Are you Fighting Fraud Charges in Toronto?

Fraud charges in Toronto fall into the same two categories as in the rest of Canada. Fraud under $5000 which carries a sentence of a maximum of two years in prison and fraud of $5000 carries a possible imprisonment of up to 14 years. If you have been charged with fraud you will need a good lawyer to fight your case. Let’s take a look at what the charges mean in Canada, and how a good lawyer will defend you against it.

The Criminal Code of Canada

The Criminal Code of Canada explains fraud in detail, covering the deceptive and fraudulent means of taking money, assets or other financial securities from people or organisations. It is a good idea to have an understanding of how this law is defined by taking a look at the complete wording in the criminal code.

Very basically, though, what the definition means is that whether the victim suffered financially or not, if the intent was to defraud them the charges can be brought.

The Difficulty of Fraud Cases

Fraud cases can be very difficult to prove as they can cover a paper trail going back years. It takes a lot of time and effort on the part of the police and prosecutors to be able to charge someone with fraud. It is why so often if an offer is made to repay the amount defrauded the prosecutors will accept this rather than have a long drawn out court case. However, even if they refuse the offer, a judge will take the offer into account when considering what sentence to pass.

However, it is up to the prosecution to prove that you intended fraud, and up to your fraud lawyer Toronto to prove that no fraud was intended. For instance, if the tax affairs of someone are investigated and it is found the amount of income has been underdeclared, is that bad accounting practice or the intent to defraud the tax authorities?

Proving intent is not easy, and often it is who is believed if the matter reaches court that decides guilt or innocence.

Use Fraud Defence Lawyer you can Trust

If you are facing fraud charges you need to know you can trust your lawyer to defend you through all avenues. There can be an overwhelming amount of evidence gathered by the police and every little bit of it needs to be checked. This can be time-consuming but is necessary to build the best defence possible.

This can mean that they are costly cases to deal with, and you should speak with your lawyer about fees before they start the work. You may be entitled to legal aid depending on your personal circumstances, and if not, your lawyer may well have payment plans for clients. This is not an unusual situation as generally charges of any sort are unexpected, and defence lawyers are not the sort of thing you will have saved money for. However, a lack of funds should not stop you from getting the help you need to mount an effective defence.

The Many Types of Fraud

There are many different types of fraud you could be charged with. Technology has let a few new ones appear such as identity fraud and digital fraud, but it has not stopped the older types of fraud although in some ways it has made them more difficult. Asset Misappropriation is one such type of dishonesty that the digital world has made more difficult. This usually happens within businesses who can now track all of the records of incomings and outgoing of money and supplies much simpler than before.

If you are fighting fraud charges in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada, make sure you supply your defence lawyer with every piece of information you can, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Sometimes, it is the little things that make the difference.