White Collar Crime Attorney

Get Help from Our White Collar Crime Lawyer

White collar crimes typically involve some sort of deceit for financial gain or abuse of a position of trust, and they encompass a wide range of non-violent crimes that often involve financial transactions. They are frequently committed by people in a position of trust or who have a fiduciary responsibility to the victim.

Despite their non-violent nature, these offenses are pursued aggressively by both state and federal prosecutors, and many are charged as felonies with lengthy prison sentences attached. In addition, convictions can bring steep fines, loss of licenses, and restitution payments, as well as the loss of reputation and standing in the community that will damage your life well into the future.

If you have been arrested and charged with a white collar crime, or even if you are being investigated for such an offense, you need the help of a criminal defense attorney experienced with these types of charges. The DuPage County white collar criminal defense attorneys at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. offer effective strategies to protect the rights of people accused of white collar crime and aggressively defend them from prosecution. Our Illinois lawyers understand the complexity of these crimes – which include financial and accounting fraud, money laundering and bank fraud – and will thoroughly investigate your case to gather facts necessary for your defense.

We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the circumstances of your situation and determine the best way to help win your case or get your charges and penalties significantly reduced. Call us today to get started building your defense.

How Our White Collar Crime Attorney Works for You

The experienced and seasoned white collar crime attorneys at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. understand how serious any criminal charges are and offer aggressive representation for our clients. We are skilled litigators and will work with you to fully understand the facts surrounding your case. We know state and federal courts and how to plea bargain, negotiate guidelines, and recognize when to take your case to trial. We will thoroughly investigate your case and meticulously review the discovery and relevant, industry-specific regulations needed to prevail in the courtroom.

When you have us on your side, we will:

• Meet with you to hear your story and why you were charged with a white collar crime
• Investigate your case and gather evidence such as from surveillance photos and videos, financial records and documents, and interviews with witnesses
• Utilize qualified experts in forensic accounting and investigation in order to evaluate and analyze all information and formulate the strongest defense strategy
• Look for flaws in the case and mistakes made by prosecutors
• Prepare you to go to court and prevent you from saying or doing anything that would hurt your case
• Make sure all forms are filed correctly and court appearances are made in a timely manner
• Negotiate and plea bargain for a lesser charge or dismissal
• Take your case to court, handle all aspects of preparing your defense, and litigate aggressively on your behalf
• File any appeals if necessary.

When our white collar crime defense lawyers take on a case, we perform our own investigation and gather information quickly and thoroughly. Based on the facts, we make a decision about the best legal strategy and start taking steps to build your defense. Our attorneys believe each client deserves an aggressive defense based on his or her set of unique circumstances.

Call us today to start building your case while evidence is fresh and witnesses can be found.

White Collar Crime Attorneys Handle a Wide Range of Offenses

There are many types of offenses covered under the category of white collar crimes, which can be found in the Illinois State Statute for White Collar Crime (720 ILCS 5/33 et seq.). In general, white collar crimes are those where deceit, fraud, or concealment is used to obtain money, property, services, or some other benefit or advantage and may involve breaches of fiduciary duty and insider trading.

White collar crimes such as mortgage, healthcare, securities, and tax fraud, and/or money laundering or computer crimes are usually prosecuted in federal court if:

• violations of federal laws took place,
• crimes occurred and victims were located in multiple states, or
• they involved large amounts of money.

Illinois courts usually handle smaller-scale white collar crimes, such as embezzlement, that took place in Illinois and  involved less money and did not violate federal law.

Since many white collar fraud cases are handled on the federal level, our white collar crime defense attorneys are experienced in both Illinois and federal court systems and know how to fight for your rights no matter what the charge or court.

Some of the white collar crimes we handle include:

Penalties for White Collar Crime

According to Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, the government has the power to sanction individuals and corporations for white collar offenses. In addition, there is a “Responsible Corporate Officer” (RCO) doctrine that presumes a high-ranking corporate officer is aware of their corporation’s wrongdoing and therefore could be found guilty of a crime of which the officer had no knowledge.

Since there are so many types and degrees of white collar crimes, penalties vary greatly and may include fines, home detention, community confinement, paying the cost of prosecution, forfeitures, restitution, supervised release, and imprisonment.

The types of crime that may be called white collar vary widely, so the penalties vary widely as well. Possible punitive outcomes for white collar crime convictions include:

• Home detention
• Community confinement
• Probation
• Fines
• Community service
• Restitution
• Property forfeiture
• Supervised release
• Imprisonment.

Federal Sentencing Guidelines are not binding but suggest longer prison sentences whenever at least one victim suffered substantial financial harm. Certain charges have mandatory sentences and probation is not a possibility, such as fraud involving a school or church. Since prosecutors are often zealous about pursuing white collar crimes like embezzlement, if your crime reaches the federal level, you may be subject to mandatory minimum sentencing in federal prison.

In addition to these punishments, if convicted, your family could suffer. An offender’s family could lose their home and personal belongings or have savings such as college funds confiscated, and you could be denied employment in the future.

Call our white collar defense lawyers today at 630-305-0222 to get the help of an experienced criminal defense attorney who knows how to defend against these charges and can help you avoid conviction or negotiate lesser charges or penalties.

Defenses Our White Collar Defense Attorneys Use

Depending on the situation, there are several defenses our white collar attorneys may use. Prosecutors have the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intended to deprive the owner of the property permanently. Since white collar charges like embezzlement generally involve complex accusations and intricate trails of evidence, our attorneys can often find ways to have data or documents excluded on various grounds, such as unlawful search with inadequate warrants, or evidence, like a confession, that was obtained in violation of Miranda rights.

There are also affirmative defenses, such as being authorized to make a financial transaction. Once a person in authority gives authorization, it remains active until revoked.

It may also be a defense that the accused made mistakes unknowingly, or intended to return the money or property, or believed they had a right to it. It may be possible to offer restitution or plead to a lesser offense.

In some cases, options may include pretrial diversion and deferred disposition, where the accused is sentenced to community supervision, after which the case can be dismissed. These options produce no criminal conviction record, which is often the best possible outcome.

Get Help from Our White Collar Defense Lawyer At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd.

If you have been accused of a white collar crime in Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, Wheaton, or Downers Grove, you should get help from a white collar defense attorney as soon as possible, ideally before making any statements that can be used against you.  The Illinois criminal defense lawyers at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd. are skilled trial lawyers who believe each case is unique, with its own set of circumstances. We thoroughly investigate every case. We examine the facts, the individuals involved, and the evidence, and work hand in hand with our clients to come up with an effective defense strategy. Our goal is to minimize the negative impact of the situation and to protect your freedoms, liberties and rights.

Beyond white collar defense, our attorneys offer effective representation to clients accused of all Illinois misdemeanors and felonies, including DUI, sex crimes and domestic violence.

Delaying can only make your situation worse, so call our white collar defense lawyer today to schedule your free initial consultation.