Los Angeles Bank Fraud Attorney
Defending Against Bank Fraud Charges in Los Angeles
Bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. 1344 is always prosecuted as a federal offense and carries up to 30 years in federal prison per count with fines up to $1,000,000. Federal bank fraud investigations are conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and by the time you are contacted by investigators they have typically already reviewed months or years of financial records. Do not speak to federal agents without a bank fraud attorney present. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi, Attorney Hashemi has spent over 20 years defending clients against fraud charges throughout Los Angeles. Call (310) 448-1529 or contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.
Bank Fraud Under Federal Law — 18 U.S.C. 1344
Federal bank fraud covers any scheme to defraud a financial institution or to obtain money, funds, or property owned or controlled by a bank through false statements or fraudulent means. The statute is written broadly and federal prosecutors apply it aggressively to a wide range of conduct. Common charges include:
- Check fraud: altering, forging, or counterfeiting checks to obtain funds from a financial institution
- Mortgage fraud: submitting false income, asset, or employment information to secure a loan or line of credit
- Loan fraud: falsifying documents or misrepresenting financial information to obtain bank financing
- Credit card fraud: using stolen or fraudulent account information to make unauthorized transactions
- Account takeover fraud: gaining unauthorized access to another person’s financial accounts
- Wire transfer fraud: using false pretenses to redirect or intercept wire transfers through financial institutions
Because the statute is written broadly individuals who had limited involvement in a larger scheme or who were not the primary actor can still be charged. Even processing a transaction, signing a document, or facilitating a transfer as part of someone else’s fraud can result in a federal bank fraud charge. A bank fraud attorney who gets involved early can often limit or prevent charges against peripheral participants before an indictment is filed.
Bank Fraud Under Federal Law — 18 U.S.C. 1344
Federal bank fraud covers any scheme to defraud a financial institution or to obtain money, funds, or property owned or controlled by a bank through false statements or fraudulent means. The statute is written broadly and federal prosecutors apply it aggressively to a wide range of conduct. Common charges include:
- Check fraud: altering, forging, or counterfeiting checks to obtain funds from a financial institution
- Mortgage fraud: submitting false income, asset, or employment information to secure a loan or line of credit
- Loan fraud: falsifying documents or misrepresenting financial information to obtain bank financing
- Credit card fraud: using stolen or fraudulent account information to make unauthorized transactions
- Account takeover fraud: gaining unauthorized access to another person’s financial accounts
- Wire transfer fraud: using false pretenses to redirect or intercept wire transfers through financial institutions
Because the statute is written broadly individuals who had limited involvement in a larger scheme or who were not the primary actor can still be charged. Even processing a transaction, signing a document, or facilitating a transfer as part of someone else’s fraud can result in a federal bank fraud charge. A bank fraud attorney who gets involved early can often limit or prevent charges against peripheral participants before an indictment is filed.
What a Federal Bank Fraud Conviction Actually Costs You
The penalties for a federal bank fraud conviction are severe and extend well beyond the sentence itself:
- Up to 30 years in federal prison per count — and multiple transactions are frequently charged as separate counts
- Fines up to $1,000,000 per count
- Mandatory restitution to the financial institution for the full amount of the loss
- Asset forfeiture of all funds and property connected to the fraud — which can begin before conviction
- Federal sentences carry no parole — defendants serve at least 85 percent of the sentence imposed
- Permanent federal felony record affecting employment, professional licenses, financial standing, and immigration status
- Loss of firearm rights, right to vote, and eligibility for federal programs and contracts
When prosecutors charge multiple counts arising from a single course of conduct the combined sentencing exposure can reach decades even for first-time offenders with no prior criminal history. Understanding your full exposure from day one is one of the first and most important things a bank fraud attorney does when taking on a federal case.
How We Fight Bank Fraud Charges in Los Angeles
Bank fraud cases are built on financial records, communications, and documentary evidence collected over extended investigation periods. Every piece of that evidence must have been lawfully obtained and every element of the charge must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Our firm attacks both.
The first thing we challenge in every bank fraud case is intent. Federal bank fraud requires proof that you specifically intended to defraud a financial institution. A loan application with honest errors, a business arrangement that failed, or a transaction that was mischaracterized by the government is not bank fraud. Our firm builds the intent defense through your communications, your business records, and the full context of every transaction the prosecution intends to use against you.
Bank fraud investigations produce enormous volumes of evidence through search warrants, subpoenas, and court orders targeting financial accounts, email records, and business documents. When that evidence was obtained through unlawful searches, overbroad warrants, or without proper legal authority our firm files suppression motions to have it excluded. Removing key financial records from a federal bank fraud prosecution regularly changes what the government can actually prove.
When the evidence is circumstantial, documents are ambiguous, or the government cannot reliably connect you to the specific transactions at issue our firm challenges sufficiency directly through pre-trial motions and cross-examination of the government’s financial witnesses.
The most critical phase of a bank fraud defense is often before any charges are filed. When our firm gets involved during the investigation we communicate directly with federal prosecutors, present exculpatory evidence, and in some cases prevent an indictment from being filed entirely. Clients who retain a bank fraud attorney at the investigation stage have significantly more options than those who wait.
Contact a Los Angeles Bank Fraud Attorney
If you are under investigation or have been charged with bank fraud in Los Angeles do not speak to federal investigators without an attorney present and do not wait. Federal bank fraud cases are built over extended periods and by the time charges are filed the government believes it already has a strong case.
Contact our office today for a free confidential consultation with a Los Angeles bank fraud attorney who will analyze the charges, review the evidence, and begin building your defense from day one.
Schedule a Consultation:
- Phone: (310) 448-1529
- Email: Info@hashemilaw.com
- Address: 11845 W Olympic Blvd #520, Los Angeles, CA 90064
- Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with flexible scheduling options available, including weekend appointments.
We are conveniently located in the Westside Towers serving clients facing bank fraud and federal fraud charges across Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, and all surrounding communities. Your defense starts the moment you call.