Your profession isn’t always an indication of your level of professionalism. School administrator Sharon Downing is the director of Choice Academy and facing serious criminal charges. Fitting the bill of a white collar criminal, Ms. Downing could be facing prison time.
According to this report from The IndyStar, Downing is accused of taking out a loan in her sister’s name and forging her sister’s signature. In 2007 the loan was taken out in her sister’s name for $83,600. Downing’s sister apparently had no idea.
Now, Downing is facing 2 charges of forgery and 2 counts of identity deception, both very serious criminal charges. A warrant has been issued for her arrest and a $5000 bond has been set.
Stories like this show that many regular people are charged with criminal offenses. While collar crimes are often committed in times of financial hardship and done without considering the potential penalties. Many of these offenses are considered serious felonies, however, and can result in length prison terms.
For example, identity deception is committed when you use the identifying information of another person without their consent to defraud, assume their identity, or pretend to be that person. This particular offense is a Class D felony and can result in up to 3 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
A less serious and more common offense, bad checks is considered a misdemeanor. If you are accused of passing bad checks you could be sentenced to up to 1 year in jail and fines up to $5000.
As you can see, white collar crimes are no minor matter. If you have been accused of a criminal charge like this you may be wondering where to turn and what to expect. Contacting an experienced attorney should be your first step. Call me today so we can discuss what led to these charges and where to go from here.