Like any other theft crime, financial crimes run the gamut of severity from minor misdemeanors to major felonies. The difference between the two is that federal theft crimes rarely happen accidentally. Obviously, when one miss-scans something at the grocery store they could face accusations of petty theft without intention. But it’s different for federal financial crimes. One could potentially get wrapped up in million-dollar schemes without even knowing they were part of a financial fraud.
Identity theft crimes
An identity theft crime can occur anytime that someone uses another person’s identity to make withdrawals from an account or open an account, like a bank account or credit card.
Recently, Wells Fargo employees were accused of this, but many thought they had customer approval from their boss. Indeed, if you have access to customer data, you could face allegations of identity theft. Always get confirmation from the customer themselves before opening new accounts.
Sales
We have all heard the stories of sleazy salespeople. Usually, it is the door-to-door or used car salesperson. But, any salesperson can be accused of fraud, even reputable brokers. If you sell something by lying, omitting key facts, embellishments, or the thing itself is fraudulent or non-existent, you could be charged with some version of fraud. This can even be true if you believed what you said. For example, imagine working for the infamous Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, but you did not know it was fraudulent.
Being charged does not mean you are guilty
Frankly, cops over arrest, and prosecutors over charge. However, just because you are charged does not mean that you are guilty. Call your Washington attorney and fight back.