GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS

For just about any individual, being investigated by a governmental agency can be one of the most daunting experiences of their life. While the general public knows that the FBI investigates issues such as terrorism and organized crime, it may be less commonly known that they also regularly investigate businesses and professionals

Areas Often Investigated by the FBI

The FBI’s website lists out exactly what they investigate, and they go to great lengths to explain why and how they do so. The FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes, and they are known for having some of the nation’s best and brightest individuals on their team. According to their website, the FBI investigates:

• Terrorism, including international terrorism and domestic terrorism

• Counterintelligence, including cases involving economic espionage

• Cybercrime, including computer and network intrusions, ransomware, identity theft, and online predators

• Public corruption, including border corruption, election crimes, prison corruption, international corruption, kleptocracy, and antitrust

• Civil rights, including hate crimes, human trafficking/involuntary servitude, and acts carried out by government officials such as excessive force, sexual assaults, false arrest, and fabrication of evidence

• Organized crime, including bribery, counterfeiting, embezzlement of union funds, money laundering, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, prostitution, sexual exploitation of children, murder, kidnapping, gambling, arson, and robbery

• White collar crime, including corporate fraud, falsification of financial information, insider trading, misuses of corporate property, tax violations, late trading, and falsification of net asset values

• Violent crime, including gangs, online predators, and bank/art/jewelry theft

• Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), including explosive, incendiary, poison gas, weapons that are designed to cause death or serious bodily injury, weapons involving a disease organism, and weapons designed to release radiation at a level dangerous to human life.

Steps to take to Prepare

Many of our Sandage Law clients facing a governmental investigation are being charged with actions listed in the organized crime and white collar crime categories. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be wondering what you can do to properly prepare. After all, the government is highly organized, skilled, and trained to find the truth, even in some of the most sensitive areas.

One of the biggest steps you can take to your advantage is to do your research on an attorney who can represent you during a governmental investigation and to work with them closely throughout your case. An experienced attorney will be familiar with the process that you will have to go through, and they will have several important tips that you otherwise wouldn’t know going into your investigation. Don’t go into an investigation blindsided — recruit the help of an attorney to give your case the best fighting chance possible.