What Activities Do White Collar Criminal Laws Prohibit?

In White Collar Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in White Collar Crimes on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. Crimes involving financial fraud, commonly referred to as white collar crimes, occur in a surprisingly diverse range of contexts. Examples include mail fraud, investment fraud and tax evasion, when an individual willfully defrauds the federal government from taxes owed. There’s even a type of health care fraud, where a provider might over charge or bill for work that was never done. White collar crimes are typically governed by federal laws, with accompanying severe penalties. For example, the federal RICO Act is a law designed to bring down …

Can Your Social Media Profiles Be Used In Court?

In White Collar Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in White Collar Crimes on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. When you sign up for social media profiles, you think of them as something over which you have ownership. You expect a certain degree of privacy, and you even get “privacy” settings to help control who can see what. Do you have a right to privacy in all cases, or can courts use this information? For example, perhaps you’re an executive helping run a multi-state corporation. You’ve been accused of defrauding your investors. They want to pull information from your social media accounts to see if you …

Federal Sentencing Reform: One Step Forward, One Step Back

In Drug Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. How big and bloated is the prison system in the United States? Short answer: Essentially, there is no other national counterpart anywhere in the world to compare with it. In fact, myriad reports and studies routinely confirm that, in both per-capita and absolute terms, more individuals languish behind bars in American jails and prisons than in any other country on earth. Oh, and then there’s this: Reportedly, American taxpayers spend approximately $87 billion annually on the criminal justice system. There has been a staunch criminal sentencing reform movement underway …

Asset Forfeiture: Unobjectionable Or Seizure Without Due Process?

In Drug Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Is it an above-board police tactic or essentially just a grab of citizens’ property that nets funds for short-on-cash law enforcement agencies in Missouri and other states across the country? If you haven’t personally heard of asset forfeiture, maybe a friend or acquaintance of yours has had a close encounter with this often employed and much misunderstood state and federal enforcement tool. Fundamentally, asset forfeiture is a government program that is expressly designed to take away the unjust spoils of crime from those who commit unlawful acts. Its …

Do Drug Charges Miss The Real Issue?

In Drug Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Drug Crimes on Friday, May 5, 2017. You’re arrested for heroin possession and facing a long jail sentence. Throughout the entire process, the authorities act like this is just a simple choice you made, something you brought upon yourself. They treat it the same as the decision to steal a car or commit fraud on your taxes. That’s often how drug crimes are viewed in the United States, and it’s fueled by the so-called War on Drugs. However, some experts believe that this approach completely misses the mark. The problem, says one counselor with the ACLU Center for …

Cautionary Tale: The Dire Importance Of Strong Criminal Defense

In Violent Crimes by RSF

On behalf of Rosenblum Schwartz & Fry posted in Violent Crimes on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. With undue and sad regularity, stories emerge in Missouri and nationally that underscore an unquestionable fallibility inherent in the criminal justice system and the attendant need of every criminal suspect to secure timely, knowledge and aggressive defense representation. Following is just such a story. Its gripping details and flatly tragic dimensions spotlight the sheer urgency for any individual in America accused of a violent crime or other offense to have a proven and empathetic advocate in his or her corner when the state or federal government alleges criminal …