A nonprofit based in Missouri has recently agreed to pay over $8 million to the federal government. This will resolve an embezzlement and bribery investigation. This money will be raised by a series of forfeitures as well as restitution paid directly to the...
White Collar Crime
Government corruption and criminal offenses
An audit of government accounts could reveal not only waste but a combination of fraud and abuse. Unfortunately, people in government use their positions to enrich themselves. Embezzlement might provide a Missouri official with a short-term path to wealth, but the...
Bankruptcy Fraud: What it is
Residents of Springfield and other nearby areas of Missouri may want to learn more about how bankruptcy fraud works, and how the government sees it. This type of fraud saw an increase, as the stigma attached to bankruptcy lessened after the early 2000s. According to...
What to do when your company is under investigation
Being a business owner in Missouri can be an exciting experience: You are finally in charge of your own finances and your own life. This makes the prospect of being looked at by the government all the more unnerving, however. When government organizations say they may...
What are advance fee loan scams?
Missouri residents’ lives could be changed for the worse if they are arrested on fraud charges. One currently popular example of such a crime is the advance loan fee scam. What is an advance loan fee scam? An advance-fee loan scam is a type of white-collar crime that...
Former bookkeeper sentenced for fraud
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced on Jan. 5 that a 69-year-old woman has been sentenced to almost four years in a federal prison for stealing more than $600,000 from a trust that distributed funds to charities in the St. Louis...
Actress facing federal fraud charges
Missouri residents might be surprised to hear about federal fraud charges brought against reality star British Williams. The charges include misuse of a Social Security number, bank fraud, false statements to the IRS, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. What are...
What are defenses to IRS tax fraud charges?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) brings tax fraud charges against businesses or individuals accused of intentionally and willfully falsifying information on their returns to avoid paying the taxes they owe. Since paying taxes in the U.S. is a voluntary system, the...
Is it still embezzlement if an employee intends to repay the money?
You may work in your company’s finance department, dealing with thousands of dollars of transactions and cash management. When you face an unexpected costly medical bill, you may feel tempted to use some of the money from your company to pay it off quickly. You plan...
Defining bribery in Missouri
Missouri imposes serious penalties for both offering and accepting bribes. Bribery involves offering money or another benefit to a public servant in exchange for favorable treatment or action by that person. Review the specifics of bribery and common actions that may...