Fraud and theft
When the charge starts with someone else’s money
These cases are built from paper: receipts, bank records, store video, time sheets, text messages. We read the same paper the prosecutor reads and ask what it proves and what it only suggests.
We take shoplifting and theft, bad checks, forgery, card and benefits fraud, and money taken at work. If restitution is on the table, we work out the number with you before anyone agrees to it.
We take
Shoplifting and theft
Forgery and bad checks
Card, benefits and workplace fraud
Three places the proof sits
The evidence in a money case usually sits in three places. We ask for all three.
Video
Store, bank and workplace cameras show when someone was there and what they did, and what they did not do.
Records
Bank statements, receipts, time sheets and messages. We check dates, amounts and who had access.
Restitution
What is claimed, what can be shown, and what you can afford, settled with you before any agreement.
What the fee covers
What the fee covers for a theft or fraud charge
The flat fee depends on whether the charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, not on the amount alleged.
Misdemeanor theft or fraud
One case in county or municipal court.
Discovery requested and read, video included
Records checked against the complaint
Restitution talks, with you in the room
Felony theft or fraud
One felony case in district court.
A written case plan after we read discovery
Preliminary hearing prepared and argued
A review of the bank or business records at issue
A jury trial is its own flat fee, and a forensic accountant is billed apart. Our flat fee pays for legal work. Court costs, fines, restitution, bond and expert fees are paid to others; we name each one and its amount before it is spent.
What people ask about theft and fraud charges
I already paid the store back. Is it over?
Paying back what was taken can help, but it does not end a criminal case by itself. Talk to us before you pay or sign anything else.
My employer says I took money. Do I have to meet with them?
Do not give a statement to an employer, a bank or an investigator until you have talked to a lawyer. We can arrange how any meeting happens.
Will the charge show on a background check?
It can, until the case ends and any record is sealed. We cover what happens next on the record sealing page.
Before you talk to anyone else, talk to us
The first call is free, and we do not ask for the facts in writing.