Most people charged with white collar crimes never imagined they could find themselves locked behind bars, facing the prospect of a criminal conviction. Often, these non-violent theft crimes seem harmless and victimless at first, but before long, a situation can quickly spiral out of control. What once seemed an easy solution now looks like a colossal mistake. Your personal and professional reputation are at risk, and only through skillful legal defense can you get your life back on track and put accusations of fraud, theft, or embezzlement behind you.
When you need assertive legal defense against criminal charges, the attorneys at Phillips & Associates have the experience, the knowledge, the resources, and the skill to provide exceptional legal counsel and effective defense representation. Through our expert handling of state and federal white collar crimes defense, we have been able to achieve positive outcomes for Oklahomans accused of a wide range of financial crimes, building a successful record of white collar defense that has made us one of the top criminal defense firms in Oklahoma.
Whether you are completely innocent of all charges or whether poor decisions have put you in a predicament you never thought possible, we will handle your case with discretion and treat you with dignity and respect. You have rights that deserve protection, and we will work diligently to make sure those rights are upheld. We will thoroughly evaluate and investigate your case to uncover the best defense strategies, whether that means aggressively pursuing a dismissal or acquittal, or whether it means negotiating strategies that help you make amends without destroying your life.
White Collar Offenses
The term “white collar crime” encompasses a great number of misdemeanor and felony offenses ranging from passing bad checks to investment fraud, from skimming off the till to multi-million dollar schemes. Essentially, a white collar crime is any financially-motivated nonviolent crime intended to illegally gain profit for the perpetrator of the crime. Schemes involve making false representations in order to obtain cash or undeserved benefits and tax breaks. Embezzlement schemes are the misappropriation for personal use of funds or property to which a person is entrusted.
White collar crimes make the news in multi-million dollar schemes like the Bernie Madoff case or in celebrity tax evasion cases like those involving Willie Nelson, Martha Stewart, and Wesley Snipes. However, more frequently, these crimes are much more innocuous and conducted on a smaller scale. Motivation for a white collar offense can be as simple as greed, but often, these crimes are perpetrated by people who find themselves in a tight financial situation and are looking for a quick way out. A gambling problem, addiction, debt, and facing bankruptcy or foreclosure are frequently causes of embezzlement or fraud.
In many cases, a person who misappropriate funds has no real intention of stealing, planning to repay any “borrowed” funds before anyone realizes they are missing. Unfortunately for them, they are generally caught before they can do so, or the financial problems behind the embezzlement spiral out of control, preventing them from restitution. Many times, these people do not even realize they are under investigation for suspicious activity until it is too late.
Effective White Collar Defense in Oklahoma
If you suspect that you may be under investigation for a white collar crime, it is important that you stop any questionable activity at once and contact a fraud defense lawyer as soon as possible. Perhaps you were acting under the direction of a supervisor. Maybe you did not realize that your actions were illegal. Or possibly you simply made an unwise decision in an attempt to sort out your own financial difficulties. At Phillips & Associates our criminal attorneys will fully explore all options for your defense, leaving no stone unturned in developing strategies for your case.
Contact us for a confidential, no-risk evaluation of your case. We can help protect your rights, your record, and your reputation. Call today or submit our online case review form for more information.
