Rancho Palos Verdes Fraud Defense
Criminal fraud refers to activities that involve the willful deception of another person or entity in order to unjustly receive (usually monetary and property) gains, typically causing harm to the victim. Most cases fall under Penal Code § 484 as a theft crime, but they can also be classified as perjury and forgery. Getting charged with criminal fraud can result in serious state punishment, but Winfield Law can offer the best fraud defense aid in Rancho Palos Verdes to our clients.
Most criminal fraud cases are “wobbler” types of offenses, meaning they can either be a small misdemeanor case (with penalties of up to a year in county jail and up to $1,000 in fines) or a more difficult felony charge (with jail time that can range from 16 months to three years and fines up to $10,000.) This classification depends on the facts of the case and a person’s criminal history.
A common way of arguing out of a criminal fraud case is proving that the charged had no intentions to deceive. Here in Winfield Law, we provide you the best criminal legal aid in California, including fraud cases. You can trust our years of experience and expertise in engaging with the most difficult criminal cases in the state.
Call Winfield Law today at 310-742-8949 for your free consultation!
Kinds of Criminal Fraud
It’s important to know what kind of fraud your case is. Is it even legally classified as criminal fraud? Some cases of illegal fraud can be classified as civil tort, which is a case against other people and is settled with monetary payments. On the other hand, criminal fraud refers to acts against society and is, therefore, punishable by the state through harsher means compared to torts. The punishment for these activities is jail time, according to the penal code. Our firm specializes in criminal cases of fraud, focusing our energy on bringing our clients the fairest legal aid in the criminal justice system. Here are the most commonly known kinds of criminal fraud cases in California:
Check Fraud
A person commits check fraud when they use or even attempt to use a fake check with the intent of deceiving another person. Even altering the contents of a check, such as its amount, for the purpose of deception is considered check fraud. It is a crime of forgery under Penal Code 476.
Insurance Fraud
Insurance frauds are usually related to the healthcare and automobile industries. Healthcare insurance fraud crimes are usually charged against medical professionals, varying from overbilling medical services and billing for medical services that were not given to receiving money by endorsing certain medicine from hand-picked pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, automobile fraud occurs when a person deceives an automobile insurance carrier to get insurance money. Some examples include “staging” an incident that damages the vehicle or willfully destroying the car and saying it got stolen.
Forgery
A person commits forgery when they create and use a false document, signature, or an imitation of a legal document to deceive another person or entity. A common example is faking a signature of a check. Documents typically used in crimes of forgery include contracts, IDs, diplomas, licenses, and certificates.
Identity Theft
Identity theft occurs when a person takes personal information of another as their own, usually their social security number or bank and credit accounts, and uses it to obtain money or properties. It is one of the most expensive cases of fraud crimes, sometimes costing victims millions of dollars. Identity theft cases usually include opening new financial accounts under the victim’s name or taking privilege of their social and medical services and insurance.
Employment-related Fraud
Fraudulent activities that intend to change a person’s employment benefits, such as an unemployment insurance benefit or a worker’s compensation program, falls under criminal fraud. An example is faking an injury or falsely testifying that a medical condition is work-related to get insurance money.
Trust Winfield Law For Your Fraud Case.
Winfield Law is willing to take up the challenge of defending even the most difficult criminal fraud cases in court. Our firm has garnered more than enough experience throughout the years in making sure our clients receive the fairest legal aid they can get in Rancho Palos Verdes. Getting charged with a fraud case, especially the most expensive ones like identity theft, can be a very intimidating and life-changing event. Still, our firm will handle your case with you with the utmost professionalism and sharpness.
Free Fraud Defense Consultation
Winfield Law wants to be your partner in defending your fraud case. We have all the experience and expertise needed to give you the highest quality of legal aid in the state. All it takes to start our business is your call. Let’s talk about the details of your case today for free.
Call Winfield Law today at 310-742-8949 for your free consultation with a criminal fraud defense lawyer!
