Identity Theft Lawyer Mercer County NJ
New Jersey Defense Lawyers The Scardella Law Firm LLC Offer Real Help For Victims Of Identity Theft
When you are arrested for identity theft in Mercer County or elsewhere throughout New Jersey, you need immediate legal representation from an experienced criminal defense attorney. It is imperative that you have an identity theft lawyer who will fight to assert your rights and defend you against your charges.
Criminal defense attorney Lauren E. Scardella and her firm, The Scardella Law Firm LLC, is ready to work to help you obtain the best possible outcome in your criminal case. For over a decade, Attorney Scardella has been defending clients in the municipal and superior courts in Mercer County and across New Jersey. With that experience and knowledge, Attorney Scardella will vigorously advocate to have your charges reduced or dismissed or to obtain a favorable plea offer. Every client receives strategic legal advice for their particular case, along with the same attention, dedication, and effort from The Scardella Law Firm LLC. A conviction for identity theft can have consequences that follow you for the rest of your life. For this reason, you need a Mercer County identity theft attorney who will fight to defend you and your rights.
What Is Considered Identity Theft in Mercer County?
Generally speaking, New Jersey law considers one to have committed identity theft if they use someone else’s name and personal information (such as an address, Social Security number, or bank account number) to open an account or to acquire something of value. The statute also considers the following acts to be identity theft as well:
- Pretending to be a representative of a person or organization and doing something in that pretend capacity to obtain a benefit for oneself or to injure or defraud another
- Assuming a false identity in connection with a request for services with the intent to avoid payment for those services
Even merely obtaining another person’s personal information or assisting someone to use that information for the purposes of assuming that person’s identity constitutes criminal identity theft.
Under the New Jersey identity theft criminal statute, criminal charges become more severe the greater the resulting financial loss. Identity theft in New Jersey is graded according to the following scale:
- Fourth-degree crime: financial loss is less than $500
- Third-degree crime: financial loss is at least $500 but less than $75,000, or the offense is a second conviction for fourth-degree identity theft
- Second-degree crime: financial loss is $75,000 or more
Lastly, if an underage person commits identity theft to purchase alcohol or tobacco or other products barred to underage individuals, it is considered a disorderly persons offense.
Why You Should Retain The Scardella Law Firm LLC if You Have Been Charged with Identity Theft in Mercer County
If you’ve been charged with identity theft in Mercer County or elsewhere in New Jersey, you should be mindful of the potential consequences of a conviction and understand the need for immediate action. Attorney Lauren E. Scardella at The Scardella Law Firm LLC prides herself in providing identity theft clients with diligent, vigorous legal representation. Attorney Scardella knows that facing criminal charges can be a confusing and scary experience. That is why The Scardella Law Firm LLC works tirelessly to gather all the evidence in your case to build an effective and persuasive defense strategy. Attorney Scardella uses her years of experience and the skills learned over those years to negotiate dismissal or reduction of your charges or potential sentence. If necessary, Attorney Scardella is ready to take your case to trial and advocate your innocence before a jury. Attorney Scardella enjoys a track record of success representing clients against identity theft charges and other serious crimes.
Consequences of Identity Theft Conviction in Mercer County
If you are charged and convicted of identity theft in Mercer County or elsewhere in New Jersey, you may face a host of consequences from your conviction. In addition to prison time, fines, and/or the requirement to pay restitution to the victims of your crimes, consequences of an identity theft conviction include:
- Loss of your job
- Inability to get hired to another job
- Inability to secure housing
- Inability to secure credit
- Inability to seek higher education
- Loss of professional licenses and other licenses
- Loss of visa or permanent resident status and deportation
These consequences can follow you long after you complete any prison sentence. Attempting to navigate your way through the criminal justice system by yourself can have a catastrophic effect on your and your family’s lives — that is why you are best served with the assistance of an experienced Mercer County criminal defense attorney.
Contact Our Experienced Mercer County Identity Theft Attorney for a Free Consultation
If you are a resident of Mercer County or elsewhere in New Jersey and have been criminally charged with identity theft, you need aggressive and skilled legal representation as soon as possible. Don’t let any aspect of your criminal proceedings happen without a criminal defense attorney by your side. Contact The Scardella Law Firm LLC today for a free, confidential consultation to discuss your case and to learn more about how Attorney Scardella can help you through your criminal charges.
Frequently Asked Questions about Identity Theft Charges in Mercer County
Both the state and the federal government have criminal laws against identity theft. If your activities in identity theft stretched across state lines, they may violate federal identity theft laws in addition to state criminal laws. The state may be charging you with your activities within the state, while the federal government may be charging you with another set of activities that took place across state lines or national lines.
If you were part of a group of people engaged in identity theft, the state may be seeking to hold you responsible for the total financial loss of your entire conspiracy, even if you were only personally responsible for a smaller subset of the total amount of money stolen by the whole group. This is particularly possible where every member of the group pools and shares in the proceeds of the conspiracy.
