If you are a business owner who is accused of a crime, you will need to contact a criminal defense attorney.
He or she can then help you to explore your options, gather information and evidence about the case, and represent you at trial if necessary, to assist you in achieving the best possible outcome.
Here are eight unexpected times when you might need to call a criminal defense lawyer.
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1. You Are Accused of Larceny
Larceny involves somebody unlawfully taking the property of another person or organization. So, if you steal something to use for your business, you could be committing larceny.
While business owners do not often commit larceny, it does happen. For instance, you could rent equipment that you end up not giving back after the rental period.
2. You Are Accused of Embezzlement
Embezzlement is a more common business crime than larceny. It refers to the theft or misappropriation of funds that are placed in your trust. For instance, you could misappropriate funds from an investor.
3. You Are Accused of Antitrust Law Violations
Antitrust laws restrain activities like trade that promote market domination. The laws are in place to provide supervision and guidance of mergers and acquisitions of businesses in order to prevent market abuse.
Thus, the aim of antitrust laws is to avoid monopolies and the control of a specific company over a certain market. If antitrust laws are violated, it is a criminal act that could result in criminal punishment.
So, if you are accused of violating antitrust laws, you need to call a criminal defense lawyer for help.
4. You Are Accused of Environmental Crimes
Many United States federal statutes regulate the environment. When some of the laws that regulate the environment are broken, it can result in criminal penalties.
Therefore, if you are accused of a crime that violates acts like the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, you could face criminal prosecution; in which case, you need to hire a criminal defense lawyer who has experience in handling environmental crimes.
And speaking of the environment, you could be interested in how to environmentally improve your business.
5. You Are Accused of Money Laundering
Money laundering refers to obtaining money through criminal activities and then passing that money through a legitimate business.
If you are accused of money laundering, you could potentially face prison time if found guilty, so you need to ensure you have a skillful and experienced criminal defense lawyer on board.
6. You Are Accused of Business Fraud
Fraud in businesses can take many forms, including bankruptcy-related fraud, check fraud, exploiting assets and information, insurance fraud, and Ponzi schemes. Basically, fraud refers to the intent or the act of misrepresentation.
So, if you are accused of scamming by lying about your actions or services to receive financial gain, it is time to contact a hardworking team of criminal lawyers who can help to prove your innocence or achieve the best possible outcome for your situation.
7. You Are Accused of Bribery
Bribery happens when monetary payments, services, goods, information, or anything else of value is illegally exchanged for favorable actions. If you are accused of offering a bribe or taking a bribe, you could face criminal prosecution. Therefore, you need an excellent lawyer on board to defend you.
8. You Are Accused of Spamming
You may not realize it, but the act of spamming, which refers to sending unsolicited commercial emails, is illegal in the United States. So, never send email messages that contain false or misleading information.
But if you are accused of spamming, once again, a criminal defense lawyer can help you.
