It is extremely important to have an experienced and knowledgeable attorney begin working on your case as early as possible. Critical issues such as how your particular case will be filed and what charges will be leveled against you are often decided very soon after your arrest or during the investigatory period. Early intervention gives us an opportunity to potentially reduce or dismiss either felony or misdemeanor charges against you before the first court date.

Insider Trading: Insider trading is a term that most investors have heard and usually associate with illegal conduct. But the term actually includes both legal and illegal conduct.

The legal version is when corporate insiders, i.e. officers, directors, and employees- buy and sell stock in their own companies. When corporate insiders trade in their own securities, they must report their trades to the SEC.

Illegal insider trading refers generally to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the security. Insider trading violations may also include "tipping" such information, securities trading by the person "tipped," and securities trading by those who misappropriate such information.

Because insider trading undermines investor confidence in the fairness and integrity of the securities markets, the SEC has treated the detection and prosecution of insider trading violations as one of its enforcement priorities.

Micro-cap fraud: Microcap companies and their stocks are shares of companies that are not well established and often trade at less than $5.00 per share. The stocks of microcaps often trade on the OTC Bulletin Board, the Pink Sheets, or the Pink Sheet Electronic Quotation Service, and are often too small to be traded on the stock exchanges or NASDAQ. Because the are not subject to the listing standards and reporting requirements of an exchange or NASDAQ, public information is often limited.

Micro-cap fraud is similar to the penny stock fraud that was prevalent in the 1980`s. The North American Securities Administrators Association estimates that investors lose over $6 billion a year to investment fraud, including micro-cap fraud schemes. Efforts against micro-cap fraud, by state, industry and federal regulators, have had an impact but the problem remains serious and investors need to be on guard.

Internet securities fraud: There are many types of internet securities fraud that may be used to provide false information about “hot stocks” and opportunities to maximize your investments. Perpetrators use a variety of ploys to entice investment consumers: “pump and dump” scams urging investors to buy or sell stock quickly or pyramid schemes claiming to make more money by recruiting more people into the deal. Risk free internet securities fraud falsely heralds low or no risk investment opportunities.

The United States government has established a regulatory body called the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to help prevent investment fraud and internet securities fraud. This agency offers a number of suggestions regarding how to safely use the internet as a securities research tool.

These governing bodies have also taken several measures to protect investors against internet securities fraud. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) is a division of the FBI that tracks and catches internet securities fraud perpetrators. The Department of Justice''s National Cybercrime Training Partnership (NCTF) trains all levels of law enforcement to recognize internet securities fraud. The Business Software Alliance also provides helpful information about internet securities fraud.

Internet securities fraud is a felony crime that is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or up to twenty years of jail time.

Do I need a lawyer to represent me if I am innocent?

Every criminal defendant needs an attorney. Innocent defendants are perhaps in even greater need of zealous representation throughout the criminal process to ensure that their rights are protected.

Do I need a lawyer if I simply intend to plead guilty ?

You may not understand the full implications of the crime with which you are charged. Criminal defense attorneys equalize the balance of power between the defendant and the prosecution and ensure that the constitutional rights that are guaranteed to all criminal defendants are preserved.

Over the years we have successfully represented many clients charged with Securities Fraud as described above. We have observed that the longer one postpones in hiring counsel, the greater the problem may become.

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