A recent case in a Los Angeles Court highlights just how vital a Los Angeles White Collar Attorney is for anyone charged with a white collar crime. A woman from Canada is being sentenced for stealing thousands of millions of dollars from American citizens, all of them elderly, by using telemarketers to peddle fake credit card protection plans. The woman pleaded guilty in July, 2010 in Los Angeles Federal Court of conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud according to a US Attorney. Both the woman and her husband were arrested back in 2007 by Canadian officials as part of an investigation in that nation. The couple ran the scheme from 1998 until 2001, hiring telemarketers to sell fraudulent credit card protection programs to seniors in Los Angeles and throughout the United States. These telemarketers were hired to falsely tell victims that they were calling from a security division of Visa, MasterCard or the consumer's credit card issuing bank. They were sold fake credit card protection for roughly $300. These victims were coerced to divulge their card numbers for verification purposes, which enabled the two to immediately charged the fee to the victim's credit cards. The woman was charged and will be sentenced in Los Angeles, however her husband remains in Canada, facing charges in his home nation. As you can see, even crimes that are a decade old can lead to years in prison. These people are facing federal charges, which are often more of a threat than state charges. These people are facing years in prison for their crimes, because federal authorities only go after criminals they know they can prosecute, and do so with tenacity. Without a qualified, skilled Los Angeles White Collar Defense Attorney who understands federal crimes, no one has a prayer of defeating these charges. Their is great sympathy for the victims, who are elderly, many of whom might face financial ruin due to this crime. However, in even the most dire cases, having a knowledgeable lawyer working for you can mean the difference between years in prison and complete freedom. If you or someone you know has been charged with a white collar crime, contact the Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys at Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin, LLP. Our phone number is 877-781-1570, and we have people on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tagged as: white collar crime fraud theft laws