Call a lawyer if facing a criminal investigation. Immediately.
If you are contacted by law enforcement as the target of a criminal investigation you should stop talking and call an attorney. Whether you didn’t do anything wrong or did every bit of it, stop talking. You should first seek the advice and counsel of an attorney with experience handling criminal investigations. Detectives are accustomed to dealing with lawyers representing clients during an investigation. They will not hold it against you.
After consultation with you, your attorney will advise you of the next steps. Sometimes full cooperation is the best course of action, and sometimes you should exercise your right to remain silent. In some cases, the answer is in between. Your attorney will make sure detectives are asking clear, concise questions and are not tricking you into confessing to something you didn’t do. Your attorney will also help you prepare by gathering any relevant documents and evidence that will help clear you of your target status.
Some investigations, state and federal, may start with a civil inquiry. It is important to remember that anything you say in a civil investigation can be used against you later in a criminal investigation or prosecution. Miranda Rights apply to criminal investigations, so you will not be read your right to remain silent when being questioned by a civil investigator. State and federal agencies are encouraged to share information, and they do. If a civil investigator comes to believe a crime has been committed, they will pass your statements of admission on to a criminal detective.
Landon White Law Firm takes a custom approach to each client’s investigation. We gather our own evidence. We use forensic analysts or private investigators when needed. We even have a polygraph expert with years of law enforcement experience for investigation cases. Over the years, attorney Landon White has successfully defended clients facing a criminal investigation and kept charges from being filed.
Written by Landon White, attorney.
Signup to Receive our Newsletter
From time to time we send out a newsletter with what’s happening at Landon White Law, changes to relevant North Carolina laws, and news that is of interest to us. Please fill in the form below if you would like to receive this newsletter.
