Defending Your Rights, Protecting Your Freedom
Forgery Fraud and White Collar Crimes
Property crime is a crime to obtain money, property, or some other benefit. This may involve force, or the threat of force, in cases like theft, embezzlement or extortion. Since these crimes are committed in order to enrich the perpetrator, they are considered property crimes.
Value of the item taken dictates the level of crime you are charged with. The higher the value, the higher the level of crime you would be charged with.
THEFT
Theft is the generic term for all crimes in which a person intentionally and fraudulently takes personal property of another without permission or consent and with the intent to convert it to the taker’s use.
A theft charges can range from a Class 2 felony
- 8 – 24 years in prison (with 5 years mandatory parole) and/or
- $5,000 – $1,000,000 in fines
to a Petty theft with a penalty of up to 10 days in jail and/or $300 fine.
Other crimes associated with theft are Deceptive Sales, Theft of Trade Secrets, Motor Vehicle Theft, Theft of Sound Recordings and Theft of Cable Television Services
These possible consequences are why it is crucial to have an experienced defense attorney on your side if you are charged with theft. Beck Law is here to help you defend and win your case. We know that each of our clients’ cases is different in facts, intent, knowledge or circumstances and needs to be looked at independently. Our promise to you is to look at the facts of your cases in a personalized manner to get you the best legal defense possible.
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FRAUD
The intentional use of deceit, a trick or some dishonest means to deprive another of his/her/its money, property or a legal right. Inherent in fraud is an unjust advantage over another which injures that person or entity.
Generally speaking, you commit criminal fraud in Colorado whenever you:
- Engage in a wrongful act with the intent to gain an unfair or undeserved benefit for yourself, and/or
- Intentionally cause harm or loss to another person through such an act.
Colorado fraud is usually driven by either or both of two motives: financial gain, or
an attempt to avoid liability for a crime (a cover-up).
Examples of Fraud Crimes
include, but are not limited to: Credit card fraud, including the use of “skimming” devices, Identity Theft or Impersonation, Check fraud, Investment fraud, Bank fraud, Insurance fraud, Workers’ compensation fraud, Social Security fraud, Consumer fraud and Tax fraud.
FORGERY
Forgery is defined as the act of falsely making, completing, altering, or uttering a written instrument with the intent to defraud. This includes any document or item that, if genuine, would hold legal significance or value, such as contracts, wills, checks, and identification cards.
The intent to defraud is critical in establishing a forgery charge. The accused must have the purpose of deceiving or cheating another party, which distinguishes forgery from mere mistakes. Even if the act is unsuccessful, the intent and action to deceive are sufficient for charges.
Forgery can include documents, identification or financial instruments. It is a class 5 felony
Examples of Forgery Crimes include, but are not limited to: money, stamps, or government securities, stocks or bonds, deeds, wills, contracts, or other legal documents, public records, tokens, transfers, or tickets used in place of money, lottery tickets, or identification documents.
Jail time and fines aren’t the only penalties you’ll face upon conviction for criminal fraud and forgery. Since fraud and forgery are crimes that involve dishonesty and deceit, they can be particularly damaging. All potential employers will cast a suspicious eye on you if you carry a criminal fraud or forgery conviction on your record, and employers will likely disqualify you from any job opportunities that involve sensitive information, finances, or security clearances.
You need the most aggressive legal representation in Colorado to defend your rights and protect your freedom. You need Beck Law.
What is “white-collar crime?” It usually refers to jobs or workers primarily involved in professional, clerical, managerial, or administrative tasks typically performed in an office or desk settling. These roles usually required higher education, and they are distinct from blue-collar jobs, which are often manual or industrial in nature.
Examples of white-collar crimes include Wage Theft, Ponzi Schemes, Fraud, Bribery, Insider Trading, Embezzlement, Racketeering, Cybercrime, Copyright Infringement and Money Laundering, just to name a few.
Though these crimes are not physically violent, they involve large sums of money and can be prosecuted in State or Federal Court. That is why these cases involve harsh penalties.
At Beck Law, we have the Best Criminal Defense Attorneys in Colorado with experience surrounding white-collar crime.
Below are descriptions of just a few crimes that are deemed “white-collar crimes.”
- Embezzlement
The illegal transfer of money or property that, although possessed legally by the embezzler, is diverted to the embezzler personally by his or her fraudulent action. For example, an employee would embezzle money from the employer, or a public officer could embezzle money received while doing their public duties and secretly convert it to their personal use. Embezzlement is the unlawful taking of property by someone whom it was entrusted to. For example, if a named person trusts their friend enough to allow them to hold their wallet, and the friend goes home without returning the wallet with the intention of keeping the money, the friend would have committed embezzlement.
As a white-collar crime, embezzlement is generally prosecuted as a theft crime.
- Perjury
The crime of intentionally lying after being duly sworn (to tell the truth) by a notary public, court clerk or other official. This false statement may be made in testimony in court, administrative hearings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, as well as by signing or acknowledging a written legal document (such as affidavit, declaration under penalty of perjury, deed, license application, tax return)known to contain false information. Although it is a crime, prosecutions for perjury are rare, because a defendant will argue he/she merely made a mistake or misunderstood.
- Counterfeit
Describing a document, particularly money, which is forged or created to look real and intended to pass for real. Other documents could include bonds or other valuable documents.
- Extortion
Obtaining money or property by threat to a victim’s property or loved ones, intimidation, or false claim of a right (such as pretending to be an IRS agent). It is a felony in all states, except that a direct threat to harm the victim is usually treated as the crime of robbery. Blackmail is a form of extortion in which the threat is to expose embarrassing, damaging information to family, friends or the public.
- Blackmail
Blackmail is similar to extortion, but instead of just threatening someone for money, you’re also threatening to reveal confidential and often compromising or incriminating information. If you find out someone was having an affair, for example, you could potentially blackmail them for money in exchange for not telling their spouse.
- Tax evasion
If you don’t pay your taxes or pay less than what you should, you too can be charged with tax evasion. And you can be charged under both state and federal laws. In Colorado, tax evasion is a class 5 felony with up to 3 years in jail and $100,000 in fines. So for not paying your taxes, you can end up having to pay what you owe plus an even bigger fine.
- Money Laundering
Involves moving money around to try and evade the government’s ability to track the source of the funds. Money laundering may be used to hide money that was embezzled from an employer. Money laundering is a class 3 felony in Colorado, and the penalties include 4 to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000.
WHY SHOULD I HIRE BECK LAW?
We are experienced and knowledgeable attorneys that defend our clients aggressively. Contact us BEFORE you speak to any law enforcement. It is imperative that you have legal counsel to guide you through the process. These kinds of criminal charges demand extensive communication with clients. If necessary, we hire experts to collect evidence that may have been missed or “conveniently missed.”
White Collar Crime convictions carry very harsh consequences. Arrest, charges, and conviction information is available to law enforcement, military, government agencies and the public. Landlords and employers will not risk their property or the property of their tenants and employees by renting or hiring a person who they see as a threat because of your charge or conviction. Thus, you need the Best Colorado Criminal Defense Attorney on your side to get the best possible out you can.