It is seldom a comfortable situation to be formally accused of a criminal offense. Typically, such allegations lead to many legal challenges, not to mention the potential embarrassment to one’s reputation. In recent times, there have been many white collar crime arrests in Florida, and some say it is a prime location for identity theft and other forms of fraud.
One situation involves a 28-year-old woman who stands accused of using stolen identities to fund breast implant surgeries and other medical procedures for more than a dozen different women. Apparently, at least $50,000 was spent on plastic surgeries and dental work over the span of one year. Authorities claim the woman gained access to other people’s credit card accounts. Then she would charge a fee to her prospective customers to provide them with the information they needed to pay for their surgeries.
Police say more than 300 phone calls were allegedly made from the woman’s cell phone to various credit card companies during their 1-year investigation. It appears that the woman used the scheme as a means of full-time income. She was arrested in March 2016, and she now faces charges of grand theft, identity theft and scheming to defraud.
Often, the key to obtaining a positive result in defending oneself against white collar crime charges in Florida is to retain experienced legal representation as soon as possible. In fact, some people contact a criminal lawyer as soon as they become aware that they are subjects of federal investigations rather than waiting to see if those situations lead to formal charges. Either way, an experienced attorney who has successfully defended others in similar situations would typically be able to offer guidance that may prove invaluable to someone facing charges where the stakes are quite high.
Source: newsone.com, “Woman Used Identity Theft To Fund Plastic Surgery Procedures“, Brandee Sanders, Accessed on May 10, 2016
