Manhattan Financial Crime Lawyer

Financial Crime Attorney in Manhattan, NY

In Manhattan, financial crimes are prosecuted with relentless precision. From complex fraud schemes to high-stakes federal investigations, even an allegation of wrongdoing can put your reputation, career, and freedom in jeopardy. These cases move quickly, and prosecutors often come prepared with strong evidence. If you’re facing white collar crime charges, you need an experienced Manhattan financial crime lawyer by your side, defending your rights.

What Are Financial Crimes?

Financial crimes are offenses that often involve deception, fraud, or abuse of trust for personal financial gain. Misrepresentation is often the focal point of these cases, whether an offender makes false statements, hides transactions, or manipulates data. While the harm to others is almost entirely economic, these crimes still carry penalties as severe as those for other offenses.

In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received 2.6 million reports of fraud and other financial scams alone. That figure doesn’t include state-level crimes, nor does it encompass the total amount of other financial crimes. Knowing how pervasive these offenses can be, it’s important to know the common types of financial crimes in Manhattan.

• Wire fraud
• Securities fraud
• Embezzlement
• Money laundering
• Insider trading
• Identity theft
• Credit card fraud
• Tax evasion
• Forgery
• Tax evasion

State vs Federal Financial Crimes

When you’re facing financial crime charges, it’s important to know whether the state or federal government is prosecuting the case. State cases involve violations of New York law and are usually prosecuted by local district attorneys in the New York County Supreme Court. These cases primarily focus on crimes committed in the state, such as fraud or embezzlement.

Federal crimes, on the other hand, involve U.S. laws and are prosecuted by federal agencies. Federal financial crime often includes activity that crosses state lines, large-scale schemes, or acts against federal institutions. Federal offenses typically come with more severe penalties, and beating these charges can be much harder. This is because they’re managed by federal agencies like the FBI or SEC, which have extensive resources to investigate and build a strong case.

How Financial Crime Investigations Work

Law enforcement agencies have numerous methods for investigating financial crimes in Manhattan. These methods can include wiretaps, subpoenas, and forensic accounting to identify criminal behavior and link it to a defendant. These investigations can take a long time as law enforcement agencies analyze financial records, conduct interviews, and review digital evidence.

Penalties for Financial Crimes

Financial crimes in New York carry severe penalties, often tied to the specific charge and whether the case is prosecuted at the state or federal level. For example, a charge of grand larceny in the first degree is a class B felony in New York.

The penalty, as set in New York Penal Law § 70.00, includes a maximum of 25 years in prison, while New York Penal Law §80.00 states you may have to pay a fine of up to $30,000 or double what you received for the crime, whichever is greater.

Depending on your state charges, you could be looking at thousands of dollars in fines and decades in prison. At the federal level, these penalties typically increase exponentially. Keep in mind, you could face both state and federal charges for the same crime, and the cases could be completely separate. What’s more, if convicted, you may have to serve the sentences consecutively rather than at the same time.

The Costs

Financial crimes cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars each year. So it should come as no surprise that state and federal agencies take these offenses seriously, spending significant time and resources to build strong cases against criminals, often seeking the maximum sentences if they’re convicted. That’s why it’s important to work with an experienced attorney if you’re facing these charges.

Defense Strategies for Financial Crime Charges

When you’re facing financial crime charges, more is at risk than just your freedom. Your professional and personal reputation is on the line, and you want an experienced Manhattan financial crime attorney by your side. Creating an effective defense is your greatest chance of beating these charges. Working with your attorney, you may consider the following defense strategies.

• Lack of intent: The most important factor in many financial crimes is that you acted with intent. This means you must have meant to defraud, deceive, or scam another party. If the prosecutor cannot establish intent, it’s quite likely the case could be dropped or result in an acquittal.
• Insufficient evidence: Financial crimes have multiple elements, and the prosecutor must prove each one to secure a conviction. This means they need strong evidence. With weak or insufficient evidence to prove each element of the crime, your attorney can pursue a dismissal or work to convince a jury to find you not guilty.
• Mistaken identity: Some financial crimes can involve multiple individuals, making it challenging for a prosecutor to prove definitively that you were a part of the scheme. What’s more, in the age of the internet, people could impersonate one another online to hide their criminal acts.
• Acting in good faith: It’s not illegal to make mistakes, give bad financial advice, or fail in the business or financial world. If you believed you were following the law, this can negate the prosecutor’s claims about your criminal intent.
• Entrapment: Law enforcement cannot trick you into breaking the law. If an agency or officer persuades you to commit a crime that you otherwise would not have, your attorney can use this to help you beat your charges.

Other defense options can include challenging the constitutionality of a search and other violations of your rights. Similarly, they can question how the investigation or evidence was mishandled. While these challenges may not result in dismissal or an acquittal, they can give your attorney leverage during plea negotiations. Depending on the circumstances of your case, a plea bargain may be the strongest defense strategy to help you avoid more severe penalties.

Why Choose the Law Office of Jonathan Savella

Having worked in both the private sector and a U.S. district court, Jonathan Savella has extensive experience with financial crime cases at all stages of the legal process. Since 2015, Jonathan has been dedicated to representing people accused of financial crimes, helping them clear their names and protect their freedoms.

He’s helped clients get charges dismissed or dropped and secure favorable plea deals. What’s more, Jonathan has helped secure reversals of convictions, citing trial errors and other issues in the legal process. Jonathan isn’t afraid to take a case to trial, demonstrating his commitment to doing right by his clients and helping them preserve their futures.

FAQs

How Much Does a Criminal Lawyer Cost in Manhattan, NY?

The cost of a Manhattan criminal lawyer varies depending on the complexity of the case and the experience of the attorney. If you’re facing complicated charges that require numerous court appearances and a great deal of research and strategizing, you can expect to pay a higher fee. Similarly, when you hire an experienced attorney with a long track record of managing cases like yours, you’ll often pay more than if you choose a less experienced lawyer.

Who Prosecutes Financial Crime in New York?

In New York, various authorities could prosecute financial crimes, depending on the severity of the charge and the particular laws broken. Your case could be prosecuted by local, state, or federal authorities, or a combination of them. Local district attorneys, State Attorneys General, and U.S. attorneys can all prosecute New York financial crime cases. Note, if you’re charged at multiple levels, the outcome of one case does not necessarily inform the outcome of another.

What Is the Hardest Financial Crime Case to Win in Court?

One of the hardest financial crimes to be successful with is complex cases like securities fraud, especially when prosecuted at the federal level. These cases often involve extensive documentation, recorded communications, and expert testimony that can show intent.

Prosecutors typically spend years building these cases, compiling paper trails that can make it difficult to dispute the evidence. What’s more, juries are often less sympathetic when large financial losses are involved.

What Is the Difference Between State and Federal Financial Crimes?

The main differences between state and federal financial crimes are jurisdiction and scope. State crimes typically involve only violations of state or local laws, and their penalties are often less severe. Federal crimes, on the other hand, can involve serious breaches of state laws as well as violations of federal law. These cases are often investigated by agencies such as the FBI or the SEC, and convictions typically carry harsher penalties.

Hire a Financial Crime Lawyer

If you’ve been charged with a white-collar crime, too much is at stake for you not to face these allegations head-on. Hire a financial crime lawyer to help you maintain your innocence and protect your rights. Contact the Law Office of Jonathan Savella today to schedule a consultation. You can sit down with our team to discuss your case. We’ll explain your legal options, how New York’s financial crime laws can impact you, and begin working on your defense.