White Collar Crime Attorney in Contra Costa County
Defending Clients Accused of Business & Financial Offenses in California
White collar criminals are often innocent people caught in a web of innocent mistakes, hostile business tactics and political winds. Daniel Horowitz is a white collar crime attorney who understands the complete devastation that criminal charges bring. He knows that even winning is losing as the wear and tear on your life, family and business can never be recaptured. Daniel Horowitz, Dan Russo and the full legal team at Lawyers in Lafayette fight to protect your freedom, your family and you as a person. You are part of our family and never “just” a client.
White Collar Cases in Federal Court (More Frequently than State Court)
White collar crimes are nonviolent offenses that involve financial crimes such as healthcare fraud, embezzlement, public corruption, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, money laundering and forgery. These crimes are often charged by the United States and filed in the United States District Court.
State white collar cases are less common because the local district attorney's offices may lack the person power/staffing and budget to bring these cases in state court. Medical fraud cases (especially Worker's Compensation Fraud) are often brought by state entities because there is a separate funding mechanism supporting those cases.
Contra Costa Location but Nationwide Coverage
Our offices are in Contra Costa County so the majority of our federal cases are heard in Oakland, San Francisco or San Jose. However we appear state and nationwide. In cases out of the San Francisco Bay area, we work with incredibly talented attorneys such as Martin Garbus in New York, Mark Ravis in Los Angeles, and Anne Bremner in Washington State.
Examples of White Collar Criminal Cases
Some current examples of “white collar crime” cases include the FBI investigation of Congressmember Cori Bush for making payments of campaign funds to her husband, Senator Menendez' alleged acceptance of foreign money as bribes and more mundane matters such as an office manager being arrested for using a corporate credit card for personal matters.
On the federal level these cases are often prosecuted under the general wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy statutes. More specifically there is the federal official bribery and gratuity statute, (18 U.S.C. § 201) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (15 U.S.C. § 78dd) and the federal program bribery statute, (18 U.S.C. § 666).
Public Corruption cases, corporate fraud, securities and other large scale white collar cases can also be prosecuted under the Hobbs Act and money laundering statutes. In complex cases (not just Mafia) prosecutions are brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Note: As you know from the Georgia prosecution of Donald Trump states also have their own RICO acts. (Approximately 33 states have state based RICO)
Medical Fraud or Health Care Fraud
Medical fraud is a highly specialized area of practice. It involves the STARK law, AKS and other specific statutes. A common component of these cases are the huge civil (financial) penalties that follow or relate to the criminal charges. If you are charged with medical fraud or health care fraud you can learn more here:
California Penal Code Section 550 Fraud
Major Case Acquittal - Former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Pavel Lazarenko
Daniel Horowitz successfully represented Prime Minister Pavel Lazarenko obtaining a dismissal of all international charges against him. These charges included honest services fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and other frauds. This victory cleared $ 250 million dollars in assets and 45 charges from the case. The charges were dismissed at trial by Judge Martin Jenkins (now on the California Supreme Court). [Note: On the portion of the case handled by another attorney there was a conviction but Horowitz' portion (the much larger portion) led to a dismissal on all counts.]
“A lesson for prosecutors is the danger of presenting a complex case in a jury system. In this case only eight of 53 counts survived the judicial process.” (Case Summary: United States v. Pavel Ivanovich Lazarenko) These 45 dismissed counts were all handled by Daniel Horowitz.
Here is the actual Court Order dismissing the charges:
Judge Jenkins Dismisses All International Charges Against Lazarenko
Horowitz Examination of Ukraine Minister of Economics
Contra Costa County Office - Nationwide Representation
Daniel Horowitz has his main office in Lafayette, California (Contra Costa County) but his White Collar legal work spans the globe. Daniel has appeared in courtrooms in Ukraine, Cyprus, The Netherlands, Israel and Canada. He has appeared in legal proceedings in China and Turkey. His federal cases in the U.S. have spanned New York, Wyoming to California.
Horowitz Witness Examination in Cyprus Court
Honest People Get Charged With White Collar Crimes
We understand that white-collar crimes can be complex and highly technical. Honest people can inadvertently cross an ill defined line. Other times competitors or disgruntled employees can “sell" a prosecutor a story that wrongly implicates you in a crime. We understand this and we can help.
As a theoretical example of how an honest person gets drawn into a criminal proscution:
1. Your business plan that was creative is suddenly deemed fraudulent by an unsophisticated government investigator. The investigation was triggered by a fired employee who is hoping to put together a lawsuit against you.
2. Corporate financing for a start up is deemed deceptive when a disgruntled investor misrepresents the original offer. The second round diluted the original investor (and the founder) but he is angry and retaliates.
Daniel Horowitz Knows Business
Daniel Horowitz is an attorney, SEC Registered Investment Advisor and Licensed Real Estate Broker - he understands business. He has done SEC compliance work for the company that managed the Voluntary Pension Fund for the Metropolitan Opera. If your honest business efforts are being misconstrued so that the IRS, DOJ or other investigative agency is questioning your business, Daniel Horowitz can help.
