Champaign County Securities Fraud Lawyer
Both the federal and state governments regulate the sale of securities, and companies and insiders must follow detailed rules. It is very easy to run afoul of some of these complicated regulations, but government agencies do not hesitate to bring charges. Most allegations of securities fraud are investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), but the Illinois Securities Department might also investigate.
If you are facing an investigation, or if you have heard whispers that an investigation is starting, please contact Patel Law, PC today. Our Champaign County securities fraud lawyer can defend you throughout an investigation and any subsequent prosecution.
Types of Securities Fraud
Patel Law can assist anyone facing charges of:
- Insider trading
- Unlicensed dealing
- Misstatements on SEC filings and public reports
- Ponzi schemes
- Fraudulent inducement
- Excessive trading (churning)
- Junk securities
- Stockbroker embezzlement
- Price manipulation
The key to bringing a solid defense is to hire legal counsel immediately. An attorney gives you the best chance of stopping or heading off any investigation for securities fraud. We can advise you on the following:
- Whether to speak to investigators. Many investigations don’t get going until regulators obtain information from brokers and other individuals. You should always have a defense lawyer present to determine whether you should talk.
- What documents to hold onto. Prosecutions for securities fraud rely heavily on documents. You don’t want to destroy anything that might be relevant to an investigation because you can face sanctions for destruction of evidence. A lawyer can help devise a plan to safeguard key documents.
- What documents to turn over. You should never disclose anything you don’t need to. We make the federal government subpoena documents or get a warrant to search our clients’ computers. Simply turning over evidence can easily lead to convictions, and it is better to make the government work for a conviction.
- Whether to plead guilty. In certain situations, a guilty plea is in our client’s best interests. We might also seek immunity for our clients in exchange for testimony that implicates others in securities fraud. An attorney should carefully negotiate the terms of any guilty plea so that it is in the client’s best interest.
If you contact us, we will work on mapping out a complete defense strategy. Sometimes there is a simple explanation for why you made a sale or purchase when you did. We can gather documents in support of your version of events if you contact us as soon as possible.
The Legal Team You Want in Your Corner
Facing an investigation is unnerving. There is a lot on the line. In addition to possible jail time and criminal fines, you could lose your license to trade. An insider accused of illegal trades might never serve on a board again and suffer a severe loss of reputation in the business community.
Let Patel Law help. Our Champaign County securities fraud lawyer can assist anyone facing an investigation brought by the SEC or the state of Illinois. Call us today to schedule a time to meet.
