What Should You Do If You Are Accused of a Wire Fraud?

Wire fraud has been around for decades; however, this crime has been increasing at an alarming rate in the United States in recent times. A report published by Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that 22,292 people became victims of scams between October 2013 and December 2016. Moreover, perpetrators are using more sophisticated techniques to commit wire fraud, which makes it extremely difficult for law enforcement agencies to apprehend them. Therefore, strict laws and regulations are devised by lawmaking bodies to discourage these malicious and illegal practices to defraud people.

What is Wire Fraud?

A wire fraud refers to a crime when someone deliberately uses an interstate communication channel or electronic communication device such as a mobile, laptop, telephone, amongst other to defraud or deprive another person of anything having a monetary value. This crime may be performed by devising a false scheme which may include incorrect facts, fake promises, deception, or any kind of misrepresentation. Wire fraud is considered as a federal offense and comes with potentially serious consequences.

What to Do If You Are Accused?

If you are accused of wire fraud, it can be highly beneficial for your case to hire an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Your attorney will play a key role in protecting your interests and guide you through the process pertaining to your case.

To secure a wire fraud conviction, a prosecutor must demonstrate that the defendant intended to engage in fraudulent activity to deprive someone of their property, money, or something that has a value. It must be noted that a wire fraud conviction does not require actual loss of money, but even an attempt to obtain money is sufficient to constitute a crime.

How Can A Criminal Defense Lawyer Help You?

A competent criminal defense lawyer will be able to shield you by providing certain defenses to the court. For instance, they may argue that you acted in good faith and did not intend to plot a scheme to defraud the victim. Moreover, they can also argue that your speech contained sales puffery such as exaggeration, flattery, or opinionated statements, which do not constitute a wire fraud crime.

As circumstances and facts pertaining to each case are different, these defenses do not apply to every case. Therefore, your attorney may help you to gather evidence to prove that you did not intend to deprive victim of their property or any possession that has a value.

Being accused and found guilty for wire fraud crime cannot only be detrimental for your career and reputation but also may result in severe punishments including jail time of up to 30 years and fines of up to $1 million. Therefore, it can be in your best interest to immediately seek legal assistance from an experienced criminal defense lawyer if you find yourself in such a troublesome situation.

For further information, contact Ettinger & Besbekos at (708) 923-0368 to speak with an experienced criminal defense lawyer on this topic or E-mail the firm to schedule your free consultation.