Virginia Cybercrime Lawyer / Fairfax Computer Crime Defense

Virginia cybercrime lawyer defending you against online prosecutions

Virginia cybercrime covers all online crimes, including online theft and financial fraud, drug distribution, identity theft under Virginia Code § 18.2-186.3, child pornography, obscenity, sex trafficking, hacking, spying, cyberterrorism, and copyright piracy. As a Fairfax criminal lawyer, Jon Katz is fully ready to defend against such prosecutions. Jon has worked closely with computer forensics experts both to challenge whether the digital evidence proves a crime, and to put any convicted cybercrimes into perspective, for negotiating and sentencing purposes, by comparing such activity to plenty of innocent Internet and computer use by the defendant.

Beware having yourself or your Internet account become conduits for cybercrime activity

Cybercrime knows no international borders. Anybody with a computer or Internet account is at risk of knowingly or unwittingly being recruited to join in cybercrime activity, and to having their computers and Internet accounts hijacked by cybercriminals wanting you rather than them to be tracked for online criminal activity. That alone is a good enough reason only to use computers regularly running and installing up-to-date anti-virus software, even though such software is not foolproof.

Virginia police and federal law enforcement constantly pursue and entrap cybercrime

A law enforcement officer may be the person masquerading themselves to you online as a minor, or someone offering to engage in other criminal activity. The Internet lulls plenty of web users into a false sense of anonymity, even though Internet accounts are tied to unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that are easy for law enforcement to trace.

Of course, many Internet accounts are not limited merely to one user. This is a double-edged sword with Virginia criminal prosecutions, in that others' criminal activities can risk getting innocent people into trouble who use the same computer or Internet account, but this is also a defense if the evidence does not show who committed an online crime among multiple users of shared computers and Internet accounts. When a computer crime suspect is confronted by the police, his or her refusal to speak with them can spell the difference between being able to raise a defense (through one's lawyer) that some other person committed the alleged crime (aka SODDI, or some other dude did it) versus being stymied from using such a defense.

Will Virginia prosecutors want to bother working to prove that a suspect committed cybercrimes?

Proving cybercrimes can sometimes prove very labor-intensive and time consuming; defending against such prosecutions can also be very time consuming and brain-intensive. Consequently, when a prosecutor contacts a suspect or his or her lawyer about possible online criminal activity, the criminal defense lawyer needs to consider the extent to which s/he will show the prosecutor that the time and resources that will be required to prove a crime are just not worth the effort and resources (for instance where the alleged criminal activity is minor), and may not even yield a conviction. Of course, making such defensive arguments first requires knowing enough about what evidence the prosecution and law enforcement already have against the suspect or defendant, and what new evidence they might find.

What should I do when accused of online criminal activity?

When accused of online crime, it is vital to assert your right to remain silent and to consult without delay with a qualified lawyer. When accused of online crime by a private party, beware whether that might be a scam to extort money or other adverse action against you to try to make the matter go away. One example of such scams might involve receiving an email or other online communication claiming to be from the parent of a child, where the alleged wrongdoer has been communicating sexually with that person or has exchanged nude photos. It is not always easy to know whether such communications from purported police and private parties are scams or not. Furthermore, beware committing a crime yourself through the very act of offering or providing money or other things of value as hush money. The safest way to protect yourself against such legitimate and scamming allegations is to avoid questionable and illegal online and offline activity in the first place, and to obtain the service of a qualified lawyer when accused.

Fairfax criminal lawyer Jonathan L. Katz pursues your best defense against Virginia felony and misdemeanor prosecutions. Call 703-383-1100 for a free in-person confidential consultation with Jon Katz about your court-pending case.