If you’ve been watching the headlines, one thing is clear: Federal authorities are starting to go after white-collar criminals (and suspected criminals) in a big way.
In the last month alone, there have been major developments involving the opioid crisis and Purdue Pharma, and big fines were leveled against Goldman Sachs for its involvement in a Malaysian bribery scheme in violation of American laws. Antitrust actions have also recently begun targeting big tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Twitter.
Companies aren’t the only targets of federal ire, however: Individual executives, entrepreneurs and others are also in the government’s critical view. Venture capitalist Elliott Brody, for example, was recently prosecuted for accepting millions in bribes from the Chinese for influence peddling. Then, software pioneer John McAfee was finally arrested in Spain for evading his U.S. taxes. Texas tech mogul Robert T. Brockman was also recently charged in what the IRS believes is the largest-ever tax fraud scheme, involving $2 billion in unpaid taxes.
The list goes on and on. What’s happening?
Well, experts say this is a normal part of the ebb and flow that goes along with white-collar prosecutions — and people need to anticipate more of them in the near future.
These kinds of prosecutions typically surge right after a period of stock market bliss comes to an end. The bullish market tends to encourage people to take chances — even when they know it’s probably not a wise idea. They may get hooked in by someone’s personality or promises and make decisions that they think they can cover up. When the market busts, their moves are laid bare. People who have broken the rules get caught, and the prosecutions start.
If you’ve made some mistakes, don’t wait until an investigator is knocking on your door with a warrant to seek help. Talk to an experienced defense attorney about your situation today.
