DC Criminal Lawyer Blog

According to his Maryland criminal attorney, the former chief financial officer of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau is expected to plead guilty to charges of theft from a program receiving federal funds. Benjamin L. King, Jr., CFO of Legal Aid from 1978 to 2008, is accused of conspiring with Wendell Jackson to steal from the organization through an inflated invoicing scheme in which the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau overpaid for office supplies from a company that the two men created. Jackson allegedly sent fraudulent invoices which overcharged for purchased products, and King paid the invoices with Legal Aid funds. The men pocketed the difference in the real price and the inflated price, with King alleged to have received 85% of the embezzled funds.

Federal prosecutors estimate that King and Jackson used the scheme to steal $1.1 million from the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau between 2004 and 2007. Prosecutors say approximately $275,000 of that amount came from federal funds supporting the public interest organization. King's Maryland criminal lawyerlawyer, however, says that while his client is ready to plead guilty to charges of stealing from the Bureau, he disputes the amount. King's defense lawyer claims that the involvement of another person in the scheme makes the exact amount difficult to determine, calling the situation "murky." King and his attorney estimate the amount to be over $400,000, but say it falls short of $1 million--a federal sentencing guidelines threshold.

King's alleged partner is also expected to plead guilty later this month to charges resulting from the scheme.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, a criminal defense firm serving Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia. For more information, please visit our DC Criminal Defense Attorney and Virginia Criminal Lawyer websites.

In a metropolitan city, where most people rely on public transportation to get around, the taxi industry is generally a powerful one. Washington DC residents spend great amounts of money on a daily basis using taxis to navigate the city. This large industry is under fire and in need of representation by DC criminal lawyers due to a new, widely publicized case regarding the purported bribing of DC city officials by a select group of its members.

According to investigators, the cab scandal began in 2007 when Washington DC changed their taxi system to one that charges passengers by a meter. Abdulaziz Kamus and his fellow conspirators allegedly wanted the city to limit the number of taxis allowed to conduct business in DC, and then obtain as many licenses for them as possible. Court documents maintain that their goal was "controlling and dominating the taxicab industry in the District" as easily as they could.

To support their control on the taxicab industry, Kamus and his associates allegedly gave over $270,000 in cash, tips, or offered trips to Washington DC officials. Also suspected in the DC fraud case is Ted Loza, the former chief of staff for DC Council member Jim Graham. Although he maintains his innocence, Loza left his position after an indictment accused him of accepting bribes. Kamus however, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court to DC conspiracy charges and one count of paying bribes to a public official.

Being accused of a DC fraud, bribery, or conspiracy charge is an overwhelming process for anyone to experience regardless if they acted alone, or within a group. As seen by the example of Abdulaziz Kamus and the expansive taxicab conspiracy scandal, pleading guilty to criminal charges can have permanent consequences. Not only can your reputation be scarred forever, but it is possible to face jail time. To fight these charges, you will need the best legal advice and legal representation to devise the highest quality defense for your case. In delicate situations such as these it is essential to contact a hard-working and aggressive DC criminal defense lawyer for help immediately.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland Fraud Attorneys and Virginia Criminal Defense Lawyers websites.

Practicing in a large metropolitan area, it is common for a DC criminal lawyer to represent a number of high-powered business leaders who have been accused of a variety of criminal charges. As the economy continues to dwindle, more and more business owners are being held as suspects in fraud cases, usually involving large amounts of money over a duration of time. In a recent case with similar circumstances, a DC businessman has been accused of bribing public officials and laundering money that stirred up the local technology office.

The chief executive of Washington DC's Advanced Integrated Technologies Corporation, Sushil Bansal, 43, was taken into custody by law enforcement officials. He is being accused of DC fraud charges for allegedly bribing public officials and laundering money for the advancement of his company. Federal officials claim that starting in 2005, Bansal gave monetary gifts to a number of employees including Yusuf Acar, the chief security officer for the D.C. government's Office of the Chief Technology Officer. In return, Acar allegedly gave millions of dollars worth of contracts to Advanced Integrated Technologies. The two men created fake invoices and time sheets of Bansal's non-existing employees to scam more money from the city. Additionally, according to an informant, the fraud scandal also involved buying lesser-quality equipment, allowing the scammers to keep the difference.

Last year, Acar pled guilty to accepting over $550,000 in bribes from Bansal in exchange for the substantial contracts given to Advanced Integrated Technologies. He is set to be sentenced on April 16th, 2010. However, since the scandal has become exposed, twenty-three employees working full-time in the District's technology office have been fired. Although nothing is official at this time, Bansal is expected to also plead guilty to his charges.

Facing criminal charges is a difficult and scary experience for anyone to go through, regardless of profession. Conviction of DC fraud charges can have extreme consequences, including significant fines and jail time. To prevent these things from happening to you, it is vital to contact a hard-working and experienced DC fraud lawyer immediately. Doing so can not only provide the best legal advice and legal representation, but also help ensure the most successful outcome for your case.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Virginia Criminal Lawyer and Maryland Criminal Attorneys websites.

