Fraud

The term fraud can apply to a wide array of criminal charges in Alabama, including insurance fraud, mortgage fraud, corporate fraud, healthcare fraud, and identity fraud. The law usually classifies fraud as a white-collar crime, because working professionals—usually in an office, corporate, or medical setting—are the ones who stereotypically commit these crimes.

In general, the state may file fraud charges against someone who makes a knowing and significant misrepresentation upon which someone else relies in return for some compensation or another item of value. Fraud crimes are punishable under both federal and state laws.

Consequently, if you are facing criminal fraud charges, you may need an aggressive criminal defense attorney in your corner who could fight for you and your best interests in court. An Alabama fraud lawyer could represent you throughout your criminal proceedings and work to safeguard your legal rights while your case is pending.

Mortgage fraud occurs in the context of a mortgage or other loan. In a mortgage fraud case, the prosecution may charge various entities—including a mortgage company, mortgage broker, or real estate agent—with committing the fraud.

In some cases, mortgage fraud accusations arise when a person or entity submits a false or fraudulent application for a mortgage loan. In the same vein, someone could be charged with the same crime for significantly overstating the number of their assets and other income on such an application or another official document.

In many cases, corporate fraud centers around some sort of theft, typically in the form of embezzlement. Embezzlement involves misappropriating certain assets or money which a company or employer entrusts to an employee. In corporate fraud cases, an employee usually steals or misappropriates money or other assets from their employer to use for their own benefit. To learn more about corporate fraud, individuals should reach out to an Alabama fraud lawyer.

Fraud is unfortunately all too common in the healthcare setting. Any of the following actions may constitute fraud in the context of healthcare:

• Charging for medical procedures or services which a doctor or other health care provider never rendered
• Overbilling for minor procedures (i.e. upcoding)
• Performing unnecessary surgeries or other medical procedures in order to bill for them
• Changing a patient’s diagnosis in order to bill for increased services and treatment
• Creating fictitious bills for patients who do not really exist

Identity fraud—also known as identity theft—continues to be an endemic problem nationwide. One reason why it is so serious is that it often occurs over the internet, usually through an unsecured website.

Identity theft usually involves using another person’s identifying information, including their social security number, bank account number, password, or credit card number, to commit fraud. Identity fraud commonly involves stealing money from another person’s bank account, but it may also include using a person’s identifying information to open a credit account or fraudulently make purchases in their name.

A fraud conviction could land you in jail and subject you to other serious penalties, including high monetary fines. If the state has charged you with fraud, you should not delay in seeking out an experienced Alabama fraud lawyer to represent you in your case. A skilled attorney may be able to help you develop a good legal defense to your fraud charge and raise that defense on your behalf in court.