White Collar Experienced Staff
Daniel Horowitz and Lawyers in Lafayette have a former IRS CID supervisor, MBA, Medical doctor / lawyer and Chiropractor / Law School Graduate on our white collar team. Technical areas can be properly evaluated and a defense specific to your area of concern can be formulated by experienced professionals.
Document Management
It is rare for a top criminal defense trial attorney to also have a high level of technical skills in document management. Daniel Horowitz has trained and published on high tech document management skills and software. He was a beta tester for Casemap (now owned by Lexis) and DTSearch. His endorsements are featured by Cloudlex and he has recently published on using Logikcull. His direct legal team is also conversant in these software solutions to document and fact management. To the client this means that your lawyer and his team are directly interfacing with the evidence rather than needing to utilize an outside provider or in office “translators”. This makes a huge difference reducing cost and increasing efficiency and effectiveness.
Certified Criminal Defense Specialist
Daniel Horowitz is a certified criminal defense specialist. There are only 7 Contra Costa County criminal defense lawyers with this designation (as of 2/1/2024). On high stakes cases Daniel works with Dan Russo and Carmela Caramagno who are also certified criminal defense specialists. This title is not self created. It is a designation of criminal defense achievement issued by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. There are thousands of criminal defense lawyers, thousands of federal defense lawyers but only several hundred State Bar certified specialists. [In our office area (Contra Costa County) there are only 7 certified criminal defense specialists among hundreds of lawyers. (As of 2/1/2024)]
If you need help, please call Daniel Horowitz.
Contact our attorney at (925) 291-5388 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation.
Choosing the Best White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer
The best White collar criminal defense lawyer is skilled in this area of law but there is much more. Your life and your future is on the line and you must have a close and trusting personal relationship with your lawyer. This is NOT surgery where the doctor can be a complete jerk as long as his hand doesn't shake. White collar defense is collaborative. Certainly it is highly technical and at times your defense lawyer will be buried in paperwork and motions. But at every moment the case is somewhere in your mind. You need to be genuinely cared for by a lawyer and legal team that knows you and is dedicated to protecting you.
OUR PROMISE
We will not take your case unless we truly believe in you and believe that we can help you.
Our attorneys include criminal defense specialists, a former prosecutor and a group of private investigators and paralegals with truly exceptional qualifications. But no one makes the team unless they combine technical excellence with heart and soul.
Contact our Contra Costa white collar crime attorney by using our online form.
Client Testimonials
Contra Costa County Location - National Reputation for Excellence
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I can not say enough about Mr. Horowitz and his staff. Brook was amazing to myself and my family. My case was very unique. He believed in me and listened to what I had to say. I highly recommend him and his staff. Yvett Bline- Yvett Bline
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Dan Horowitz handled my complex business issue with magnanimity, compassion, care, promptness, and utmost professionalism. I'm an Attorney and would highly recommend him to other professionals (and others alike) because he's the very BEST at what he does and has an uncanny knack at finding unique resolutions with unparalleled speed and efficiency. What is quite outatanding is that he treats each client with kindness and compassion as if a family member- Lovely K.
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I cannot express enough gratitude for the outstanding legal services provided by Daniel Horowitz. He not only possesses an in-depth understanding of the law but also demonstrated a genuine commitment to me. He took the time to listen attentively to my concerns, providing clear and concise explanations of the legal processes involved in my case. He made me feel heard and supported during this tumultuous time. What impressed me most was his unwavering dedication to achieving the best possible outcome for me. The attention to detail and strategic approach to my case were evident at every stage. I am eternally grateful towards Daniel for what he has done for me and I wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone seeking legal representation. Thank you Dan- Kento T.
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Daniel and his team did an excellent job. He was always readily available to take my call and provided peace of mind through a stressful situation.- Reid V.
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My experience with Dan was great. I appreciate the knowledge Dan has and the professionalism they exhibit. I would highly recommend the Law Office Of Daniel Horowitz. My family and I are truly grateful we worked with him.- Brandon D.
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There are lawyers and then there are real lawyers. Dan Horowitz is a real lawyer in every since of the word. Dan is a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law. You will not find very many attorneys having such recognition especially one that hits on all cylinders as Dan. In addition to his knowledge of the law and his experience, which I found to be unmatched, i appreciated the fact that he at all times is genuine, which for me says it all. Thank you Dan.- Cory N.
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“The Best Attorney I Could Have Asked For.”- Katherine Ryken
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Dan Horowitz was the best attorney I could have asked for during a difficult time in my career. From the moment I met him, I felt believed, respected, and safe. He and his team were endlessly responsive and empathetic to me and my family. He fought for my case day and night, always keeping my best interests at the forefront of his mind. As I learned from Dan, it is never a good time in one’s life to need legal representation - but if you need it, Dan is your person, your advocate, and your best friend. We are forever grateful for his tireless commitment to justice for the people.- Katherine R.