Most people know that technology can change in the blink of an eye. By the time people can grasp new capabilities of technology, it has often changed and gotten faster or better. In general, people think these advancements are positive. However, they are creating quite a tricky situation for people who are accused of computer crimes and identity theft in New York.
The laws that are in place to address these and other types of white collar crimes are outdated and vague. This has created an environment in which people can take advantage of weakness in the system in the hopes of not getting caught and charged with criminal conduct. But if and when a person is accused of fraud, theft or other serious computer crimes, they may not know what to expect because of how outdated and inconsistent the penal laws can be.
However, people in New York might want to be aware that this could all change if efforts by a white collar crime task force are successful.
The task force has acknowledged the fact that laws related to white collar crime in New York are outdated. In fact, many of them have gone unchanged since 1965. Many people can remember just how differently things were back then. Identity theft, privacy violations and insider trading all looked quite a bit different almost 70 years ago.
Because of how outdated the laws are, their efficacy has been called into question. People may not even realize they are in violation of a law if seems so outdated that it no longer applies. And there are many folks who are convicted of a crime that may not have even existed when the law was written. This can mean that the laws are interpreted inconsistently, which can seriously affect the charges, conviction and sentencing that a person might be facing.
In any situation involving allegations of white collar crime, many people choose to work with a criminal defense attorney to protect themselves from inappropriate penalties and inaccurate charges. No matter what crime a person is accused of committing, he or she is innocent until proven guilty.
Source: New York Times, “A Call for New Laws in New York to Fight High-Tech Crime,” Peter Lattman, Sept. 24 2013