The feds in the Central District of California prosecute many people for using the internet or a computer to steal or launder money. They have special teams of agents that investigate these particular crimes.
Over the last 26 years, I've successfully represented numerous individuals in a variety of theft offenses, including those involving internet and computer fraud. Whether it's a business, an employer, or an individual falling victim to an online scam, I've seen the many ways the internet and computers can be used to steal money. This experience has equipped me with the knowledge and skills to effectively defend against such charges.
Most of the time, sophisticated activity occurs, and that's why the federal government typically gets involved when large sums of money are involved. The feds have the investigators, workforce, and money to investigate some of these sophisticated internet fraud cases.
Many times there are scams going on on the internet where people are pretending to be other people and are sending false emails or hacking into people's account and taking their money and the feds will investigate that. They have to track down the IP addresses and do some labor-intensive work to figure out who is involved and to be able to prove their case against a particular person.
Sometimes, judges have to obtain search warrants. Forensic specialists have to examine computers and track information. Other times believe it or not, someone will steal money from their employer, for example, and all roads lead back to them.
In other words, they're having checks sent to their account, cashing them, and taking the money out. It's easy for the feds. For some reason, they don't think their employer will find out, and their employer will either use their resources to figure out what happened or get the federal government involved in the case to investigate.
Investigating Computer Fraud-Related Cases
The LAPD doesn't have a lot of time for these internet fraud related cases where thousands of dollars' worth of money is being taken, so most of these cases, in my experience, are transferred to the federal government has agents who can commit to investigating these type of offenses.
But even the feds have limitations, so there are only so many cases they can take. Typically, in my experience, they're only going to take cases that involve large sums of money or if you're talking about multiple jurisdictions.
The federal government in Los Angeles is better suited to handle those types of cases and collaborate with other jurisdictions.
Also, we will work with other law enforcement agencies to track money that's either being laundered, stolen, or moved because of drugs or money that's being pushed because people are getting checks that are fake or accurate checks from people who have been scammed. People use many schemes to steal money using the internet and computers.
Penalties for Internet Fraud Charges
The punishment for these crimes, a lot of times, will be dictated by several factors. To name a few factors the courts will consider in the Central District of Los Angeles related to these internet-related theft crimes.
One, they're going to look at the sophistication and put extra levels on a person's sentence, which leads to more time in custody if they can prove that this is a sophisticated scheme. Number two, they're going to look at the amount of money that was either taken or intended to be taken, and there are enhancements for those types of offenses.
Finally, they will look at the overall situation—what happened? Who was the victim? Who committed the crime? Do they have a criminal record? Have they stolen from people before? What was the impact of the victim related to the theft offense?
Once they have all that together, the prosecutors typically offer a plea agreement, which the defense can counter or accept.
Negotiation with Federal Prosecutor
At Hedding Law Firm, we believe in fair negotiations. We strive to reach a reasonable and beneficial plea agreement for our clients. Once the agreement is in place, the case proceeds to a plea hearing before the judge.
After the plea, there will be sentencing, and everybody will weigh in on the sentencing—the prosecutor and the probation department, of course, the defense, including the defendant, and finally, the judge will decide on the federal sentence in Los Angeles. Hedding Law Firm is a criminal defense law firm located in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County.
