Baltimore Fraud Lawyer

The Maryland Criminal Defender team has handled cases of sophisticated fraud and white collar crimes. Careers, families and lives can be ruined by these allegations alone, let alone the potential for incarceration if convicted.

Our Baltimore fraud lawyers have experience working to defend individuals from all walks of life, such as professionals, professors and school teachers, executives, managers, clerical workers and others accused of siphoning money from the company or enriching themselves through fraud or computer crimes.

Therefore, if you have been charged or are a suspect or target of an investigation, consult with an attorney immediately.  Obtaining an aggressive defense attorney in Baltimore early on can often help avoid formal charges being actually filed and can help minimize public exposure.

Fraud Related Offenses

The Baltimore fraud lawyers with our firm have handled a wide variety of white collar cases including:

• Embezzlement and corporate theft
• Misappropriation of company or client funds
• Medical insurance fraud
• Mortgage fraud
• Internet scams/consumer fraud
• Check forgery
• Identity theft/credit card theft

We has achieved favorable solutions even where substantial sums of money were stolen. Federal prosecutors often seek hefty fines and prison sentences, but with the right evidence and an aggressive defense, those charges can be overcome.

What the Prosecution Must Prove

One of the things that the prosecutor has to prove is not just that money was taken and transferred, but that there was intent to deceive or somehow take something that was not proper.

Oftentimes, people have buyer’s remorse. They buy into something because they did not know better and then they claim fraud.  However, if you are 18 and of sound mind, you are presumed to read and know what you signed. So, if you sign an agreement for something, even if you do not like it later, that is not fraud.

The state has to prove if there was intent. There are a lot of ways defending those types of cases because each case is different. Whether you are dealing with someone involved in a pyramid scheme or someone that is just passing bad checks, those are two very different scenarios and two very different elements.

Penalties

The penalties range depending on the type of offense it is. A lot of it also depends on the value of the property that was taken, similar to thefts. It could be a misdemeanor or a felony. It could carry up to 25 years in jail, depending on the type of offense it is, depending on the value, and depending on how it was done.

Generally speaking, misdemeanor charges carry low potential penalties as far as exposure to incarceration as well as the potential monetary penalties. Misdemeanor charges also do not carry the stigma of being convicted as a felon. Felony charges are more serious, obviously. They carry more repercussions, more potential incarceration, and higher potential fines as well.

Building a Fraud Defense

Many fraud related offenses involve numerous financial documents and transactions, e-mails, and billing and accounting procedures. Being able to sift through and properly interpret these documents is essential to finding exculpatory evidence and/or proving there was no criminal intent to steal or defraud.

Obviously, when someone is dealing with fraud charges, there is going to be a paper trail. Someone’s attorneys will need to get everything involved, every possible angle, every document, every recording, every statement, and every video. These cases are very paper intensive, very evidence intensive, and you have to make sure you get everything because not only do you need it to defend, but also to know what the prosecutor has.

Filing An Appeal

Someone will only file an appeal if they have been convicted of a criminal offense and they somehow feel a conviction was improper or they did not get the benefit of a fair trial or possibly a pre-agreement or negotiation they felt they deserved. If they were not found guilty, they do not file an appeal because they would have won.

Someone has 30 days to file for an appeal in district court or the circuit court and they have 30 days to file an appeal from circuit court to the court of special appeals. All they have to do is pay a filing fee and they have 30 days to do it from the date of the conviction. Having an attorney to help can make sure that it will be done right.

Learn How a Baltimore Fraud Lawyer Could Help

A local fraud lawyer will be beneficial as they will know the ins and outs of the courtrooms, the temperaments, and the dispositions of prosecutors and judges. They have that relationship with them to be able to work things out.

Every prosecutor and every judge is different. It should not be that way, but it is. All jurisdictions are different. Having someone who does this kind of work in different parts of Maryland is not necessarily going to be beneficial in Baltimore city. Having a local fraud lawyer that does the work and is experienced in the area of the type of charge will obtain the best results moving forward. Call today.