Virginia Beach Check Fraud Lawyer
Virginia Beach check fraud is when an individual writes a check where the money is not there in the account. That is one way of looking at fraud. The other is stealing checks that belong to somebody else and using them as an individual’s own.
As soon as someone is charged or arrested for check fraud, the individual should contact a distinguished fraud lawyer who can clarify what those charges mean for their future. A Virginia Beach check fraud lawyer can work with you to create the best defense strategy for you.
Common Check Fraud Crimes
There are subsequent charges that can follow from tossing checks that do not belong to an individual:
- Identity theft, if it’s a check that doesn’t belong to an individual
- Forgery and uttering are both two separate charges
- If an individual stole the check, then that’s larceny of a check
Even writing one check in somebody else’s checkbook can result in picking up four or five other felonies for fraud. If an individual does this with five checks, the next Virginia Beach check fraud charge is 25 felonies. Depending on the jurisdiction an individual is in, they may be served with 20 felony charges for check fraud. All check fraud felonies rising from basically one incident which can affect an individual’s employment and should, therefore, be handled with the assistance of a Virginia Beach check fraud attorney
Check Fraud Investigations
Check fraud investigations usually start with some unusual statements from an individual’s bank, the vendors who they have dealt with or stores may be contacting them. Individuals involved in check fraud investigations may get some unusual phone calls questioning specific purchases and asking to verify the charge or signature on their card.
Penalties Per Charge
If the value of the check used for fraud was less than $200, the check fraud charge is considered a class 1 misdemeanor and therefore punishable by up to 12 months in jail. If the check fraud charge is more than $200, it is considered grand larceny in Virginia Beach. This charge is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in jail. Forgery and uttering a check is are felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison making it important that a Virginia Beach check fraud attorney is contacted.
Future Employment
When potential employers run a background check from the state police, the individual’s record will reflect the charges and number of convictions in relation to the check fraud charges. Virginia Beach employers can see the number of check fraud charges on someone’s record.
Check fraud charges are felonies and felonies make it difficult for somebody to get employment in the future. Employers feel they cannot trust somebody with money when they have been convicted of check fraud or some other form of larceny. Often, an individual will want to talk to a fraud lawyer immediately to see if the lawyer can do something to try lessening some conviction.
Fraud Familiarity
Certain prosecutors and certain judges have cases and charges that they punish harder than they do with other charges. Knowing if check fraud is the type of crime where these prosecutors are willing to work with people is important because the fraud lawyer will try to avoid or lessen a conviction of 20 different fraud felonies for their client.
Individuals facing check fraud charges can use this to their advantage. There may be other people who are involved in these types of cases and if the client knows of information that could help the commonwealth, the attorney wants to know that.
Speaking with a Check Fraud Lawyer in Virginia Beach
A Virginia Beach check fraud lawyer is going to need the checks, the check numbers, when they were written, and the account they were written to. If it is a bad check charge, the check fraud charges may be a misunderstanding because there may not have been a realization of insufficient money in the account and this is something that can be cleared up.
If an individual is able to show that perhaps the deposit did not get made in time and that caused the check fraud arrest, an individual can avoid a lengthy trial if they show that this was a mistake and not an intentional act of check fraud.
The lawyer would need to know about any previous charges or fraud offenses on their client’s record. There is no of mandatory jail time when Virginia Beach check fraud is associated with other charges. However, past charges can impact the penalties for the check fraud charges and can impact how likely the Virginia Beach commonwealth is to offer any sort of misdemeanor or reduction in check fraud charges.
