White Collar Crimes Lawyer Melbourne, FL

Communications and organized fraud fall under § 817.034. Aggregate value drives the degree, and each communication can be brought separately, turning one scheme into a multi-count information. The defense usually turns on aggregation and intent to defraud.

Embezzlement is the most common white-collar crime committed in Florida. Since there isn’t a separate Florida law for embezzlement, conversion by someone entrusted with property is prosecuted under the general theft law. Commission disputes, expense disagreements, and authorized-use questions are routinely brought as theft charges, so defenses hinge on authority of use.

Florida law escalates false impersonation and unauthorized use of another person’s identifying information by dollar amount and number of victims. Some tiers carry mandatory minimum prison sentences, which changes plea strategy immediately.

Fraudulent use of credit cards (§ 817.61), forgery (§ 831.01), and uttering forged instruments (§ 831.02) are commonly stacked. This means a handful of transactions can produce a double-digit count sheet. The defense focuses on who used the instrument and whether that use was authorized.

Mortgage fraud is a serious white-collar crime in Florida. Under § 817.545, it is a third-degree felony to knowingly make a misstatement or omission on a mortgage application, escalating to a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years when multiple loans exceed $100,000. A single transaction can expose a defendant in both state and federal court.

The Florida Money Laundering Act, § 896.101, varies by transaction value and is usually charged alongside a predicate fraud or drug count. Federal money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956) carries far more severe penalties, which makes venue strategy urgent.

False and fraudulent insurance claims (§ 817.234) and workers’ compensation fraud (§ 440.105) are investigated by the Florida Department of Financial Services rather than the police. Both carry a five-year statute of limitations.

Medicaid and healthcare fraud under § 409.920 is prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, cross-sworn with the State Attorney or Statewide Prosecution. Professional license exposure moves faster than the criminal case, so a provider can lose the practice long before trial.

Investment and securities fraud is covered under § 517.301, with parallel federal charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1348. U.S. Sentencing Commission data shows significantly longer prison terms under federal law, which changes plea calculus early.

Fla. Stat. §§ 815.04 and 815.06 criminalize offenses against intellectual property and computer users. Phishing, business email compromise, and account takeover cases usually arrive through an IC3 referral, and Florida ranked third nationally in complaint volume and reported losses in 2025.

Tax evasion requires proof of more than a mistake on a return. The prosecution must prove a willful attempt to hide income, inflate deductions, or conceal assets to defeat an assessment the taxpayer knew was due.

Bribery and official misconduct (Fla. Stat. § 838.015 and § 838.022) reach public officers, public employees, and private parties dealing with them. Prosecution for misconduct in office can begin up to two years after the person leaves that office.

Aerospace and defense work at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Patrick Space Force Base exposes employees to false claims under 18 U.S.C. § 287 and major fraud against the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 1031. Timecard, billing, and export-control allegations frequently accompany them.

Fla. Stat. § 825.103 criminalizes the exploitation of an elderly or disabled person, tiered by value. These charges commonly arise from caregiver, power-of-attorney, and family finance disputes.

The Florida RICO Act treats a series of financial offenses as a single first-degree felony, requiring the state to prove the existence of an enterprise and a pattern of racketeering activity. Because chapter 817 offenses are RICO predicates, attacking the enterprise element and the relatedness of the predicate acts is usually where the case is won.