It is a major criminal violation to use the postal service in New York or anywhere else to deceive private citizens or commercial enterprises. If you are found guilty of defrauding people through the mail, you might face many decades behind bars in addition to a fine of up to one million dollars. On the other hand, there are a lot of other defenses that you could utilize to get a charge like that decreased or dropped entirely. Discuss your case with a Syracuse criminal defense lawyer.
There was never any intention to commit fraud.
In most cases, a person cannot be found guilty of a crime if there was no intent to violate the law on their part. For instance, as part of your defense against criminal charges, you can say that you were tricked into mailing a document that, at the time it was sent, you believed to be valid. You might also be able to claim that you wrote them about legal options for their businesses in the form of letters. In most situations, it is not illegal to merely ask someone to invest in a firm.
You did not commit fraud by using the mail in any way.
It’s possible that sending a letter through the mail is the most convenient way to get it to the person it’s intended for, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only one. For instance, you may pass a document on to the individual who was tasked with reading it and let them handle it themselves. You also can hand the document off to a middleman who is not employed by a package delivery service; this individual will be responsible for delivering the document to its ultimate location.
The technicalities could very well be your ally.
Claiming that the authorities went above their authority while conducting an inquiry is one potential strategy for having charges dropped against a person. Within the context of a criminal investigation, the Fourth Amendment restricts the methods law enforcement can use to collect evidence. You may also bring up other issues, such as the fact that you were compelled to talk without a lawyer being present or that you weren’t informed of your rights at any point in the process.
You might find it simpler to win a favorable verdict in your case if you challenge the evidence given in court. It is also possible to conceal evidence, which may make it impossible for a prosecution to do anything other than drop a mail fraud allegation. If a prosecutor is unable to do anything other than drop the charge, the case may be dismissed.
