Mail and Wire Fraud Attorneys
Mail and wire fraud are wide-reaching criminal charges that are frequently brought up in federal court, typically tacked onto existing charges but also pursued on their own. The loose nature of the language when it comes to these charges means that if someone uses essentially any form of communication in order to commit some sort of crime involving a business, they could be charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, or both.
Another thing to keep in mind is that these charges can compound on each other, resulting in years if not decades of prison time. On top of that, someone need not be aware of a criminal scheme in order to be found guilty of either mail or wire fraud. If you simply participate in one, even without knowledge of the scheme itself, you can theoretically be brought up on and convicted of charges. For these reasons and plenty of others, it’s imperative that anyone facing criminal charges of mail and wire fraud gets in touch with competent legal representation immediately.
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How Do Prosecutors Pursue Mail and Wire Fraud?
With how much focus has been put on all types of white-collar crime in recent years, and with the associated media scrutiny that comes along with facing these types of criminal charges, it’s no wonder that this can be a fraught process for anyone going through it. Along with the legal proceedings, defendants often have to deal with the court of public opinion, with many people assuming wrongdoing has occurred even if no formal trial has yet taken place. When you add to that the fact that each charge of mail and wire fraud can carry with it a sentence of many years in prison, and several charges can be brought up on a single defendant all at once, it takes the right kind of defense attorney to represent just such a case.
One of the most common reasons that prosecutors will pursue criminal charges of mail and wire fraud is because they know that the legal language is loose, and they can bring up charges that will likely stick even if no other charges do. This can quickly become a matter of prosecutors just trying to see what will stick so that they can get another easy conviction and add another win to their resumes.
What are Mail and Wire Fraud?
At base, mail and wire fraud need to relate to some sort of fraudulent scheme or schemes done against an individual or business. What sets these crimes apart from just a standard case of fraud, however, is that some form of technology needs to be used in order to commit the fraud. This can range from letters, notes, or other forms of written communication to calls, emails, and text messages.
Basically any sort of technology that you could possibly use to communicate. As you might imagine from such board language, it can be incredibly easy for prosecutors to argue that mail or wire fraud has been committed, and charges can even be brought up without proof that the person being charged intended to commit fraud or even knew about the scheme. This sort of legal quicksand has led to many convictions in the past for people who had no intention of committing fraud.
What Are Some of the Penalties Involved?
Along with the potential for fines, some of which can be extremely steep, someone who’s convicted of mail and wire fraud will also have to worry about the very real possibility of spending years, even decades, behind bars. The maximum punishment for just one of these charges is 20 years, and that maximum amount jumps up to 30 years if there’s a financial institution or disaster relief program involved in the scheme.
On top of this, fraud charges tend to accompany other charges, so when all of these potential charges are added together, those compounded sentences could ensure that a person who’s convicted could feasibly spend the rest of their lives in prison. With stakes being that incredibly high, it’s absolutely imperative that someone who’s facing criminal charges or even a criminal investigation into mail and wire fraud get in touch with competent legal counsel immediately.
How Do They Relate to Employment Relationships
One of the most frequent applications of the law regarding fraud has to do with employers and employees. This typically takes the form of a conflict of interest, where an employee uses their position in the company to either steal or conduct business for their own benefit rather than the companies. Actions like these would typically fall under other statutes, but once a form of communication is involved, the charges will specifically fall under mail and wire fraud.
Another thing to remember here is that the actual crime doesn’t even need to be committed. For instance, if you simply communicate with a co-conspirator by phone, email, or other means about a possible scheme, that communication itself can make you liable to face charges. In most other cases, a specific crime needs to be committed, but this simply isn’t the case with these types of charges. Even discussing committing the crime is itself considered to be criminal in nature.
Why Choose Norman Spencer Law Group?
When you choose the Norman Spencer Law Group, you’re going with a legal firm that has a combined 70+ years of experience representing a wide variety of cases large and small, simple and complex, at both the state and federal levels. Our defense attorneys have the experience, skills, and resources necessary to successfully fight for you. So get in touch today, and someone from our team will get back to you right away and get started on getting you the help that you need.