Just because you were convicted of a crime doesn’t mean that your conviction must forever haunt employment background checks, stop you from becoming a U.S. citizen or remain a deportation threat.
There is no reason to let a youthful mistake, misunderstanding, past criminal record—or especially a criminal identity theft—be a barrier to future opportunities. Many options of post-conviction relief are available to help you, even after you have served time, finished probation, or paid your fines. Relief is critical for clearing the records of victims of criminal identity theft.
Through post-conviction proceedings, the Law Offices of Jonathan Minkus can attempt to lessen the negative consequences of having been convicted of a crime. Your background may be used against you in rental matters, employment and education opportunities, by Immigration and Naturalization—and even socially.
Fraud is the act of theft through deception. Unlike other types of theft, like robbery and shoplifting, fraud relies on the victim being conned into voluntarily giving away money or critical information like his or her bank account or social security number.
Fraud is generally considered to be a white collar crime, which means it is committed by individuals in privileged positions like accountants, financial advisors, and other professionals. Fraud is not violent, nor does it have to involve direct contact with the victim’s money – often, fraud is committed to steal identifying information that the offender can use to access the victim’s money. If you are facing a fraud charge, it is important that you work with an experienced criminal defense lawyer to fight it.
Because fraud is a type of theft, how an instance of alleged fraud is charged depends on the amount of money stolen from the victims. In Illinois, fraud can be charged as anything from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class X felony, depending on the type of fraud that allegedly occurred and the value of the victims’ losses. Incarceration terms for a fraud conviction range from less than one year in jail to more than 30 years in prison. Individuals convicted of fraud also face a fine of $25,000, probation, and restitution. Additionally, individuals who are not United States citizens can face removal proceedings or be denied citizenship.
A few examples of specific fraud charges are:
Within each of these categories, there are multiple ways to commit fraud. For example, investment fraud can be committed through a Ponzi scheme, a pump and dump scheme, advance fee fraud, and other means of using fraudulent investment opportunities to steal from victims. Sometimes, a legitimate investment opportunity is mistaken for an act of fraud, and one or more individuals involved face fraud charges. If you are in this position, you need to develop an effective legal defense strategy with a criminal defense lawyer.
Your legal defense against a fraud charge could possibly involve demonstrating:
If you have been charged with fraud, contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible to start working on your case’s defense strategy. To learn more, schedule your legal consultation with the Law Offices of Jonathan Minkus today. During your consultation, Mr. Minkus can answer your questions and advise you about what to do next regarding your charge.
I am forever grateful for Jonathan Minkus and his assistance with my clemency petition. I found myself in an exceptionally troubling situation in which my legal status in the US was in jeopardy due to my criminal record. Per the advice of my immigration attorney, I engaged Mr. Minkus’s services in the hopes that he might be able to assist with a clemency petition. Mr....
My wife and I have tried 3 times for her green card and was rejected three times because of some trouble she was accused of before she spoke English. I asked another Lawyer is there anything we can do and she referred us to Jonathan Minkus. We meet with Jonathan and said he might be able to help us but it would be difficult. Jonathan...
Jonathan helped me to vacate two of charges against me, and both of them are successfully vacated. I had a very good experience working with Jonathan and he is a very kind person and very considerate. I would like to highly recommend someone that has same situation as me to go get help form Jonathan.
For 6 years my wife and I tried to receive our Green Card. After being declined 3 times, I asked our immigration lawyer is there anyway to correct some legal issues my wife fell into before she learned to speak English. We were referred to Jonathan and he has done miracles in clearing her name so we finally have a chance at receiving our Green...
Jonathan is not only a brilliant attorney but he is a genuinely good human being. A petty misdemeanor mistake was holding back our immigration process. We came to him seeking options and hope. Upon meeting Jonathan during our initial consultation, his overwhelming knowledge, positivity and kindness were on full display and we immediately felt hope again. I know in my heart Jonathan deeply cares for...
I highly recommend his services.
Jonathan was the only one willing to help my husband and me during a tough time. My husband was facing deportation and had no chance to beat his case unless Jonathan was able to vacate a previous conviction. Jonathan was persistent and genuinely advocated for my husband and family. Jonathan was able to vacate the 12-year-old conviction with DuPage County, giving us a fighting chance...
I hired Mr. Jonathan Minkus for a criminal drug conviction which I needed removed off of my record that I had pled guilty to over 7 years ago. Without going into too much detail about the difficulty of my case, I would just like to emphasize how difficult it is to convince a Judge 7 years after pleading guilty to drop a charge. Well, Jonathan...
Mr. Minkus did extremely good work on my difficult criminal case for Resisting Arrest . Also he help me save my Commercial Driver License for Agrivated speeding. That means he save my job and my income. This is High Class Lawyer and I would recommended This Lawyer to anyone with deep trouble . Thank You again mr Minkus.
I was wrongfully advised by an immigration lawyer to expunge my criminal record that consisted of a drug related charge in order to apply for residency. My wife and I quickly found out this was not true and were referred by two different lawyers (who did not know one another) to contact Mr. Minkus. We were without hope and filled with stress.
I almost never write reviews and when Mr. Minkus just finished representing my brother and I looked for him online I felt like I had to write this. Yes, he is not the cheapest lawyer around but he did exactly what he said he would do. My brother was being deported and we were sent to Mr. Minkus to try and fix his criminal record.
I hired Mr. Minkus a month ago after a convoluted incident that left me with criminal trespass and criminal damage to property, possibly pending a burglary charge. The confessions I had written and the police notes that were taken while I was in custody painted a very bad portrait of me and the system likely would have given me a severe sentence if not for
My experience with mr. Minkus was outstanding. Mr.Minkus really help me with difficult criminal case for Resisting Arrest and extremely bad traffic ticket for agrivated speeding . I would recommend this lawyer to anyone who are in deep trouble. I would love to say again THANK YOU mr Minkus for Excellent work on my case.
I had a conviction in my record that affect my ability to get my citizenship. Mr Johnatan came highly recommend from my immigration attorney and he was right. Mr Minkus went out of his way to get my conviction changed to the level that won't affect me anymore. I highly recommend his services.
Senior Partner Jonathan Minkus has successfully defended individuals charged with every conceivable criminal offense, from traffic misdemeanors to death-penalty eligible homicides.
Wisconsin Office
P.O. Box 16
Twin Lakes, WI 53181
5225 Old Orchard Rd.
Ste. 23B
Skokie, IL 60077
200 W. Adams St.
Ste. 2211
Chicago, IL 60606
Attorney Advertising. This information is designed for general information only. The information presented should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. Past results and testimonials are not a guarantee, warranty, or prediction of the outcome of your case, and should not be construed as such. Past results cannot guarantee future performance. Any result in a single case is not meant to create an expectation of similar results in future matters because each case involves many different factors, therefore, results will differ on a case-by-case basis. By providing certain contact information herein, you are expressly authorizing the recipient of this message to contact you via the methods of communication provided.
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