Maybe you work as a receptionist and you take notes during a meeting where your boss and their competitor agree to a price-fixing scheme. Perhaps you work in a medical office and knowingly input billing information for services that a physician hasn’t performed.
You do these things because they are part of your job and because you don’t want to lose your source of income. Many people ignore any criminal activity that occurs where they work because they think it doesn’t involve them.
The presumption that you don’t have to profit from criminal activity to face charges is all too common. However, you don’t have to receive a kickback for the company’s illegal activity or otherwise profit from it be part of a criminal conspiracy.
How you can wind up implicated in a business’s crimes
Those who know that someone else has committed a criminal act typically have an obligation to report that offense. Otherwise, they become an accessory or an accessory after the fact. By ignoring, playing a part in or covering up criminal activity at your place of employment, you may inadvertently become part of a criminal conspiracy.
While you may have done what you did out of fear of losing your job or simply because you didn’t feel you had any other choice, state and possibly federal prosecutors may see the circumstances differently. Although it is common for prosecutors to target those who spearheaded and profit from conspiracies and criminal enterprises. They also readily prosecute those with lower levels of involvement.
Anyone with ties to a conspiracy will be at risk of prosecution, especially if the police have already conducted some arrests. You may need to plan to defend yourself from charges, even if you never directly benefited from your employer’s wrongdoing. Seeking experienced legal guidance is wise.