On Oct. 24, the owner of two companies that were hired to work for a Florida non-profit organization was indicted on wire fraud charges. The companies, which were based in Los Angeles, were reportedly hired to do marketing for the non-profit.
Under state law, marketers for this type of work were only allowed up to 25 percent of the funds made from specialty license plates made by non-profit organizations. However, the FBI and the Department of Financial Services said that the owner made or authorized transfers that amount to more than $250,000 over the allowed percentage between July 2010 and November 2015.
Investigators claimed that the 58-year-old owner falsified the annual reports detailing the amount of money that distributed to charities that were supported by the non-profit organization. As a result, the owner was facing 16 counts of wire fraud. He was indicted on the charges by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Tallahassee. If he is convicted on the charges, he could face 20 years in prison. His trial was scheduled for Dec. 11.
Those who are accused of wire fraud and other white collar crimes could face serious legal punishments, which could include a prison sentence and hefty fines among other consequences. Because the stakes are high, a criminal law attorney may defend a person against the charges by opening an independent investigation into the allegations while challenging the evidence that prosecution has. Depending on the specific case, the attorney may argue that the accused person had no intent to defraud, which is a specific element of the crime.
Source: Tallahassee Democrat, “Los Angeles company owner indicted in Tallahassee federal court“, Karl Etters, Oct. 24, 2017
