Financial crimes don't just hit a handful of people. Criminal acts that involve unlawfully collecting someone else's benefits impact all Michigan residents. They create tax gaps that impact services and government programs, and such fraud makes it more difficult for...
The crime of racketeering violates both federal and Michigan state laws. While the federal government originally created the term as a way to address illegal organized violent crime, racketeering now includes ongoing white-collar crimes as well. Defining racketeering...
Michigan residents, especially healthcare professionals, should take note of a recent US Supreme Court ruling. In Ruan v. United States and Kahn v. United States, the court made a ruling setting a new standard for what the DEA must prove in order to convict healthcare...
Not all activity defined as criminal under Michigan law involves violence. Indeed, there is a large category known as white-collar crimes that are not violent in nature. The term is not a legal one, but it typically refers to crimes committed by people in the...
If the law enforcement team finds someone with a specified amount of any illegal drug in Michigan, they can face a drug trafficking charge, even if they didn't purchase, sell or transport those drugs. In addition, the federal government might take over the case in...
Tax avoidance and evasion are common terms, but they’re often confused. There is a key difference between these terms. One means finding ways to avoid paying taxes where someone doesn’t need to. The other is a white collar crime that carries heavy consequences in the...
Drug classifications influence what your maximum sentence may be. Michigan has five classifications with Schedule I as the most serious and Schedule V as the least serious. Schedule I Drugs that are highly addictive and don't have an accepted medical use are Schedule...
In Michigan, health insurance fraud is a felony offense punishable by up to four years in prison and $50,0000 in fines. Health insurance fraud involves the policyholder, practitioner or another party providing misleading, false or fraudulent information to obtain...
Michigan law prohibits anyone from possessing controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin. Those who are found to be in possession of significant amounts of a controlled substance may be charged with a felony and face penalties such as jail time, a fine...
The commission of a white-collar crime in Michigan can take many forms. These include several varieties of securities fraud. It's important to be totally up-front about the nature of your investments in this area. Even an accidental report that contains misleading...