The popular representation of white collar crimes may often be that of a high-tech scheme concocted and carried out by sophisticated, "James Bond"-type perpetrators. Yet in reality, such offenses are typically committed by ordinary people caught up in fraudulent schemes. In fact, such crimes can often seem so unextraordinary that they could realistically be going on right under people's noses without them knowing about it. If and when such activity is brought to light, however, how those who find out about it react could potentially play a role in assigning culpability in the future.
Authorities accuse man of running massive investor fraud scheme
Perhaps one of the reason why so many are seemingly quick to adjudicate those accused of crimes in New York as being guilty in the court of public opinion is that they view criminal activity as being largely "black-and-white" (either one did commit a crime, or he or she did not). Yet in many cases, it is not that simple. Cases involving fraud, for example, can often arise due to simple mismanagement or judgment errors (such as offering bad investment advice or inadvertently comingling funds). In these cases, the actions of the accused should be closely examined to see if there truly was any criminal intent involved.
Money laundering can occur even when you don't realize it
Money that is made illegally is sometimes funneled through legal channels to make it appear as if it was obtained lawfully. Doing this is a criminal act known as money laundering. You can face time in prison or fines when you are convicted of this crime.
Do you qualify to have your federal record expunged?
There is a certain stigma that seems to accompany federal crimes, as though people in New York view them as being more serious than state offenses. The reality is that all criminally activity is equally serious; the only elements that designate a crime as being federal are jurisdictional issues. So ultimately, you would rather not have any infractions on your criminal record. Yet if you do, and yours happens to be for a federal offense, then you might be wondering if you qualify to have your federal record expunged.
How does one prove intellectual property theft?
When you own your own business in New York (or are least charged with the marketing one), you may quickly discover that acheiving success often requires not only staying current with industry best practices, but also in observing and learning from your competitors. That may include taking some of the things that have helped make competitors successful and implementing them in your own business. Yet this prompts the question of at what point does doing so qualify as intellectual property infringement?
