Virginia Businessman Faces Fraud Charges

Some of our readers may have seen that, according to a recent report, a 53-year-old business man in Fairfax is facing fraud charges for his alleged involvement in a fraud scheme. Prosecutors alleged that the man made false claims to investors, saying that he was in charge of his financial company assets, worth $1.4 billion.

The man allegedly made these claims to convince investors to invest $10 million to purchase an office building, and falsely said that he would invest $6 million himself. The man reportedly used the money that was invested on vacations and tickets to sporting events.

Criminal fraud refers to misrepresenting facts with the intent to defraud someone, and causing that person to detrimentally rely on the false information. Sometimes, business professionals are accused of making false claims to investors to get them to invest in their company. However, some people who are charged with fraud are found to be not guilty for various reasons.

For example, a key part of proving that someone committed fraud is the presence of intent. Your defense attorney may able to show that you lacked the necessary intent to defraud anyone by showing that you thought what you were saying was true. Your attorney also may be able to show that just because you made a false statement, doesn’t mean that it was fraudulent. Opinions and promises to do something in the future may not be considered fraud. For defenses that apply to your specific case, you can speak to a criminal defense attorney in your area.