Tampa Crime Defense Lawyer Mayberry Law Firm (2024)

An allegation of a Federal structuring charge is a white-collar crime alleging that someone has deposited money in a fashion so as to avoid certain bank reporting requirements. Also known as smurfing, the act of structuring involves a series of smaller bank deposits made in place of a single bank deposit that would amount to more than $10,000. For example, if someone has $50,000 in cash to deposit in their bank, should they choose to deposit it through five deposits of $9,999 and one deposit of $5, with the intent to avoid the reporting requirement, they have committed the crime of structuring. The intent in a structuring scheme is to avoid the bank filing a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) under the Bank Secrecy Act or an IRS Form 8300 which is required to be filed by a nonfinancial trade or business. The policy behind the requirement of filing a CTR or a Form 8300 is so that the government can keep tabs on financial transactions of individuals and to ferret out money laundering schemes, tax evasion efforts, illegal gambling operations, and drug traffickers.

what is structuring?

Structuring is governed by Federal Statute 31 USC 5324 and states in pertinent part that, no person shall for the purpose of avoiding a financial transaction reporting requirement, cause or attempt to cause a domestic financial institution or nonfinancial trade or business to fail to file a required financial report. A conviction for structuring carries with it a maximum of 5 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a fine, and quite often the draconian process of having their assets forfeited assuming the government can show a nexus between those assets and the crime of conviction. Defined in the 11th Circuit Criminal Jury Instructions, to structure “a transaction means to deposit, withdraw, or otherwise participate in transferring a total of more than $10,000 in cash or currency using a financial institution or bank by intentionally setting up or arranging a series of separate transactions, each one involving less than $10,000, in order to evade the currency-reporting requirement that would have applied if fewer transactions had been made.”

Can a Federal Structuring Charge be Defended?

Though every criminal allegation is different, an allegation that one has structured funds relies on the United States being able to prove that the person knowingly structured a deposit and that the intent of the structure was to avoid transaction-reporting requirements. For arguments sake, if one has been given $50,000 in the form of six checks drawn on different accounts from a payor and the checks are deposited by the payee to their account, it could be argued that the payee didn’t knowingly structure any of the deposits as the payee simply deposited the funds in the form they were received. In this example there would be no knowing structure. Conversely, if the payee requested six separate checks totaling $50,000 for the purpose of knowingly structuring the deposit, a Federal criminal attorney may have a tough time defending their client against a structuring allegation. Another scenario could be the individual who makes a small number of deposits of cash into a bank account from a larger pool of money. Due to a fear of transporting a large sum of money, an individual may make numerous smaller deposits as a precaution against potential robbery. If the person had no intent to structure or had no knowledge of the currency transaction report requirement, the person may have a viable defense against a structuring charge. In this scenario, the larger the number of deposits made, the more difficult the case would be to defend.

Contact Us

If you’ve been charged with a Federal crime, it is imperative to hire an experienced and knowledgeable Tampa Federal criminal lawyer as soon as possible. Often the outcome of Federal criminal cases turn on the speed at which the allegations are addressed and the course of action taken. Federal criminal attorney Jason Mayberry is available at 813-444-7435 or 727-771-3847. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tampa Crime Defense Lawyer Mayberry Law Firm (2024)

FAQs

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Charlie Munger

He has an estimated net wealth of $2.3 billion, Munger ranks as the world's richest lawyer.

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Gerry Spence is widely considered one of the most successful trial and criminal attorneys in America. He has never once lost a criminal case — either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney — and he hasn't lost a civil case since 1969.

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Defense Attorney

A lawyer who defends an individual or corporation against criminal charges. A defense lawyer may operate in private practice or, if employed by the government, work as a public defender assigned to clients who cannot afford an attorney.

Who is India famous criminal lawyer? ›

The top ten criminal lawyers in India include Harish Salve, Fali S. Nariman, Ram Jethmalani, Mukul Rohatgi, Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Siddharth Luthra, Pinky Anand, Vrinda Grover, and Rebecca John.

Is there any lawyer who never lost? ›

Spence has never lost a criminal case before a jury either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, and did not lose a civil case between 1969 and 2010. He is considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century, and one of the best trial lawyers ever.

Who is the best lawyer in the USA? ›

BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA© 2022 EDITION
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Who is the world biggest lawyer? ›

1. Charlie Munger. With an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion, Charlie Munger stands as the world's wealthiest lawyer. A Harvard Law School graduate, Munger is renowned in business circles as Warren Buffet's partner in Berkshire Hathaway, the fifth richest man globally.

What is a lawyers boss called? ›

General Counsel

The chief lawyer of a legal department within a corporation or organization, responsible for overseeing all legal matters. General Counsels provide strategic legal guidance to senior management and typically lead a team of attorneys.

What is a corrupt lawyer called? ›

If your neighbor hires an unscrupulous quack to sue you, you might call his attorney a pettifogger. You don't hear the word pettifogger much these days, since the word is fairly archaic, but you might come across it in an old book. A bad lawyer, or pettifogger, used dubious means to get clients and to win cases.

What if a lawyer knows his client is lying? ›

When a lawyer has actual knowledge that a client has committed perjury or submitted false evidence, the lawyer's first duty is to remonstrate with the client in an effort to convince the client to voluntarily correct the perjured testimony or false evidence.

What is the highest salary for criminal defense attorneys? ›

Criminal Defense Lawyer Salary in California
Annual SalaryWeekly Pay
Top Earners$118,428$2,277
75th Percentile$102,100$1,963
Average$83,690$1,609
25th Percentile$76,500$1,471

Which is the richest lawyer? ›

10 Highest Paid Lawyers in India
  • 10 Highest Paid Lawyers in India.
  • Fali S. Nariman.
  • Harish Salve.
  • Gopal Subramanium.
  • K. Parasaran.
  • Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
  • K.K. Venugopal.
  • Mukul Rohatgi.
Mar 11, 2024

What is the highest salary of criminal lawyer in India? ›

Qualification Wise Salary of Different Types of Lawyers in India
Type of LawyerQualificationExperienced Top-tier Salary
Criminal LawyerLLB / LLM₹15,00,000 and above
Corporate LawyerLLB / LLM₹25,00,000 and above
Civil Litigation LawyerLLB / LLM₹12,00,000 and above
Intellectual Property LawyerLLB / LLM₹18,00,000 and above
5 more rows

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