Orange County Fraud & Embezzlement Defense
Defending Against Fraud & Embezzlement Charges
Have you been arrested and charged, or are under investigation, for a crime of fraud or embezzlement? If so, you know that you are facing very serious consequences, and should immediately retain the assistance of an experienced and trustworthy Laguna Hills attorney to handle your case. At the Alan Castillo - Attorney at Law, my firm has been dealing with these types of cases for more than two decades, and is well-prepared to defend you. Contact me online today to learn more.
What Is Fraud & Embezzlement?
Fraud occurs when one individual deliberately deceives another in order to damage them, such as illegally obtaining their property or services. Embezzlement involves the theft or larceny of assets by an individual who has been placed in a position of trust over them. Fraud and embezzlement are often referred to as "white collar crimes," which refer to financially motivated offenses that are less-visible to the public at large.
However, they are still considered crimes of theft, and finding yourself charged with one is an extremely serious situation. You could be looking at the possibility of jail or prison time, fines, the loss of any professional licenses you may have, and a major blow to your professional reputation and career.
Common Types of Fraud & Embezzlement Offenses
Have you been charged with one of the following?
- Tax evasion - Tax evasion can either be nonpayment or underpayment of tax. Tax avoidance is not considered fraud, but tax evasion is. (Tax avoidance is a misrepresentation of financial affairs).
- Credit card fraud - Common types of credit card fraud include credit card application fraud, account takeover, credit card skimming, card-not-present (CNP) fraud, and taking advantage of lost cards.
- Check fraud - Check fraud comes in many forms, such as cashing counterfeit checks, forgery, theft, writing checks on closed accounts (paper hanging) and removing check information (washing).
- Insurance fraud - There is a wide variety of insurance fraud, but it all boils down to trying to receive improper payment from an insurer. This can mean anything from faking hail damage to a roof to falsifying the date or details of an accident.
- Securities fraud - Securities fraud is also known as stock or investment fraud. Insider trading is one example.
- Telemarketing fraud - Telemarketing scams may involve investment opportunities, prizes, free vacations, or foreign lotteries.
- Mail fraud - Mail fraud occurs when mail is used to execute a fraudulent activity.
- Wire fraud - Wire fraud is the electronic version of mail fraud.
- Identity theft - There are many types of identity theft. The classifications are financial, medical, criminal, synthetic, and child identity theft.
- Embezzlement - Embezzlement occurs when you are trusted to handle funds but take them as your own instead. The most common form is pocketing small amounts of cash over time, known as “cash skimming”.
