White-collar crime charges carry the threat of serious penalties. If convicted on something like fraud or embezzlement allegations, then you could wind up facing a significant period of incarceration, crushing restitution orders and irreparable harm to your reputation. With that in mind, you have to aggressively defend yourself throughout every step of your case. While this means knowing the criminal defense options available to you and exploiting prosecutorial weaknesses to your advantage, it also means identifying potential missteps that could prove disastrous to your case. By doing the latter, you can avoid making a costly mistake that’s otherwise avoidable.
Pitfalls to avoid in a white-collar crime case
Law enforcement officers and prosecutors treat white-collar crimes seriously. As a result, they’re going to come at you full force. You therefore need to be on your toes so that you don’t inadvertently hand over evidence that they can then use against you. Here are some of the most common and costly pitfalls that you’ll want to avoid in your case:
- Talking to the police: You might think that you can explain away suspicions and thereby protect yourself from criminal prosecution, but talking to the police is rarely in your best interests, especially when you’re under suspicion. This is because the police can and will twist your words to use them against you, and you might end up saying something that sounds worse than it is.
- Consenting to a search: When the police conduct a search, there’s a possibility that they’ll recover incriminating evidence to use against you at trial. But before they can get their hands on that evidence, they have to secure a valid warrant or legally rely on an exception to the warrant requirement. Of course, the police don’t have to do either of those things if you simply consent to a search. But it’s important to realize that you don’t have to consent to a search. Ever. So, make the police put in the work needed to secure a warrant instead of handing them what they’re looking for. You never know, they may lack the probable cause necessary to secure the warrant they want.
- Destroying or hiding evidence: You might think that concealing evidence will get you ahead of the police, but this could be considered illegal, leading to more legal problems. And when the police and prosecutors find out that you’ve manipulated evidence, they’ll use that fact against you to make you look more guilty. So, discuss any evidentiary concerns you might have with your attorney rather than trying to take matters into your own hands.
- Talking about your case with others: Discussing your case with other individuals might be a great way to get a weight off your chest, but the prosecution can subpoena these individuals to testify against you. So, if you feel like you need to talk about your case, you’re better off doing it with your attorney since those conversations are protected by attorney-client privilege.
Aggressively defend yourself in your white-collar crime case
There’s a lot at stake in a white-collar crime case. As such, you need to treat your criminal defense seriously and be careful to avoid costly mistakes. We know that thinking about the intricacies of a white-collar crime case can be stressful and overwhelming, but you don’t have to face the difficulties of your case on your own. Instead, you can work closely with your attorney to come up with the strongest criminal defense strategy possible under the facts of your situation.
