White-collar charges
Fraud and white-collar charges
A letter from an agent, a call from your company's lawyer, a subpoena for your records. The case often starts long before any charge.
Celestina defends people accused of fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, health care and insurance fraud, and money laundering, in state court and in federal court in South Florida.
The early weeks matter most. What you say to investigators, what you hand over and what you delete can shape the whole case. If you've been contacted, call before you answer.
How these cases move
From the first letter to the last hearing
Every case is different, but most pass through these stages.
- 01
Step 1: While they're investigating
Agents or an auditor gather records. We find out whether you're a witness, a subject or a target, and speak to them for you.
- 02
Step 2: Before a charge
Sometimes a meeting with the prosecutor, with your side of the records, keeps a charge from being filed at all.
- 03
Step 3: Reading the government's file
If charges come, we read every page the government has: bank records, emails, spreadsheets. White-collar cases are won in the details.
- 04
Step 4: Resolution or trial
We tell you plainly what an offer means, including for your license, your work and your immigration status, and what a trial would risk.
Sample matters
White-collar matters
No charges filed
Insurance fraud investigation
A clinic manager questioned about billing; the records we gathered closed the inquiry.
2024
Pretrial diversion
Employee theft
A first-time charge resolved through diversion, with restitution and no conviction.
2023
Reduced
Federal wire fraud
A felony count reduced to a misdemeanor after the loss figure was challenged.
2022
Sample matters, for illustration. Every case turns on its own facts, and past results don't promise a similar outcome in yours.
If investigators have contacted you
An agent left a card at my door. Do I have to call back?
You don't have to speak with them, and you shouldn't without a lawyer. Celestina can call the agent for you and find out what the inquiry is about.
Can I just explain it was a mistake?
A mistake may be the truth and still be the wrong thing to say alone. Explanations given without a lawyer are often the strongest evidence in these cases.
Will this affect my professional license?
It can. Nurses, brokers, contractors and others may have to report a charge. We plan the criminal case with that board in mind.
Call before you answer their questions.
Tell us who contacted you and when. We'll talk the same day, in English or in Spanish.