White-collar crimes refer to non-violent illegal acts. Typically, these crimes involve some type of deceit or concealment in order to gain a financial advantage. While these crimes do not involve violence, they do create victims, and the state of Mississippi takes them seriously.
Examples of white-collar crimes
The overall category of white-collar offenses includes a variety of crimes committed by both individuals and businesses. The law typically recognizes the following types of crimes as white collar:
- Individual and corporate fraud
- Money laundering
- Securities or commodities fraud
- Intellectual property theft
- Insider trading
- Bribery
- Antitrust violations
- Embezzlement
- Tax evasion
Enforcement agencies
While most violent crimes fall under the jurisdiction of local prosecutors and police agencies, many white-collar offenses violate federal law. Other white-collar crimes may involve regional or international investigations. Since these types of crimes regularly cross state lines, regulatory agencies may oversee the investigations and charges. These agencies include:
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- FBI
- U.S. Postal Service
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Treasury Department’s Crimes Enforcement Network
- IRS
Penalties for white-collar crimes
If you face charges for a white-collar offense, you may fear the potential penalties. Some white-collar crimes qualify as misdemeanors and carry limited jail time and fines. Other crimes may qualify as felonies. For these crimes, you face extended prison time, fines, and the duty to repay your victims.
The victims may also sue you in a civil court proceeding. Even government organizations may sue you in order to gain back the money that you allegedly took from them.
Long-term consequences of white-collar crime convictions
If you are facing a white-collar charge, you may begin to consider your defense strategy immediately. A conviction can greatly alter your life and result in limited employment, housing and voting opportunities. Building a quality defense takes time, and today may be the best day to start.