White-collar crimes are relatively common in the United States as well as around the world. The term was originally introduced in 1939 and is defined as a large variety of acts of fraud that businesses and individuals commit. It is generally not violent and public corruption, health care fraud, securities and mortgage fraud, and money laundering fall under the white-collar crime umbrella.
White-collar crimes can be extremely destructive. They can destroy corporations and individuals. Life savings can be lost and billions of dollars can fall into the wrong hands. The longer that white-collar crime persists, the more sophisticated the white-collar criminals become and the more money is lost to white-collar schemes.
The definition of a white-collar crime
A white-collar crime is characterized as a non-violent crime that deceives or conceals information so that the criminal can either obtain or avoid losing money or property as well as gaining a business or personal leg up. Some examples of security fraud are embezzlement, securities fraud, money laundering, and corporate fraud.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the FBI are some of the agencies that investigate white-collar crimes.
Solid advice from a Rhode Island criminal defense attorney
If you are in a situation involving a white-collar crime, an astute Rhode Island criminal defense attorney may be able to prove valuable to your case. Your attorney may be able to turn your case around and help you to either minimize or avoid a severe sentence so that you can move on in your life and look to a brighter future.