White-collar criminal charges may not sound serious when compared with violent crimes, but they often lead to major criminal consequences. Financial crimes can harm businesses or the economy as a whole, which can do a lot of collateral damage. Allegations of financial misconduct in a professional setting may very easily lead to federal charges.
White-collar criminal offenses like fraud often involve federal investigation and therefore the potential of federal prosecution as well. Individuals who believe that they are the subject of a federal investigation will best serve themselves by proactively addressing the matter instead of waiting for things to escalate.
In some cases, forensic accountants can help people facing investigations or criminal charges related to financial crimes.
What do forensic accountants do?
As you may realize from the name, a forensic accountant is a specialist who analyzes financial records to look for signs of misconduct and criminal activity. They can often work for regulatory agencies and prosecutors, but forensic accountants can also play a crucial role on a defense team.
They can track down indications of questionable transfers or proof that you weren’t the one engaging in misconduct. Forensic accountants can even go over the evidence collected by the prosecution to look for mistakes and oversights. The prosecution has to give your defense team access to the evidence they will present in court, which allows for a professional evaluation. Forensic accountants can both produce reports and testify in court to help with someone’s defense.
Having the right professionals assist in your white-collar criminal defense strategy can greatly increase your chances of success.