Cybercrime involves a person either unlawfully accessing a computer by physically breaking into a computer system, or a host of criminal activity committed on the internet. This activity can include hacking or otherwise accessing computer systems, databases, banking systems, or any additional information accessed unlawfully.
If you are accused of a federal cybercrime, you are facing serious penalties and should therefore consult with a DC White Collar attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case and begin building a defense.
A DC federal cybercrime lawyer can advocate on your behalf and ensure your rights are protected throughout the criminal process.
Typically what falls under the term “cybercrime” in a federal context is a specific crime of unlawfully accessing a computer along with a more typical conspiracy charge. Conspiracy is one of the most common federal statute employed by the prosecution. For example, people are often charged with conspiracy to unlawfully access a computer system or bank database.
The scope of cybercrime laws is national. Because cybercrime is covered under a federal statute, it is meant to protect national cyber communication, which is essentially internet activity. The internet constitutes what is called wire communication. Thus, anything communicated over the internet is covered by federal statutes.
A person should look for a federal cybercrime attorney who understands the issues and who keeps themselves abreast of new technology and issues as they come up in other jurisdictions. Since different District Courts are constantly dealing with these issues, it is important to understand what is going on in other jurisdictions, because issues can arise in a jurisdiction at any time.
It is also important to have an attorney who is hardworking and really focused on the details of a case because the details regarding how technology might have been used or accessed can be a very important factor.
Issues involving cybercrime can get very complicated because technological changes can happen so rapidly. A person should look for an attorney who has experience dealing with these issues and who stays abreast of cutting-edge concepts in this evolving area.
A cybercrime attorney who has a strong grasp of these concepts and can make predictions based on the current law will have a huge advantage in terms of defending against these ever-evolving crimes. These are important qualities to look for in a DC federal attorney in a cybercrime case.
Identity theft is covered under separate and much broader criminal statutes and it is even used beyond the cybercrime context. Charges can be employed by prosecutors in the cybercrime context, but identity theft, at its broadest, means that if somebody uses someone else’s identity without permission, it is a crime. What happens frequently in a cybercrime or a hacking scenario is that a person is prosecuted for unlawfully obtaining social security numbers or even thousands of names and birth dates from a database.
Piracy can be a cybercrime, and has historically been prosecuted in the context of people unlawfully copying material such as movies or music recordings. As the industry has evolved, prosecutions are more likely to involve online theft of digital property, like iTunes files. It is typically seen on a large scale, where thousands of digital files are stolen, copied, and then sold.
Piracy can also occur with material other than music. In the non-cyber context, you will see prosecutions where people are accused of selling large numbers of bootleg DVDs which originated from outside the United States.
A good cybercrime attorney is aware of cutting-edge technology that is available and needs to be knowledgeable about the ever evolving cybercrime laws. It is also important to have an attorney who works closely with experts. Our approach focuses on preparation and availability.
Our legal team works with forensic experts and computer experts who understand and use this technology every day. Knowing how to use these types of experts is critical to success. An attorney who has a good relationship with their experts can work with them and analyze data from new technology, which allows them to quickly prepare a thorough defense. Additionally, an experienced DC Federal cybercrimes lawyer will be aware of how the prosecution operates and can work to expose the flaws in their case.