- Be Persistent! Don’t give up. Ever!
(Life isn’t easy, either are Crime investigations. They take a lot of work and TIME) If you aren’t determined, they won’t be either. Don’t let them off the hook.
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collar crime
- Be a squeaky wheel
If you don’t like the answer of local official, ask another. If one agency turns you away and say’s “you don’t have a case,” ask why? Try another agency. If your local city police say “no,” try the State Police. If State Police say “no,” try the State’s U.S Attorney General Office. If they say “no,” try the U.S Attorney General Office or F.B. I. It may be a matter of jurisdiction (where the crime was committed). If they aren’t working on YOUR case, they will be working on someone else’s. Demand services. Our taxes pay for it. Don’t let local law enforcement OFF the hook easily. Finding the right agency is hard sometimes. A lot of doors may get slammed in your face, then one opens. Don’t give up. I wrote over 20 agency’s before one agreed to investigate my case. If I gave up, I never would have gotten anywhere!
(If all else fails, ask local legislator to run interference for you. Sometimes this pressure makes law enforcement take the case or act on it.) Our local White Collar Crime unit at the FBI has only four people in it. My case was turned down due to lack of manpower. It wasn’t turned down on the merits of the crime. First it was delayed due to manpower, then eventually was turned down for the same reason. Terrorism is draining the manpower resources even more than before. There are only so many investigators and hours in the day. It does you NO good, for them to “take” the case, then not have the time to do the investigation. White Collar Crime in at the bottom of the pile (in my experience). This MUST change. I intend to change this! If ALL else fails, go to the media, O”Reilly Factor, Oprah, Channel 6! Maybe then someone will sit up and take notice. PRESSURE!
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collar crimes
- Be patient
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collar crime
(Forget instant gratification) Criminal cases take months, and sometimes years to investigate and prosecute. If a financial institution such as a banks record are
subpoenaed, a bank has 90 days to return information requested in the subpoena. The process seems endless at times. Read local White Collar Crime investigations. Many are two and three years old before arrests are made, restitutions paid or sentences served. All too often, are on probation an do very little jail time. This MUST change. Which is the purpose for my web site.
- Document everything and anything
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collar crime
- Keep copies you give to agency’s or law
enforcement
Make ONE ORIGINAL FILE (Police don’t need originals unless they request them) and keep a copy of EVERYTHING (call it a master file). I made so many copies I began to loose track.
- Check local laws before recording the
perpetrator (Don’t break the law) Example: In New York State, it is legal to record other person without his knowledge if YOU are part of the conversation. In Florida, recording the other person is a FELONY, even if you are part of the conversation. Know your rights and LAWS!
- Find other victims.
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collar crime
Strength in Numbers. If there are multiple victims, law enforcement agency’s are more likely to take the case and substantiate tax dollars spent on investigation. However, in one case, so many victims were found by ONE of the victims involved which they thought would greatly strengthen their case. However, when restitution was paid, it was divided amongst all the victims, even the ones who did not help or cooperate during the investigation. The victim who did the lions
share (practically ALL) the work, did not get the lions share or anywhere NEAR what they lost. Even when they lost as much as 20 times as much as the victims they located in the
investigation. (Beware)
- Get legal Counsel/Attorney
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collar crime
You don’t always get what you pay for. 250.00 per hour is the average legal fee. If you aren’t getting results or confidence from a law firm, CHANGE FIRMS. In many cases I read about, victims changed firms two and three times before finding the right one. Insist the firm has the expertise in your particular area ie: embezzlement, identity theft, real estate, white collar crime, defense, etc. Don’t hire a real estate if you are involved in an embezzlement case. Insist on credentials, experience, timely service, and insist that they are committed regarding your personal case. Insist they share their honest opinion with you. If you don’t like what they say, move on. You don’t always get what you pay for, read the writing on the wall. If your case is OPEN SHUT, ask them if they will consider taking the case on consignment. This means you don’t pay them up front or by the hour. You only pay the firm if you win the case. The average fee is 30% of the monies won in the civil suit filed and won by the firm. Also, don’t be afraid to ask if firms take cases “pro bono.” This is free help. Sometimes large firms take such cases. Unfortunately, most ask for a retainer “up front.” (in my case 10,000) just to take the case. Good luck!
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collar crime
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