AGGRESSIVE Defense For White-Collar CrimeS

Embezzlement is a unique type of theft charge. While the principle of theft remains unchanged here, the biggest difference is that the property was unlawfully obtained through a mutual agreement or other fiduciary duties. Many times, the property was entrusted to the offender by the victim.

Offenders face different penalties depending on how much money they embezzled. For misdemeanor charges, there are three tiers to classify the stolen property: property valued at less than $50, property valued between $50 and $200, and property valued between $200 and $2000. If the property is valued higher than $2000, then it becomes a felony charge, where the maximum prison sentence is up to seven years, and the maximum fines go up to $15,000.

When a person reproduces a signature, document, work of art, banking note, or any other type of document for the purpose of defrauding someone, we call this forgery. This also includes altering checks, property deeds, academic transcripts, or documents to perpetrate identity theft. In Pennsylvania, forgery charges can be both misdemeanors and felonies.

As is the case for many other types of white-collar crimes, penalties for forgery charges range depending on the nature of the circumstances and whether it’s a misdemeanor or felony charge. The lowest charge for a forgery charge is called a summary offense, which is the charge for forged items valued at $200 or less and earns a penalty of 90 days in jail. The most serious forgery charge is a second-degree felony, which is a case that involves some type of forged government document, like a driver’s license or stamps for mailing. The penalty for a second-degree felony forgery charge is a maximum prison sentence of 10 years in jail and fines as high as $25,000. 

The state of Pennsylvania defines identity theft as “a person [who]…uses, through any means, identifying information of another person without the consent of that other person to further any unlawful purpose.” In other words, identity theft is when someone steals another person’s sensitive information (e.g., bank account information, Social Security Number, etc.) for illegal purposes. Depending on the value of the property or information stolen from the victim, this charge can range from a first-degree misdemeanor to a second-degree felony. Losses totaled above $2000 automatically qualify as felonies, and charges are bumped up by a degree if the victim is over 60 years old or a “care-dependent person.”

The maximum penalties for first-degree misdemeanor identity theft charges are a five-year prison sentence and fines as high as $10,000. For felony identity theft charges (or charges which tie the identity theft to a criminal conspiracy), the maximum prison sentence is seven years. Keep in mind, too, that if the identity theft occurs in multiple Pennsylvania counties or another state, the Attorney General is permitted to investigate and prosecute the case.

Insurance fraud is a charge in which someone falsifies information to receive to gain “something of value” from an insurance company that would otherwise not have been gained had they told the truth. Insurance fraud charges can be misdemeanor felony charges.

Money laundering is defined as “financial transactions used to conceal, disguise, hide, or shield money and other proceeds gained through criminal acts.” Offenders can conceal this money by concealing the source, changing its form, and then moving it to a different, more obscure location. Usually, money laundering can fall into one of three categories: sting operations, domestic transactions, or transferring funds or other monetary instruments to an international location. There are often other crimes related to money laundering charges, such as fraud, drug trafficking, identity theft, and organized crime.

Penalties for money laundering charges can be difficult to determine because of the complex nature of this crime. However, maximum fines can be as steep as $500,000, while maximum prison sentences can go up to 20 years.

Welfare fraud can be a frightening charge, as many people charged with this crime have trouble finding steady work or a reliable source of income. Convictions for this crime could translate to loss of welfare benefits, jail time, paying full restitution for the amount of money stolen, and a criminal record. Business owners convicted of this charge may lose their business and even face both federal and state criminal charges.