White Collar Criminal Defense

The Federal Government has increasingly transformed business activities that previously were subject only to regulatory and administrative oversight into potential criminal violations. Recent publicized investigations demonstrate that a company’s failure to strictly comply with complex accounting standards can be construed as securities fraud; disagreement with a regulatory agency’s interpretations of health care regulations can be viewed as health care fraud; and document retention policies are severely scrutinized and characterized as obstruction.

Companies also face increased liability for the acts of individual employees, even when the employee’s actions were not authorized or sanctioned by the company. Even more onerous, the Government more frequently has been construing simple mistakes made by employees in billing services and goods to the Government, such as Medicaid and Medicare, as alleged criminal violations, subjecting both the employees and the owners of the company to criminal prosecution.

Unfortunately, even when the business activities ultimately are determined to be lawful, the mere existence of a federal investigation can have dramatic adverse implications for a company. The success, reputation, and goodwill that a business developed over years can be irreparably damaged in a matter of months when the existence of a federal investigation goes public.

Whether a company is blameless or simply has made a mistake in its business activities, the Firm will implement a defense strategy that helps protect a business from suffering this collateral damage, minimizes the company’s exposure, and ensures that any consequences are proportionate. These strategies include discrete, confidential internal investigations; responding to grand jury and administrative subpoenas; developing and implementing compliance programs to prevent and detect violations of the law and minimize corporate liability; negotiating global settlements to avoid criminal charges and penalties and minimize any civil liability; and aggressively defending businesses and individuals in white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions.

It is imperative that you hire a criminal lawyer with the expertise and experience to develop a defense and resolve the investigation without any adverse effect on you or the company. Richard Rice is an Atlanta criminal lawyer with precisely this expertise and experience.

The most effective way to counteract and respond to a federal investigation is to understand how those investigations are conducted. As a former federal prosecutor, Richard Rice has worked with federal investigators such as the FBI, IRS, IRS CID, DEA, Diversion, U.S. Customs, Secret Service, ICE, ATF, and the U.S. Marshals, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies. This “inside” experience and knowledge is invaluable when you or your business is being investigated. When a company’s future is at risk, knowing when to assert a defense can be as important as having a defense. It is a small consolation that the company was blameless if the investigation destroyed the company before the Government recognized this. Richard Rice is an Atlanta criminal lawyer who can effectively challenge the Government and do so at the critical point in time when it will most benefit you.

Richard Rice and The Rice Law Firm are available to represent you, your company, and individual employees and officers in a broad range of white collar cases, including:

• Civil and criminal forfeiture proceedings
• Computer and internet crimes
• Corruption, including bribery, kickbacks and theft of honest services
• Criminal and civil RICO proceedings
• Environmental criminal and regulatory enforcement actions
• Espionage and terrorism cases
• Federal tax violations
• Financial, banking, and securities laws violations
• Foreign Corrupt Practice Act violations
• Fraud, including international and domestic fraud schemes of every type
• Government contract investigations
• Grand jury subpoenas or investigations
• Health care fraud
• Internet crimes
• Money laundering
• Mortgage fraud
• Public and private corruption, bribery, and kickback schemes
• Securities Fraud
• Smuggling and Importation crimes
• Technology and trade secrets theft