Southwest Ranches Federal Defense Lawyer

White collar crimes cases in Southwest Ranches FL

White collar crime refers to criminal cases that are mostly nonviolent and are motivated by financial gain. Some white collar offenses are motivated by the desire to influence a person who is in a position of corporate or political authority or to obtain any other good or service that is of value. Some examples of white collar crimes that occur in South Florida include:

• fraud cases
• embezzlement
• Ponzi schemes
• money laundering

SOUTHWEST RANCHES FRAUD OFFENSES

Fraud refers to any intentional deception a person makes with the intent to obtain something of value. There are several different types of fraud. Some of the most common types of fraud in South Florida are:

• credit card fraud
• wire transfer fraud
• card skimming

Credit card fraud is more formally referred to as payment card fraud, which covers fraud that involves debit, credit, and prepaid cards. In the earlier days of credit card technology, fraudsters used physical means of capturing payment card information they could use to conduct transactions by using the victim’s account. For example, before modern credit card machines, merchants made a carbon copy of the customer’s credit card to capture the payment information. Employees or people who burglarized the place of business would steal the carbon copies and use the customers’ card information. Other traditional methods thieves used to steal credit card information included stealing the victim’s purse or wallet and stealing financial information from the victim’s mail.

Wire transfer fraud is a scheme that typically plays on the victim’s sympathy or sense of urgency. Fraudsters hack into social media accounts and use the accounts to contact the hacking victims’ friends and family members. When contacting the victim’s loved ones, the fraudsters will send a message through the social media’s platform and impersonate the profile owner and request a wire transfer to help with an urgent emergency. The fraudster may pretend to be traveling abroad or in a situation in which there might be a plausible reason the social media contact cannot reach the account holder by phone. Wire transfer fraud can also occur through other means such as the fraudster pretending to be the IRS or a utilities service provider and contacting potential victims through text message or email.

Card skimming most often targets people who use ATMs and payment terminals that are located on the exterior of a business or in a more isolated area. Fraudsters target machines that are not closely monitored so they can install their own card readers on top of the machine’s built-in card reader. After the fraudsters install their card reader, unsuspecting customers swipe their card through the counterfeit card reader, which captures the data that is stored on their card. Later, the thieves retrieve the stored card data and use it for their own illegal purposes.

Southwest Ranches embezzlement cases

Embezzlement cases are a type of theft cases that have one very specific differentiating detail. In an embezzlement case, the offender is in a trusted position, and he or she uses the victim’s trust to unlawfully deprive the victim of the use of his or her property. Examples of embezzlement schemes include:

• a dry cleaner who steals customers’ luxury items and pretends they have been lost or stolen
• a valet attendant who keeps customers’ cars and reports them missing
• a financial portfolio manager who diverts his clients’ funds into a personal account
• a federal government worker who uses public funds for personal expenses without authorization

A defense attorney may challenge an embezzlement charge by arguing that the defendant believed in good faith that he or she was authorized to use the other party’s property for personal use. Contact a Southwest Ranches federal defense attorney if you have been accused of embezzlement.

SOUTH FLORIDA PONZI SCHEMES

Ponzi schemes start off with what appears to be a legitimate investment opportunity. Fraudsters often pitch Ponzi schemes as the greatest-kept secret among savvy investors. The fraudster collects money from the victims, and instead of investing them money, the fraudster uses the money for personal expenses, typically to fund the fraudster’s lifestyle. Keeping up a lavish lifestyle helps the Ponzi schemer advertise the fake investment opportunity. Those who invest in the scheme early usually receive statements and are able to withdraw what appears to be profits from the scheme. As time goes on and more people invest in the fake investment vehicle, the fraudster eventually disappears and disconnects his or her phone number and other means of contact. The fraudster will also typically leave town if he or she has a physical office or business location.

A federal investigation into a Ponzi scheme will not necessarily stop with the person who operates the scheme. Anyone who works at the place of business and people who appear to be business partners or otherwise involved in operating the scheme may also be investigated even if they had no knowledge of the fraudster’s illegal activity.

MONEY LAUNDERING DEFENSE

Criminals use the money laundering process to disguise the origins of the money they receive from doing illegal activity. Money laundering takes place in three main stages: placement, layering, and integration. Each stage is designed to confuse anyone who may try to investigate the money back to its origins. Criminals are most vulnerable during the placement stage because they are tasked with finding a way to discreetly deposit a large sum of dirty money into the legitimate money supply. Some strategies criminal enterprises use to place money into the money supply include:

• placing money into cash businesses
• breaking large sums down into small amounts to evade banking detection systems
• smuggling large sums of cash into other countries
• depositing money in different jurisdictions
• using international wire transfer services

Any person or business entity that participates in any part of the money laundering process may be investigated and face legal ramifications. If you believe you may have knowingly or unknowingly helped with money laundering, protect yourself by consulting a Southwest Ranches defense attorney.

Defense attorney for Southwest Ranches drug trafficking cases

Florida is notorious for having high rates of drug trafficking activity. International drug organizations favor South Florida for its proximity to the Caribbean islands and South America. The entire state’s extensive coastline makes it possible for drug organizations to transport drugs into the United States by sea. Because South Florida is a major drug trafficking hub, there are multiple ways in which everyday people may become involved in various aspects of the illegal drug trade. The state’s drug trafficking law broadly encompasses multiple drug offenses. From drug manufacturing to drug trafficking, drug sales, and simple possession and laundering drug money, anyone who is under investigation or being charged for a drug-related offense should immediately retain a seasoned Florida drug trafficking defense lawyer.

Southwest Ranches human trafficking cases

Florida ranks among the country’s top states that report high levels of human trafficking activity. There are two types of human trafficking that occur in South Florida: labor trafficking and sex trafficking. Both types of human trafficking often involve entire networks of people in serious federal crimes.

Human traffickers transport people across state lines and sometimes international borders for the purpose of commercially exploiting the victims. Labor traffickers use fake job ads that are most often posted in other countries to lure people who want to find a job in the U.S. to support family in their home country or to start a new life in a new country.

Sex traffickers lure victims in by pretending to have romantic interest in them or by posing as talent managers, managers, music producers, and other people who hold titles in the entertainment, modeling, or music industries. After making efforts to get the victim to trust the trafficker, the trafficker detains the victim and uses psychological abuse, violence, or violent threats along with confiscating the victims’ money and identity documents to make it difficult for the victims to leave.

Human trafficking schemes rely on people to provide security, transportation, health services, housing, clothing, and other goods and services, often secretly, to keep the scheme in operation. People who have even loose affiliations with human traffickers may be intensely investigated and potentially charged in federal and state court.

Federal defense attorney for Southwest Ranches criminal cases

Federal charges require a more robust approach. Joffe Law provides highly effective legal counsel to people who are facing serious federal charges in Southwest Ranches and throughout South Florida. Contact us to learn more about our proven track record in federal cases. A member of our team will review your case and determine the best legal options for your circumstances.