White collar crime often includes various types of fraud

When one hears the term "white collar crime," it may evoke images of clean shirts or high-powered business meetings. However, such terminology typically refers to any number of non-violent crimes, often including various kinds of fraud, perpetrated against one or more parties in order to obtain some type of financial gain. When an Illinois resident is charged with fraud, he or she is suspected of willfully deceiving another person for monetary gain.

There are many types of fraud; each is a bit different from the other. Readers may remember a scandal some years ago involving celebrity Martha Stewart, who served time in prison for an insider trading conviction, a common type of securities fraud.  Another type of business fraud occurs when money is taken from investors in a business or marketing scheme.

The government often has a watchful eye on tax returns, for this is an area where fraud frequently occurs. Criminal tax evasion sometimes involves false information listed on a tax form. Other tax fraud offenses take place when someone illegally transfers income or property to avoid paying taxes.

Facing fraud charges or other white collar crime accusations in Illinois or at the federal level is obviously no small matter. A person's freedom and future may be at stake and avoiding conviction often hinges upon the type of defense presented in court. This is why many people charged with such crimes hire experienced criminal defense attorneys to represent them during court proceedings. An attorney's job is to implement the most viable options available to obtain the best possible results on behalf of a defendant.

Source: FindLaw, "White Collar Crime", Accessed on April 6, 2017