Being under investigation for a white-collar crime can create legal, business, and record-preservation concerns. Whether you’re a business owner, executive, or medical professional, early review can help identify deadlines, preserve records, and determine how to respond to an agency request.
What Are White-Collar Crimes?
White-collar crimes typically involve financial deception or fraud rather than physical violence. In Florida, common examples include:
Wire fraud
Tax evasion
These cases are often investigated by federal agencies like the FBI, IRS, or DOJ, and they typically involve thousands of pages of financial records and surveillance.
How Do You Know You’re Under Investigation?
You might receive a target letter, subpoena, or inquiry from a federal agency. In some cases, your business or home may be searched. Preserve the request and consider obtaining legal advice before an interview or document production.
Review the Request and Preserve Records
Early review can clarify the request and the available response. Beaton Law Firm reviews the investigation, preserves records, and discusses available procedural options. We also guide you through how to preserve evidence and understand the request and whether an interview or production is required.
What to Expect During the Process
White-collar investigations can last months. During this time, your attorney will gather documents, engage with federal agents on your behalf, and organize the records and evaluate the applicable procedure. If charges are filed, the response should be based on the charge, evidence, and applicable procedure in court or negotiate a favorable resolution.
Preserve the Investigation Record
Keep subpoenas, target or subject letters, search paperwork, interview requests, financial records, and electronic communications. Do not delete, alter, or backdate files. Counsel can review the agency request, identify the person’s status, and determine which records should be preserved before a response is made.
Understand the Federal Process
The United States Courts criminal-case overview describes the general federal process. The actual investigation depends on its facts, the statute involved, and whether the person is a witness, subject, or target.
Handling an Agency Request
Before responding to a subpoena, target letter, search request, interview invitation, or audit notice, preserve the request and record when it was received. Identify the deadline, the agency involved, the requested subject matter, and whether the request concerns an individual, a business, or both. The response may require a controlled collection of records rather than an informal production.
Relevant materials can include accounting files, contracts, billing records, emails, text messages, policies, access logs, and communications with third parties. Keep the original files and document how copies are collected. Do not delete, backdate, or rewrite records. The United States Courts overview of federal criminal cases explains the general federal process, but the agency request and applicable statute control the specific response.
An investigation may identify a person as a witness, subject, or target, and that status can affect how counsel evaluates an interview or production request. The safest response depends on the actual document, the deadline, and the records requested. A written preservation plan can help a business keep relevant email, accounting, billing, and access records available while avoiding unnecessary collection of unrelated material.