A white-collar crime conviction can have tremendous implications. You might be stripped of your freedom, your career, your reputation and even time with your children. With so much on the line, you need to make sure you’re stepping through a criminal investigation as carefully as possible. This means avoiding some of the most commonly made mistakes in white-collar crime cases that can quickly land you with a conviction.
Mistakes to avoid in your white-collar crime case
You can make a number of mistakes in any criminal investigation. When it comes to white-collar crimes, though, you’ll want to avoid these commonly made and costly mistakes:
- Talking to the police: You might think that you can let your guard down as you try to explain the situation at hand, but doing so will put you at risk of saying something incriminating. This then puts you at risk of being convicted.
- Destroying evidence: Some accused individuals think they can sidestep any suspicions by destroying or altering evidence. But this is illegal, and it’ll make you look guilty once the prosecution finds out about it.
- Consenting to a search: Before your home or business can be searched, the police should secure a warrant that’s supported by probable cause. Yet, all too often, individuals who are under suspicion simply consent to a search that then leads the police to uncover incriminating evidence that otherwise wouldn’t have been found. Don’t consent to a search.
- Discussing your case: There’s a lot of stress when you’re under criminal investigation. You might find relief by talking about it with someone you trust, but unless that someone is your attorney, the prosecutor might subpoena those individuals to compel them to testify against you. You’re better off only discussing your case with your attorney.
Are you ready to fight to protect your interests?
If you want to avoid the harsh penalties associated with a white-collar crime conviction, you need to know how to fight to protect yourself. Learning your defense options is a strong first step, but we encourage you to continue to educate yourself about what you can do to push back against the aggressive prosecutors whom you’ll encounter.