White collar crimes may not be as obvious as other crimes since they do not involve direct violence. For these crimes, they can include forgery, identity theft, credit card fraud, mortgage fraud, insurance fraud, employee theft, embezzlement, bad checks, gambling offenses and Ponzi schemes. These crimes usually employment money of some kind being stolen or avoiding paying money. Although these crimes are not violent, they can still affect people. They may even be far-reaching and affect many people due to the money that is involved in these criminal happenings. With schemes, white collar criminals may reach a few individuals, affecting large amounts of money. These are called white collar crimes since individuals in government, business and finance are referred to as the white collar working class. Charges for white collar criminals have been known to be seen among these professionals due to their power and status in the community and in their professions. A white collar job may be seen as a respectable profession, but it can give these individuals more of an opportunity to commit one of these crimes.
How are they punished?
The federal law has sentencing guidelines for penalties for white collar criminals. These guidelines are in effect to make penalties for white-collar crimes uniform throughout the system, giving criminals a fair sentence. The guidelines for these crimes were established by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to ensure that more just laws were put in place regarding penalties for these criminals. The severity of white collar crimes may not seem as bad as violent crimes. However, the people they affect can be far greater than a violent crime. The justice system realized the far reach that a white collar crime can have and made consequences that take this into account.
Consequences may include jail time for individuals who have committed white collar crimes. Federal guidelines created multiple offense levels with varying degrees of punishments for individuals charged with these crimes. There are 43 offense levels, six criminal history categories and four sentencing zones that are taken into consideration when deciding the punishment that someone will receive for a white-collar crime. These punishments can be life-altering since jail time may be a consequence that individuals are faced with.
If you have been charged with a crime in New Jersey, it is essential to retain the services of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Contact the Law Office of Michael A. Policastro today to schedule a consultation so we can discuss your situation.
