Los Angeles Mail Fraud Defense Attorney
Mail Fraud Defense Attorney Ready to Fight Your Charges
Mail fraud is a federal felony and federal prosecutors pursue these cases aggressively regardless of the dollar amount involved. If you are under investigation or have been charged with mail fraud in Los Angeles you need a mail fraud defense attorney working on your case immediately. Investigations can run for months or years before an arrest and by the time federal agents contact you they typically already have a substantial body of evidence. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi Attorney Hashemi has spent over 20 years defending clients against federal fraud charges in Los Angeles. Call (310) 448-1529 or contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.
What Is Mail Fraud Under Federal Law?
Mail fraud is prosecuted under 18 U.S.C. 1341. The statute makes it a federal crime to use the United States Postal Service or any private interstate mail carrier in furtherance of any scheme to defraud. What constitutes mail fraud under the statute is intentionally broad — the postal system does not need to be the central tool of the fraud. It only needs to have been used in some way to advance the scheme.
To secure a mail fraud conviction the prosecution must prove two elements beyond a reasonable doubt. First that you participated in a scheme to defraud another person or entity of money or property. Second that you used the mail to carry out or advance that scheme. Intent is the most critical element. Without proof that you knowingly and willfully participated in a fraudulent scheme the prosecution cannot meet its burden and the charge cannot stand.
Common conduct charged as mail fraud includes sending fraudulent invoices or billing statements through the mail, mailing counterfeit checks or financial instruments, using the postal system to communicate with co-conspirators in furtherance of a fraud scheme, mailing false insurance claims or applications, and submitting fraudulent documents through the mail in connection with real estate, investment, or business transactions.
Is Mail Fraud a Felony? Yes — And the Penalties Reflect It.
Mail fraud is a federal felony. Every count carries a potential prison sentence and federal prosecutors charge each use of the mail as a separate count meaning a scheme involving multiple mailings can result in dozens of counts and decades of combined sentencing exposure.
The mail fraud penalty under 18 U.S.C. 1341 is up to 20 years in federal prison per count. When the scheme involved a financial institution or was connected to a federally declared disaster or emergency the mail fraud penalty increases to up to 30 years per count. Additional consequences of a federal mail fraud conviction include:
- Fines up to $250,000 per count for individuals
- Mandatory restitution to victims for the full amount of their financial loss
- Asset forfeiture of all proceeds and property connected to the fraud
- Permanent federal felony record affecting employment, professional licenses, housing, and immigration status
- Federal sentences carry no parole — defendants serve at least 85 percent of the sentence imposed
- Civil liability under the False Claims Act in cases involving government programs
Because mail fraud counts are stacked the total sentencing exposure in a multi-count indictment can reach decades even for defendants charged with a single underlying scheme. Understanding your full exposure from the first day of representation is one of the most important things a mail fraud defense attorney does at the outset of every federal case.
How Our Mail Fraud Defense Attorney Fights Your Case
Mail fraud cases are built on documents, mailing records, and financial evidence. Every element the prosecution must prove is subject to challenge and our firm attacks each of them.
Challenging Intent to Defraud
The strongest defense in most mail fraud cases is the absence of specific intent to defraud. Billing errors, business disputes, good faith misrepresentations, and transactions that went wrong are not mail fraud. When you genuinely believed your representations were accurate or your conduct was lawful the prosecution cannot establish the knowing and willful intent required for a conviction. Our firm builds this defense through your communications, your business records, and the full context of every transaction and mailing the government intends to use against you.
Challenging Whether the Mail Was Used to Advance a Fraud
The government must show the mail was used in furtherance of the alleged scheme. When the mailing at issue was routine, administrative, or unconnected to any fraudulent purpose the prosecution faces a serious gap in its evidence. Our firm challenges the nexus between the alleged scheme and each specific mailing charged as a count to narrow the government’s case and reduce the total exposure wherever possible.
Suppression of Evidence
Mail fraud investigations involve searches of business records, financial accounts, postal records, and electronic communications. When that evidence was obtained through unlawful searches, overbroad warrants, or without proper legal process our firm files suppression motions immediately. Excluding key documents or communications from a mail fraud prosecution frequently changes the trajectory of the case entirely.
Pre-Indictment Intervention
When our firm gets involved during a federal mail fraud investigation rather than after charges are filed we can engage directly with federal prosecutors, present exculpatory evidence, and in some cases prevent an indictment from being filed at all. The earlier a mail fraud defense attorney is involved the more options exist to shape the outcome before the government’s position hardens.
Contact a Los Angeles Mail Fraud Defense Attorney Today
If you have been charged with mail fraud or are under federal investigation in Los Angeles do not speak to investigators without an attorney present and do not wait. Contact our office today for a free confidential consultation with a mail fraud defense attorney who will review the charges, analyze 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 mail 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.