ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Fraud Defense | Haskell & Dyer
In a Fraud Case, Intent to Deceive Is Everything.
Mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, insurance and securities fraud. These cases turn on whether the government can prove you intended to deceive. We attack that intent and the records behind it.
If You're Under Investigation
Do not talk to investigators or hand over documents alone.
Fraud cases are often built quietly, before any charge, through interviews and document requests. What you say or produce can become the proof of intent the government needs. If agents contact you, or you get a subpoena or target letter, stay quiet, ask for a lawyer, and call before you respond to anything.
The Element That Decides It
Intent to Deceive Is the Whole Case
Fraud is not a mistake, a bad deal, or a failed business. It requires a knowing intent to deceive someone out of money or property, and that intent is the hardest thing for the government to prove.
What They Must Prove
A Scheme and the Intent Behind It
The government has to show a scheme to defraud and that you knowingly intended to deceive. A bad outcome, a misunderstanding, or a good-faith business decision is not fraud, and the line between them is where these cases live.
Where It Often Breaks
Good Faith Is a Defense
If you genuinely believed what you said was true, or acted in good faith, the intent element fails. We build the record of what you actually knew and believed, because honest belief and fraud cannot coexist.
What We Handle
Common Fraud Charges
Fraud spans many statutes, state and federal. We defend the full range.
Wire fraud
Mail fraud
Bank fraud
Securities fraud
Insurance fraud
Healthcare fraud
Mortgage and loan fraud
Wire and mail fraud conspiracy
What's at Stake
Federal Exposure and a Lasting Record
Many fraud charges are federal, with serious penalties and consequences that reach well beyond a sentence.
Federal
Often charged federally with serious exposure
Prison
Significant incarceration on a conviction
Restitution
Repayment often ordered on top of penalties
Career
Lasting damage to licenses and livelihood
How We Defend a Fraud Charge
Intent is the soft spot in a fraud case. We attack it, the records, and how the government built the case.
We Attack Intent
Good faith, honest belief, and a lack of intent to deceive are real defenses. We build the record of what you actually knew.
We Dig Into the Records
Fraud cases are document cases. We examine the records the government relies on for the gaps and innocent explanations.
We Engage Early
Stepping in during the investigation, before charges, can change everything. Sometimes the best result is a charge never filed.
We Challenge the Theory
A failed deal or a dispute is not a crime. We press on whether the conduct was actually fraud or just business gone wrong.
Common Questions
Fraud Charges, Answered
What does the government actually have to prove in a fraud case?
Generally, a scheme to defraud and that you knowingly and intentionally participated in it with intent to deceive. It is not enough that someone lost money or that a deal went bad. That intent requirement is demanding, and it is the element we focus on hardest, because without it there is no fraud.
I made a mistake, but I never meant to deceive anyone. Is that a defense?
Yes. Good faith and honest belief are defenses to fraud, because the charge requires an intent to deceive. A mistake, a miscommunication, or a genuine belief that what you said was true is not fraud. We build the record of what you actually knew and intended, which is often very different from how the government frames it.
Why is this a federal case instead of a state one?
Many fraud schemes touch interstate wires, the mail, banks, or federal programs, which brings federal statutes like wire and mail fraud into play. Federal cases carry serious exposure and are investigated thoroughly, often by agencies before any charge. That is exactly why early, experienced defense matters so much.
Federal agents want to talk to me, but I'm not charged. What should I do?
Do not talk to them, and do not hand over documents, without a lawyer. Fraud cases are frequently built during this pre-charge stage, and what you say or produce can supply the intent the government needs. Politely decline, say you want a lawyer, and call us before responding to any agent, subpoena, or target letter.
The case is all documents and emails. How do you defend that?
Document-heavy cases cut both ways. The same records the government uses can show good faith, ordinary business practice, and innocent explanations for what happened. We go through them carefully for context the government left out, and we press on whether those documents actually prove intent to deceive, or just normal activity.
Facing a Fraud Investigation or Charge? Intent Is Everything.
These cases turn on what you knew and intended, and the earlier we step in, the more we can do. Tell us what's happening and get an honest read on your defense. The first conversation is free and confidential.
Contacted by agents after hours? Call our 24/7 line: 240-687-0179