Colorado Criminal Defense Blog

Extortion in Colorado

When a person obtains damaging information – whether it is true or false – they cannot threaten to use that knowledge to damage someone else’s life or reputation in return for money. Though the First Amendment of the Consitution permits the freedom of speech, and thus, allows people to speak about another person’s private life, there is a difference between that and extortion. The speech becomes illegal when used as leverage or to blackmail another individual. 

In this post, our Denver criminal defense attorneys at WeedenLaw will [..]

What is Honest Services Fraud?

Honest services fraud is “a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services,” as defined in the related federal statute. It is an extension of mail or wire fraud. As there is no clear definition of “honest services,” the courts reserve the right to define and limit the statute. The original intent behind the federal statute was to lessen government corruption. However, the law’s language does not place a limit on who can be charged with honest services fraud. 

Generally, honest services [..]

Tax Evasion Penalties

Tax evasion penalties are no joke. The government incarcerates thousands of people every year for tax crimes. Do you know the IRS’s tax fraud punishments?

Frequently, tax fraud punishment is no more than a civil penalty. But, rare cases exist in which the taxpayer can experience criminal charges–when an IRS auditor hands your case over to the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit.  

Jeff Weeden is a Denver attorney with extensive experience in white-collar crime. Tax fraud is a category of white-collar crime that encompasses anything [..]