White Collar Crime Lawyers & Attorneys In Phoenix Arizona
White Collar Crimes Defense Lawyers
The term “white collar crimes” is used as a way to compare types of criminal activity by the people who tended to commit them. “White collar” has long referred to those of the professional and business classes who wear white shirts and ties as opposed to the “blue collar” laborers in manual labor or factory jobs. White collar crimes normally involve financial dishonesty rather than physical violence.
A list of typical white collar crimes might include:
- Bank fraud
- Forgery
- Embezzlement
- Mail fraud
- Health or safety law violations
- Illegal stock trading
- Blackmail
White collar crime is not a legal term but a convenient way of identifying a group of crimes that are normally committed without any violence but that still cost honest workers and companies millions of dollars every year.
The state of Arizona takes white collar crime very seriously. In Arizona, white collar crimes may be charged as misdemeanors or felonies. The severity of the charge often depends on the number of charges involved, the amount of money that has been allegedly taken and how much others are affected by the outcome of the actions.
Many white collar crimes are not prosecuted by the state but may be turned over to federal prosecutors. Federal prosecutors may be involved if there has been any interstate action on the part of the accused person that brings the crime under federal jurisdiction. A federal criminal charge is different than a state charge and may be much more serious in its consequences. Those accused of federal crimes must defend themselves in a different court system than that of the state of Arizona.
While many people do not consider white collar criminals “dangerous” when compared to violent offenders, white collar criminal charges are certainly serious. In some ways, it may be more difficult to defend a white collar criminal charge than a violent offense charge because it may be harder to show that the accused person did not intend to defraud anyone or had a valid reason for behaving in a particular way. White collar crimes may actually have a higher conviction rate than violent crimes or other property crimes, so it is vital that someone accused of a white collar crime to have professional legal representation.
A criminal defense attorney may be able to help someone who is accused of white collar crime defend himself or herself, make restitution when appropriate and minimize the consequences of a criminal charge.