The term “white collar crime” is certainly spotlighted with some frequency in Texas and national media stories, isn’t it? That singular sphere in the criminal law realm has garnered a seeming public fascination in recent years.
The category has assumed a sort of mythical character at the same time, though, which owes greatly to a lack of public clarity concerning its essentials.
Are there in fact even any “essentials” or intractable truths in play to begin with? Much misinformation surrounds discussions and debates on white collar crime. At the top of the list is perhaps this widely held but largely inaccurate notion: Prosecutors pursue individuals alleged to have committed white collar crimes only casually and without any fixed aim to secure maximum criminal penalties against them.
That is patently false. In fact, a harsh prosecutorial stance toward white collar defendants has been the norm for some time, both at the state and federal level. It is far from a rarity for a convicted individual to receive a long prison sentence, heavy fine and additional exactions.
And this widely perceived belief can often be called into question, too: Defendants routinely knew what they were doing, even in complex frauds.
It actually turns out in legions of cases that suspected wrongdoers had no idea that the conduct they were engaging in was unlawful. Many white collar defendants are mid-level workers whose alleged participation in a fraudulent scheme was only fragmented and limited. Some of those people were just gullible. Others were harassed. Some felt ethical constraints, but did not in good faith view their behavior as crossing legal lines.
The bottom line concerning white collar criminal accusations and charges is that every case is staunchly different. We note on our website at the proven Houston criminal defense firm of Hilder & Associates that, “Every case or investigation requires attention to the specific facts and circumstances involved.”
Individuals with questions or concerns about any aspect of a white collar criminal investigation can turn to an experienced legal team for candid guidance and aggressive representation aimed at securing best-case results.
