A crime is a criminal behavior that can be indicted by the state or central government and is punishable under the law. On a social level, most violations are viewed as ethically or morally wrong. Nonetheless, not all violations are the same. Under the law, crimes are described as more noteworthy abuses of public request (lawful offense) or as lesser maltreatments (misdeed), and the issue of guilt or blamelessness is chosen by rules of criminal strategy.
In addition to the fact that crimes are in various classifications under the law and social requests, yet there are various kinds of violations. The word “CRIME” could infer weapons, medications, or violation for most of the people, yet not all crimes are street crimes. Some are white collar crimes. Which could leave you pondering, what is the distinction between street crimes and white collar crimes? Regardless of which kind of crime you are accused of, a Dallas criminal lawyer can help!
What Is The Difference Between Street Crime And White Collar Crime?
Street crimes are also termed as Blue Collar Crimes. These crimes involve the ones that are seen or observed by other people. Street crimes can include many types of violation. What comes in street crimes? Read this!
If someone is threatening bodily harm or is actually doing it, he is doing a street crime. Street crime includes all those crimes that are performed against the will of the victim and harm the victim in one way or the other. Some examples of street crimes may include assault, battery, sexual assault, homicide, domestic violence, and robbery.
Another important street crime to discuss is property crime. This type of crime does not do bodily harm to anyone but to their property. The property crimes may include burglary, arson, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, and shoplifting.
White collar crimes, on the other hand, are related to finances and are non-violent in nature. They include deceit, concealment, or trust violation. The term WHITE COLLAR CRIME was first devised by sociologist Edwin Sutherland in 1939. He stated that white collar crimes include a list of frauds and scams that are either committed by individuals or by businesses.
Examples of white-collar crime include:
- Bank fraud
- Bribery
- Check fraud
- Copyright infringement
- Corporate fraud
- Cybercrime
- Election law violations
- Embezzlement
- Financial institution fraud
- Forgery
- Fraud in general
- Fraud against the government
- Health care fraud
- Identity theft
- Insider trading
- Mass marketing fraud
- Money laundering
- Mortgage fraud,
- Phone and telemarketing fraud
- Ponzi schemes
- Public corruption
Difference Of Consequences Between Street Crime And White Collar Crime
White collar crimes are equally punishable as street crimes. So if someone is doing a white collar crime and thinking that he will not have to face any penalties, well, he is wrong! In reality, some white collar crimes are charged at the federal level and have very serious consequences. If someone is convicted of white collar or street crimes, they will need to hire a well-experienced and expert criminal defense attorney to fight their case in court.
Potential penalties for a conviction of white-collar crime include:
- Fines
- Home detention
- Community confinement
- Paying the cost of prosecution
- Forfeitures
- Restitution
- Supervised release
- Imprisonment
The penalties of white collar crimes depend on the crime committed. For instance, if someone is found guilty of insider trading, which is a type of security fraud, he can expect the penalty of being behind the bars for a minimum of 15 years along with a fine of up to $5 million. However, if someone is convicted of a federal embezzlement, he can expect a 10 year prison sentence or with a penalty fee of $250,000, or even both. Tax evasion has a prison sentence of up to 5 years and a fine of $250,000. The reduction of sentence is possible if the convicted takes responsibility for the crime he performed and helps authorities in the investigations.
A conviction can turn your life upside down. It severely impacts one’s freedom, reputation, and not forgetting,one’s job, family and overall future. If you find yourself in such a situation, make sure to hire an experienced lawyer who knows how to handle the street crime cases and white collar crime cases with expertise. You can contact the best white collar criminal attorneys in Dallas.
