Anyone facing allegations of white-collar criminal activity in Virginia needs to act quickly to protect themselves. While the nature of these charges does not usually involve violent activity, they do allege a lack of moral character that could have a profound impact on every part of a person’s life.
White-collar crimes usually involve alleged financial wrongdoing, including fraud, embezzlement, and bribery. In addition to criminal repercussions, these allegations could affect a professional’s reputation in the community.
Fortunately, a Virginia white-collar crimes lawyer may be able to prevent these adverse outcomes. A dedicated defense attorney could guide you through the difficult process and deploy the necessary resources to best protect you against these legal and personal ramifications.
The term “white-collar crime” will not appear anywhere in Virginia’s criminal code. Instead, this is a term that is commonplace and is used to describe alleged illegal activity that involved business professionals, politicians, and the like.
White-collar crime usually involves accusations of financial misconduct resulting from a person allegedly abusing their position of power or trust. A common example of white-collar crime is embezzlement. The Virginia Code §18.2-111 describes embezzlement as the misappropriation or theft of goods or money where the defendant had the owner’s permission to hold the property for a specific purpose but used it for a different purpose.
White-collar crimes can also describe allegations of poor moral judgment – for instance – bribery. VA Code §18.2-438 defines bribery more specifically, but it is essentially when an individual offers or gives something of value in exchange for the other person taking a certain action – usually a person in a position of power, such as a police officer or an elected official. An attorney in NoVa could review an accused person’s case to determine if they committed a white-collar crime.
While allegations of offenses such as assault may hinge on a single person’s account of an encounter with the accused, white-collar crimes are more financial in nature and often rely on documentary evidence to prove the charges. A well-practiced and knowledgeable attorney in Virginia could provide individuals accused of white-collar crimes with every possible resource needed to evaluate the prosecution’s evidence and present defenses to a jury that helps create reasonable doubt and leads to favorable outcomes.
A strong defense often requires investigating years of financial records, the various language of contracts, and travel logs of not only the accused, but of the alleged victim and their business associates.
If you are facing allegations of financial misappropriation, abuse of office, or any of the myriad of white-collar crimes, you must act quickly to protect yourself. The right defense team will zealously advocate for your rights and do everything possible to obtain a favorable outcome, including potentially preventing someone from serving a jail sentence and protecting their reputation in the community. Call a Virginia white-collar crimes lawyer today to schedule your first case consultation for free.
