South Carolina residents who are accused of white collar crimes may recognize the adverse impact such allegations can have on their personal and professional lives. White collar crimes can include theft of company funds or client funds, bank and mortgage fraud and check forgery. The theft of credit cards and identity theft, money laundering, Internet scams, and investment fraud are also classified as white collar crimes.
A South Carolina man and woman were recently arrested and charged with forgery and financial fraud. It was reported that the couple were employed caregivers for an elderly man from Hilton Head Island. When a member of the 80-year-old man’s family looked at the transaction activity on his bank account, irregularities were apparently found. It was then determined that the caregivers had cashed 22 forged checks, totaling more than $19,000 through his bank account.
These fraudulent transactions took place from October through January and were reported to authorities upon discovery. One of the defendants is facing several financial transaction fraud charges, along with exploitation of a vulnerable person, and forgery. The other one’s charges include one count each of forgery and financial transaction fraud.
In the prosecution of white collar crimes, the essential element to be proved is the intent of the accused person to defraud or deprive another party or entity. To limit the impact of such charges, accused individuals may benefit from the skills of experienced criminal defense attorneys. Such a professional may be able to prove that there was no intention to gain from the alleged crime on a personal level or to deceive another party. A lawyer may also pursue the possibility of negotiating a plea bargain that could help the accused avoid a felony conviction.
Source: greenfieldreporter.com, “Hilton Head couple accused of stealing $19,000 from elderly man”, May 21, 2015