Dallas-Fort Worth White Collar Crimes Lawyer

White collar crimes are often complex, and anyone ranging from the unwitting to the unwilling could be caught in their net. Their defense counsel must understand how to break down the details of these cases with precision, finding the flaws in the prosecution’s case. In the event a case goes to trial, the attorney must be able to not only explain potentially arcane subjects to a jury, but to do so with a real vigor and belief in their client. That’s exactly what we do every day. 

At T. Baker Law, our Dallas-Fort Worth white collar crimes lawyer has over 14 years of experience offering clients sensible legal strategies combined with passionate representation. We serve people throughout the Metroplex area. 

Call today at (214) 777-5346 or contact us online to set up a consultation. Payment plans are available.

Penalties for White Collar Crimes

White collar crime covers a broad gamut of possible activities, and the charges can come from the state of Texas, at the federal level, or a combination of both. Sentencing guidelines will differ based on the crime and what court the case is tried in. 

Within the state of Texas though, a key number is $1,500. Any white-collar crime activity whose value is higher than this threshold can be charged as a felony offense. This means a prison sentence of at least 6 months or for as long as 2 years. 

As the amount of money involved in the alleged crime arises, so too do the penalties for conviction. Convictions on activities involving $20,000 or more may result in 10 years behind bars. The $100,000 threshold can mean 20 years in prison. And when a crime involves $200,000 or more, a judge may issue a sentence of life imprisonment. 

Examples of White-Collar Crime

Any illegal act that is non-violent in nature, with illicit financial gain as its objective can be considered a white-collar crime. 

Here are some prime examples:

• Identity theft: A defendant might be charged with gaining access to someone’s personal information and then using it to impersonate them. Applications for credit cards might be one way of using a false identity to harm someone else. 
• Embezzlement: When someone is placed in charge of the money for a business, and then takes it for their personal use, this is embezzlement. A small business, where the boundary between personal expenses and business expenses might be blurred, could be susceptible to problems here, particularly if the financial books have to be accounted for to shareholders. 
• Healthcare fraud: A medical provider might submit bills for services that were never delivered, be it to a private insurer or to government healthcare programs. It’s also possible that the person charged with the fraud had no idea the services they were billing were, in fact, fraudulent. And a lack of criminal intent is a valid defense strategy.