One of the most common white-collar crimes is forgery. You probably understand the concept of forgery already. If a person, say, signs someone else’s name to a check and tries to cash it, that is a clear case of forgery. The legal definition of forgery is forging a writing “with intent to defraud or harm […]

There are numerous criminal offenses lumped together under the unofficial term “white-collar crime,” and racketeering involves some of the most severe charges under Texas law. In general, the crime of racketeering occurs when an organized crime ring uses or poses as a legitimate business operation to embezzle funds. This type of conduct first became unlawful […]

White collar crimes involve some of the most misunderstood and complicated aspects of Texas criminal law, and a large part of the confusion stems from the term itself. Contrary to popular assumption, you do not have to be wealthy or high-profile to face these charges. Anyone can be arrested for unlawful misconduct, which is actually […]

White collar crimes have a reputation for being less severe than other kinds of criminal offenses. While it is true that someone accused of a white collar crime may not face the same severe penalties as someone who was convicted of a violent or repeat drug offense, they can still have devastating consequences for defendants. […]

Many white-collar crimes are committed by employees of large companies. Unfortunately, while many of these individuals are acting on their own, it is not uncommon for the companies that hire them to be unfairly accused of participating in the scheme. This can have devastating financial and personal repercussions for a company, making it especially important […]

White collar crime allegations are taken very seriously in Texas, even though they are by definition, non-violent offenses. For this reason, most of those who are accused of committing a white collar crime end up facing felony charges. Some of the more minor offenses, however, can be charged as misdemeanors, which tend to have much […]

Embezzlement is a term used to describe the act of stealing money that someone else has entrusted you to manage or hold on his or her behalf. While cases involving embezzlement often arise in the employment context, such as when an employee uses company funds for his or her own use, this is not the […]

When you are tried for any federal or state crime in Texas, the jury must unanimously agree that you are guilty. This means the jurors must be unanimous with respect to each element of the alleged offense. However, that does not necessarily mean the jurors all have to agree as to the underlying facts. In […]

Many white collar crimes involve some form of identity theft or fraud. For example, in Texas it is a Class B misdemeanor to falsely identify oneself as a police officer. Basically, this covers someone possessing or displaying a law enforcement badge even though they are not actually a “peace officer” or reserve police officer. Court: […]

White collar crimes are no laughing matter, especially when the defendant is a public official. The misuse of government funds can lead to serious felony charges such as wire fraud. And even a single conviction on wire fraud charges may carry a prison term of up to 20 years. Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals […]