Baltimore Identity Theft Lawyer

Identity theft is a form of theft in which someone poses themselves to be another person in order to fraudulently obtain goods, services, or money. This could happen by someone acquiring identifying factors of another person such as their social security number, name, address, or date of birth, and then using this information to obtain access to their financial accounts.

The charge of identity theft faces serious consequences and penalties, and anyone facing charges would benefit from the essential help of a Baltimore identity theft defense attorney. Potential consequences include incarceration, monetary penalties, and years of probation, and in order to maintain the best sentence, an attorney will be able to build an appropriate defense for their client. A local identity theft attorney in Baltimore will best know the ins and outs of the courtrooms, have relations to fellow prosecutors and judges, and would have experience defending a variety of cases taking it to trial if need be.

Potential Consequences

A person convicted of identity theft could be facing upwards of 10 or more years of incarceration, depending on the facts and circumstances of the case and the value of the property and money taken.

The purpose of holding oneself out to be another is to obtain value or obtain a benefit, whether it is through work, services, property, goods, or money. When doing so, it is considered theft worth extensive potential penalties. Theft charges depend on the value of the item or items stolen. There will be varying penalties for theft under $100, theft under $1,000, theft of $10,000–which is then considered felony theft–and then theft of $10,000 and up. Penalties will differ depending on each level of value.

What to Consider With a Plea Deal

Once someone has properly obtained counsel from a Baltimore identity theft lawyer, and after evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecutor’s case, a discussion may arise of whether or not taking or negotiating a plea deal is appropriate. There are significant benefits to exploring the possibilities of a plea deal.

In a jury trial or in a bench trial in front of the judge, there is no guarantee for either side, no matter how strong or weak the evidence appears to be. The decision may result in a conviction or a person may be found not guilty. The prosecutor and defense all take the risks and sometimes there is a benefit to giving someone a plea deal.

Often times, there is a guarantee for both sides in a plea deal. The prosecutor can present the benefit of possibly a lesser sentence or a reduced charge to avoid jail altogether while guaranteeing a conviction.

Additionally, with a bench trial considering identity theft, there will often be an intense paper trail. Prosecutors will be dealing with videos, documents, and jury trials that could be days long and a plea deal would save prosecutors significant court time and resources, considered judicial economy. Prosecutors are given the benefit of saving resources for the court, the system, and the public and society.

Contacting an Attorney

A person charged with identity theft should have as much information as possible when contacting their Baltimore identity theft attorney. If they have any reports, documents, records, history of communications, telephone records, text messages, or anything that could be used to help them, it would be essential to have them as quickly as possible. Frequently evidence gets much harder to obtain the greater the amount of evidence, the greater the variety of types of evidence, and the longer the wait to obtain evidence.

Once all evidence and information is obtained, an identity theft lawyer with experience handling a variety of cases and courtrooms will be able to maintain an appropriate defense for you in your case. If you are facing charges of identity theft, a Baltimore attorney will be able to work with you to develop the best outcome possible.