for reasons of financial gain, often through use of deceit and rarely involving use of violence. This moniker differentiates it from so-called blue collar crimes such as assault or driving while intoxicated. White collar crimes include offenses like embezzlement, extortion, forgery and money laundering. Being charged with one of these crimes can be an intimidating experience, but hiring the right defense lawyer can make a tangible difference in the outcome of your case. If you need a white collar crime lawyer, contact the attorneys at Okabe and Haushalter to learn more about your options as a defendant.
White collar crimes are outlined under various statutes of both state and federal law. Each criminal offense is prosecuted differently depending on which section of the California Penal Code or U.S. Code the crime is governed by. Two common white collar crimes are extortion and embezzlement.
Extortion is unlawful under Section 186.10 of the California Penal Code, and it is often considered a white-collar crime. Extortion, sometimes referred to as blackmail, is a crime that involves making threats in order to persuade someone to offer up their money to avoid a threatened consequence. For example, if a person threatened to expose sensitive photos of a celebrity unless the celebrity paid a certain amount to the person to keep quiet, this could be charged as extortion. People convicted of extortion could be penalized with fines of up to 10,000 dollars and incarceration in a state penitentiary up to four years in a state penitentiary.
According to the California Penal Code Section 503, embezzlement is the misappropriation or misuse of funds or goods that have been entrusted to you in some way (either professionally or on a personal level). If a bank teller is in charge of a cash drawer at their place of employment and skims a small amount of money to buy a bottle of wine to go with dinner with no intention of returning the money, this could be charged as misdemeanor embezzlement if the cash taken was less than 950 dollars. Embezzlement is penalized as a form of theft—either petit theft or grand theft (it is grand theft when the funds or goods are valued at 950 dollars or more), which could be punished as either a misdemeanor or a felony under state law.
An adept defense attorney will review the details of your case and help you decide which legal options would be in your best interest based on the unique factors involved in your case. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your alleged crime, an acquittal could be a possibility, allowing you to clear your name entirely and walk away from the courtroom free. In other cases, multiple charges can be reduced to a single charge via a plea agreement, leading to minimized sentencing if a conviction is made. At Okabe and Haushalter, criminal defense is our specialty and we will fight to get a desirable resolution for your case.
When you are ready to discuss your case with a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney, you can contact a white collar crime lawyer in Long Beach at Okabe and Haushalter. We will work with you to craft a custom defense plan, and we will fight against the charges you are facing in the courtroom. We have a reputation for providing our clients courtroom excellence because our defense strategies get real results. You can get your case evaluated at no cost to you, so contact now to learn more about how we can put our legal skills to work for you.
