Columbus White-Collar Crime Lawyers

What types of white-collar crime cases does your Columbus law firm handle?

We represent white-collar criminals who are accused of corruption at the federal level (RICO) or the state level (Engaging in Pattern of Corrupt Activity Act).

Both laws now focus on a broad range of crimes involving groups of people, entities (rackets) to structure the criminal activity, and other related criminal activity. In addition to various types of fraud, RICO and Ohio’s corruption law are now being applied to:

• Crimes of violence such as murder, homicide, and terrorism
• Crimes involving force or undue pressure such as bribery and extortion
• Drug crimes
• Crimes to influence the justice system
• Dealing in obscene materials
• Arson and various robbery offenses

At Soroka & Associates, our criminal defense lawyers also represent defendants accused of different types of financial fraud, including:

Money laundering. The offense of money laundering occurs when an individual or company receives money obtained in illegal activities and then takes steps to make it appear such funds were generated by legitimate and honest business activities. These actions are considered a form of fraudulent activity and may carry serious prison terms.

Mortgage fraud. Mortgage fraud has been on the rise in recent years, and has become one of the most frequently occurring forms of white-collar crime. Mortgage fraud involves any and all misrepresentations, misstatements, and/or omissions in attempting to secure a property or property loan. Both individuals and/or industry professionals can be charged with mortgage fraud when misrepresentations are made in an effort to secure a property loan or obtain a profit from the sale.

Health care fraud. Health care fraud is a broad term and encompasses numerous criminal acts by individuals and entities such as pharmacies, hospitals, and diagnostic facilities. Typical charges for health care fraud include the following activities:

• Performing unnecessary medical procedure on patients
• Overcharging and falsely charging patients, insurance providers, Medicare, and/or CareSource
• Failing to perform a medical procedure but providing documentation and billing the patient as if the procedure was actually performed
• Illegal payments of “kickbacks” to other medical entities for patient referrals.

Mail fraud. Mail fraud occurs when an individual utilizes the United States mail system in order to illegally obtain money and/or property from another individual. Mail fraud is a federal offense and encompasses a number of various criminal acts under its umbrella. These criminal offenses share common characteristics of misrepresentations or false statements in an effort to obtain money from an individual. Even when the utilization of the United States mail system is only a small part of the criminal activity, an individual can still be charged with mail fraud in the federal system.

Wire fraud. These charges are brought against an individual or business that has used a variety of means of electronic communications to defraud another individual of money and/or property. The penalties for wire fraud depend greatly on whether the violation affects an individual or a banking institution, and on the amount of money or property involved.

Credit card fraud. This type of fraud can involve a variety of criminal acts that range from unauthorized use of another person’s credit card to large operations in which credit card information is stolen via mail or the internet. Credit card fraud includes:

• Opening accounts using stolen credit card information and/or via identity theft
• Making purchases with another person’s credit card without their authorization
• Applying for a credit card or line of credit using another’s personal information
• Stealing credit card information via the internet

Embezzlement. This crime occurs when an individual or entity misappropriates funds belonging to another individual or entity for their own benefit. The proof of embezzlement typically is financial records. The amount of money involved in the embezzlement determines the severity of the penalties.

Conspiracy. Conspiracy is when two or more people formulate a plan to commit a crime. Two or more people who come to a mutual understanding to commit a crime become willingly and knowingly involved in the conspiracy, and take overt action to carry out the conspiracy. The success of the plan can be irrelevant to the charges. Conspiracy requires a minimum of two individuals, but there is no limit on the number of individuals involved.