Federal Fraud Crime Defense Lawyer
Assisting Individuals Facing Federal Fraud Charges with Their Defense
A variety of different criminal offenses could be charged as fraud at the federal level, including:
- Wire fraud
- Mail fraud
- Tax fraud
- Healthcare fraud
- Medicare fraud
- Medicaid fraud
- Bank fraud
- Identity theft crimes (Federal-level)
- Computer fraud
- Insurance fraud
- Federal Food Stamp Fraud
- PPP loan fraud
- …and more
These can result in hefty penalties upon conviction, in accordance with the United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Beating a federal charge is never easy. Your best hope at beating a federal charge – including a federal fraud charge – is to advance a powerful legal defense in court. Also, when it comes to selecting a lawyer to represent you in a federal case, you want someone on your side who is not only knowledgeable about federal crimes and their defenses, but who is also experienced in litigating federal matters in court and working with federal prosecutors and federal judges.
Attorney Brian Joslyn and the defense lawyers at the Joslyn Law Firm are experienced at defending clients against federal fraud charges in the federal court system. We can meet with you to gain a full understanding of your case and can get to work developing a strong legal defense to your federal fraud charge. Call us today at (614) 444-1900 or contact us online to discover how we could assist you with your criminal legal matter.
Types of Federal Fraud Offenses
Fraud offenses at the federal level are varied and may consist of several different types of crimes. Some of the most common types of federal fraud crimes include the following:
Wire Fraud
Wire fraud involves knowingly using some form of electronic communication, such as the internet, radio, phone messaging, email, or television, in order to defraud someone. It could also involve the use of phishing websites and malware in order to obtain bank account information from others and move money from a victim’s bank account into the accused’s own bank account. A conviction for a criminal offense involving wire fraud could result in up to 20 years of incarceration.
Mail Fraud
Mail fraud has been in existence much longer than wire fraud has, but it is similar to wire fraud. Mail fraud involves knowingly committing some sort of fraud through the United States mail system. Mail fraud could involve the use of false pretenses to obtain property or money – or distributing, selling, supplying, or exchanging counterfeits. A conviction for mail fraud could result in a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Tax Fraud
Tax fraud involves an attempt to evade state or federal income taxes. Tax fraud may be committed by corporations, individuals, and trusts. A person or corporation could commit tax fraud by knowingly and intentionally misrepresenting their financial circumstances to tax authorities – usually in an attempt to reduce or eliminate tax liability. Examples of tax fraud include overstating tax deductions and declaring less income or profits in order to reduce or eliminate tax exposure. A conviction for tax fraud could result in up to five years in jail, along with fines of $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.
Medicare Fraud & Medicaid Fraud
Both healthcare professionals and individuals could be charged with and/or convicted of Medicare or Medicaid fraud. These types of fraud are usually committed with the end goal of recovering excessive payouts from these healthcare programs which are funded by the federal government. In the healthcare provider context, an individual could bill for medical services, treatment, or procedures that were never actually provided to a patient. Fraud could also involve “upcoding” and phantom billing, or performing medical procedures on a patient that were not necessary. A patient could also be convicted of Medicare or Medicaid fraud by filing a claim for reimbursement to which the patient is not entitled – or using fraud or deception to try and obtain benefits for which he or she is not legally entitled. A conviction for healthcare fraud could result in a maximum of ten years in jail – and up to 20 years in jail if the fraud resulted in bodily harm to an individual.
Bank Fraud
Bank fraud involves using illegal means to obtain assets, money, or property which is being held by a bank, credit union, or other financial institution. Bank fraud includes accounting fraud, bill discounting fraud, altering checks, and forging financial documents. A conviction for bank fraud could land the accused in jail for up to 30 years.
Identity Theft (Federal)
Identity theft typically involves stealing and assuming another person’s identity in order to open credit cards in the victim’s name and obtain other financial benefits. Even in cases where the accused is merely found to possess the alleged victim’s social security number, driver’s license, or bank account information – without actually using that information to commit a crime – the accused could be sentenced to fines and a maximum of 15 years in jail. These penalties could increase if the accused actually uses the information in his or her possession to commit a crime – especially a crime that involves violence or drug trafficking. Note that there’s also state-level identity theft in Ohio.
Computer Fraud
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, otherwise known as the CFAA, is in place to criminalize fraudulent activities which occur in computer systems at certain banks and financial institutions, as well as in the government’s computer systems. The act severely penalizes these computer offenses, including trespassing in a government computer (one to ten years in jail), using a government computer to obtain national security information (ten to 20 years in jail), accessing and obtaining information from a computer (one or five years in jail, up to a maximum of ten years), computer extortion (five to ten years in jail), and password trafficking (one to ten years in jail).
Speak to a Federal Fraud Crime Attorney Today about Your Charge
The Joslyn Law Firm can review your federal fraud charge with you and explore all of your legal options. To schedule a free legal consultation and case evaluation with an experienced federal fraud crime attorney, call us today at (614) 444-1900 or contact us online to find out how we could help.
Additional Criminal Fraud Defense
We also provide defense lawyers for Prescription Fraud and Workers’ Compensation Fraud.
