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Wire Fraud: What It Means and How to Fight It
May 20, 2019
Wire fraud is a broad charge that is often filed against someone when the evidence is circumstantial for other charges. If you are charged with wire fraud, it is important to understand what it means and how to fight it so that you can avoid steep penalties and possible jail time.
Wire Fraud Definition
Wire fraud is when you use electronic means of communication to defraud someone of money or goods. You can be accused of wire fraud if you receive money or goods from someone without paying for them and used the phone, internet, or fax to strike the deal.
Often prosecutors will file charges of wire fraud if they believe that you received money fraudulently but do not have enough evidence of the crime. For example, if you received money via PayPal or bank wire transfer, and the government believes you received it fraudulently but has no other evidence, they can charge you with wire fraud.
What it Means
Most often if you are charged with wire fraud it means one of two things. It could be that the prosecutor believes you were involved in fraud but has no evidence other than the receipt of money or a particular email or fax. The other thing it can mean is that the prosecutor is filing wire fraud charges in addition to other charges to raise the penalties.
In either situation, you can easily fight wire fraud. If you can prove where the funds came from and why, and no wrongdoing can be proven, you should be able to have wire fraud charges dismissed. It is important that you have a crack legal team working with you to ensure that the charges are dropped. If you have been charged with wire fraud, contact us today for a consultation.