We’ve all heard the terms “blue-collar” and “white-collar,” usually referring to different kinds of jobs. But what does the term “white-collar crime” mean?
Someone in a suit might not be the first image that comes to mind when you think of a person charged with criminal activity. But the truth is that many crimes can happen in a professional or business setting – not in a dark alley or rough bar.
White-collar crimes generally rely on deceit or fraud, not physical force. Generally, the motivation in white-collar crimes is financial gain, either through scamming others for profit or by concealing certain behaviors that may impact a person or business’ financial situation.
White-collar crimes are usually committed by working professionals or people who are very wealthy, hence the name “white-collar crimes.” While white-collar crimes do not take the same physical toll as, say, physical assaults, they can be just as devastating. A fraud scheme may result in dozens or hundreds of families all losing their savings, dealing a massive blow to the community.
Most Common Types of White-Collar Crimes
White-collar crimes are usually financial in nature and involve some type of deceit or fraud.
Some of the most common white-collar crimes include:
- Tax evasion
- Embezzlement
- Securities fraud (for example, insider trading)
- Investment fraud (for example, pyramid and Ponzi schemes)
- Corporate fraud
- RICO charges
- Identity theft
- Insurance fraud
- Mortgage fraud
- Money laundering
These are just a handful of the most common types of white-collar crimes. If the crime is more based around making money and concealing bad behavior than using physical force to get something, it’s most likely a white-collar crime.
Some white-collar crimes may be related to other kinds of crime. For example, a white-collar crime might include laundering money for a drug cartel or operating business as a front for selling stolen property.
When to Contact a White-Collar Crime Criminal Defense Lawyer
It’s best to contact a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible if you are accused of white-collar crime. If you wait until after charges have already been brought and made public, it may be too late to avoid significant financial losses and damage to your reputation, even if you are eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
The criminal defense team at Adras & Altig is committed to providing aggressive, thorough legal representation for our clients. We take a team approach to our criminal defense cases, and we always put our clients ahead of our own egos.
We can initiate an internal investigation to see who may be responsible for any corporate wrongdoing, interview your employees and provide them with their own defense counsel (if necessary), mitigate the cost to you of any criminal investigation, and negotiate the terms of your cooperation with law enforcement (if necessary).
We know that your future and your freedom are at stake if you’re accused of white-collar crime, and we are ready to provide a vigorous criminal defense for you. Call us today at for your free case evaluation.
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At Adras & Altig, we believe that every client we work with deserves a fresh start. Our dedicated Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys take the time to get to know you so we can understand the circumstances surrounding your arrest.