During the legal career of an experienced Washington DC criminal lawyer, it is comment to represent a number of individuals who have been accused of criminal charges, including fraud. Although the Washington DC area is home to some of the best technological companies and minds in the country, this creates an ideal environment for internet fraud to occur. A recent report pointed out that DC's amount of cyber-criminals has skyrocketed, placing it at the top of the national list.

According to the report conducted by The Internet Crime Complaint Center, the nation's capitol has the most individuals accused of DC fraud charges per capita--for every 100,000 people, 116 are guilty of cyber crimes. These are individuals who have conducted criminal acts using a computer, including electronic commerce theft, intellectual property rights, and identity theft. Those included in this study were also convicted of a number of other computer-related crimes, such as child pornography, credit card fraud, cyber-stalking, hacking into unauthorized computers, software piracy, among a number of other violations.

The report consisted of complaints of reported activities including non-delivery of goods or services, identity theft, or credit card fraud. The study also found that men lose more to internet fraudsters than women--on average, men's loss amounted to $650, while women's loss came to approximately $500. Additionally, it was revealed that people in their 40s lost the most, while those under the age of 20 were the least likely to file a complaint.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information please visit our Maryland Criminal Lawyer and Virginia Criminal Lawyer websites.

Throughout the career of a successful and experienced Washington DC Criminal Attorney, it is likely that many of the clients represented have been accused of a variety of criminal offenses including financial fraud charges. Cases represented are similar to a recent large scale fraud investigation, where federal regulators have added charges against Bank of America for allegedly lying to investors during the 2008 financial crisis. However, they have again been forced back to the drawing boards after failing to charge the specific executives and lawyers that signed off on the fraudulent deal.

Originally, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Bank of America of hiding plans to give billions of dollars worth in bonuses to Merrill Lynch employees, prior to asking shareholders to approve a merger of the two firms. The SEC now maintains that Bank of America additionally withheld information about losses mounting at Merrill. A judge recently rejected the $33 million settlement between the SEC and the bank because it did not specifically identify any of the executives or lawyers that were responsible for the key document omissions that were given to shareholders before a vote approving the merger. SEC investigators defend this tack by maintaining that they " found no reason that bank executives or lawyers intended to deceive the public." Instead, omitting important information was considered simply careless on the bank's part.

The new claims made by the SEC state that Bank of America knew prior to the shareholder vote that Merrill Lynch had severe financial losses during the previous year--$4.5 billion in October 2008 alone, and company finances were continuously deteriorating. It is alleged that the bank "erroneously and negligently concluded that no disclosure concerning these extraordinary losses was required as shareholders were called upon to vote on a proposed merger with Merrill Lynch." The agency continued, "The lack of disclosure about the losses deprived shareholders of up-to-date information that was essential to their ability to fairly evaluate whether to approve the merger."

According to analysts, the March 1st trial could raise new questions concerning financial, political, and legal issues regarding the case.

This article is presented by The Law Offices of David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland Fraud Lawyer and Virginia Criminal Attorney websites.

Being in the nation's capitol, a Washington DC criminal lawyer certainly is alerted to the actions of federal regulators, particularly in their recent plight against individual accused of fraud charges. In response to past failures to spot and stop financial fraud, U.S. officials are heightening regulation and punishments for the crime. Following the massive $65 billion fraud by Bernard Madoff in 2009, increased measures are being taken to ensure that similar scandals do not happen again.

In 2010, regulators are scrambling to uncover the fraudsters, while closing the gaps in regulation through new legislation. Additionally, law enforcement officials would receive more resources on how to handle fraud. However, this proves to be a difficult process as it hard to discern where one fraud begins and ends. Old investors to financial fraud are being paid off with funds from new investors. This became particularly evident after the recession dried up all incoming and new money. Nonetheless, the Securities and Exchange Commission became significantly tougher on the issue in 2009, and is likely to hand out more criminal referrals in the upcoming year.

One of the cases brought before the SEC in 2009 was of Allen Standford, the financier, who was accused of embezzling a $7 billion Ponzi scheme through off shore bank accounts. After being indicted on criminal charges, he pled not guilty to all accusations. Examples such as these are what former SEC chairman Harvey Pitt cites when discussing where the current system is lacking. "Scams like this underscore the failure of the regulatory system to provide the checks and balances needed to deter financial misconduct and detect it early," he explains.

In the 2009 fiscal year, the SEC filed 664 civil complaints, and has pledged to continue taking an aggressive stance in 2010 against fraud. However, due to a lack of evidence, it is doubtful that many CEOs will face punishment for their financial crimes. According to William Black, the senior financial regulator during the savings and loans crisis two decades ago, the actual financial scandal of 2009 was "the failure to even have an indictment, much less a conviction, of any major senior insiders at the non-prime lending specialists." The other problem Black sites is ineffective regulators--unless completely organized and prepared, it is impossible for regulators to prosecute complex fraud scandals of this nature.

This past May, President Obama signed into law the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act. This new legislation is geared at cracking down on mortgage fraud and predatory lending that sparked the current financial crisis. Furthermore, Congress is expected to pass more laws giving the SEC and other regulatory agencies more power and resources to police the financial markets more closely.

This article is presented by The Law Offices David Benowitz, representing clients in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. For more information, please visit our Maryland Criminal Lawyers and Virginia Criminal Lawyers websites.