White Collar Crimes

Barton & Associates Law Firm, PLLC | San Antonio | South Texas

Under Investigation for a White Collar Crime?

One of the typical features of a white-collar crime is that you will often be notified by regulatory agents or criminal investigators that you, or your company, are under investigation. You MUST act immediately. DO NOT speak to investigators, regardless if they are internally employed by your company or work for a state or federal agency.

We must formulate an early and aggressive investigation of our own and develop a defense strategy with the potential ability to prevent the government from bringing criminal charges, protecting your reputation and that of your business.

Do Not Talk to the Police, FBI Agents, or Federal Criminal Investigators Without a Lawyer

Federal agents are trained in interviews tactics that encourage individuals to cooperate and talk. Do not be fooled by statements like: “If you haven’t done anything wrong you don’t need a lawyer,” “I am just trying to close this investigation,” “if you have nothing to hide you don’t need a lawyer,” or any other psychological ploy to get a suspect talking.

Interviewing with Any Police or Federal Agents Without a Lawyer is a Big Mistake.

In order to appear cooperative, many professionals will submit to interviews with, state police, FBI agents, internal company investigators, or other federal criminal investigators without a lawyer.

This is a significant mistake that could dramatically affect your ability to defend yourself. Criminal suspects often have nothing to gain and everything to lose by talking to federal agents. Even making false statements in response to embarrassing questions can result in federal felony charges of making false statements to a federal agent.

Mistakes are NOT Criminal

The criminal defense attorneys at Barton & Associates Law Firm, PLLC understand that many White Collar cases are the result of accounting errors, billing mistakes, or business deals gone bad. They understand that just because an investor, business, or even the government itself lost money does not necessarily mean criminal intent was ever-present. We are proud to help our clients fight against white-collar prosecutions that are typically tenuous, circumstantial, or based on hearsay statements of those who have an ax to grind or stand to benefit from the prosecution.

The Importance of Skilled White Collar Lawyers

Regardless of whether you are facing serious white-collar or cybercrime charges in federal or state court, the consequences of a conviction can impact the rest of your life and leave a permanent stain on your reputation.

If you hope to avoid incarceration, heavy fines, and a lasting stain on your permanent record, you will need an aggressive, intelligent, and innovative defense. The right attorneys can be the difference between suffering a lengthy period of incarceration or avoiding criminal charges altogether. You need a criminal defense lawyer who understands the intricacies of white-collar and cybercrime criminal defense, and who has extensive experience successfully representing clients facing these kinds of charges.

A White-Collar Lawyer Who Lets You Get Back to Business

Because white-collar crimes can be so multi-layered and difficult to navigate, it is common for individuals to feel overwhelmed by the allegations. It is our goal to take this burden off the individual and begin a proper investigation and develop a defensive strategy so that you can get back to business and do what you do best.

What is White Collar Crime?

At its most basic level, white-collar crime refers to financially motivated crimes that do not involve violence. The term is generally used to denote crimes committed by people from a high economic status (businesspeople, professionals, or people who are placed in a position of trust), crimes that are economic in nature and involve large financial losses, or crimes that are committed by business entities or large corporations.

White-Collar Clients are Unique

White-collar criminal suspects are normally professionals, without experience dealing with law enforcement agents or the federal criminal courts. These individuals often feel overwhelmed when confronted by investigators because, at a moment’s notice, their livelihood, reputation, and freedom are at stake.

In House Counsel Conflicts and Internal Investigations

Barton & Associates Law Firm, PLLC often works with corporate in-house counsel conducting internal investigations and conflict representation. Barton & Associates Law Firm, PLLC is skilled at representing individual members of companies facing potential personal criminal liability.

The attorneys at Barton & Associates Law Firm, PLLC have represented white-collar clients ranging from highly successful entrepreneurs to top executives of multinational companies and understand the unusual zeal, and at times misconduct, that often accompanies a high-profile investigation and prosecution.

White-Collar Cases are Complex

White-collar crime trials are complex and tedious. An ordinary criminal trial may take only a day or two to complete and involve testimony from just a few witnesses. In white-collar crime prosecutions, however, the government makes its case as difficult as possible, overwhelming the jury with a barrage of physical exhibits, complicated charts, electronic evidence such as emails, volumes of financial records, and dozens of witnesses, including professional experts who make a living testifying for government prosecutors. This prosecutorial strategy is often designed to confuse and mislead the jury. They wear juries down with weeks of hard-to-understand testimony and difficult-to-comprehend financial records. Government prosecutors want the jury to presume guilt based on the sheer weight and volume of mostly irrelevant evidence, creating a “smell” of wrongdoing. But this is the very flaw in the government’s case that a skilled defense attorney can spot and use to his advantage.

Using Experts to Fight the Allegations

The law is forever changing with respect to white-collar and cybercrimes. These kinds of offenses frequently require criminal defense attorneys to use forensic experts, forensic accountants, and experienced investigators to fight the charges. Forensic experts are able to examine a defendant’s computer hard drive, and after careful analysis, can offer possible defenses. Investigators, including skilled CPAs, are able to research the volumes of paperwork and documents associated with these cases to determine the validity of what the Government is charging.

Common White Collar Criminal Charges: