Dallas Texas Criminal Defense Blog

Wire fraud is a criminal offense involving the intentional and voluntary use of an interstate communications device to defraud another party of anything of value. This is a federal crime that can come with serious penalties, including a $250,000 fine, 20 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release.

It is important for anyone under investigation or facing charges for wire fraud to understand the elements of and possible defenses to this crime.

As someone who has dealt with law enforcement officers one or more times during your life, you may have firsthand knowledge of the stresses that can come with doing so. Failing to understand your full legal rights has the potential to lead to considerable and serious trouble, so the more you understand about your rights, the better your chances of staying out of the criminal justice system.

So, what can you do to protect yourself in the event that authorities attempt to stop your car, search you or place you under arrest?

Just about anyone who has been through the Texas jail or prison system can attest that living behind bars is unpleasant. You may spend the majority of your day looking forward to the few minutes you have to speak with loved ones on the phone. You would be remiss to speak with your friends or family members from prison in the same manner that you may, say, at home, though, because doing so could come back to bite you. In fact, the things you say on a prison phone can potentially even mean the difference between a conviction and an acquittal.

Why? First, you should never assume to have any degree of privacy when speaking on a jail phone, so, a good rule of thumb is to never say anything you would not also say in front of a judge. Otherwise, you run the risk of having someone use the things you say on the phone against you in court; whatever you say during your recorded phone calls is potentially fair game. Just how might you incriminate yourself when speaking to your loved ones from a jail phone?

When accused of a crime, your concern should rest in getting the best outcome possible. Hiring an attorney to do the legwork for you is a benefit since he or she knows the legal system.

Before walking into a consultation, you wonder if it is in your best interest to tell your criminal attorney everything. You understand privilege, but will what you say impact the way the lawyer views you and defends you? Here is why it is critical you tell your counsel what you know.