Fort Lauderdale Computer Crimes Defense Attorney
Being accused of computer crimes is a serious matter and one that should never be minimized by a person who is facing charges. A criminal defense attorney can assist you when you have been accused of violating computer laws in the state of Florida. It is essential to have an attorney who is knowledgeable about this area of the law to protect you.
With the growth of web cameras, the internet, wireless and wired networks and the easy accessibility over numerous different devices, the opportunities for computer-based crimes are on the rise, meaning that legislators are seriously targeting those individuals who are accused of breaking computer crimes. Since this area of the law is extremely complex and depends largely on technology, hiring the right attorney to represent you is important.
Criminal Activity Involving a Computer
Computer crime, in general, refers to any situation involving criminal activity with a computer as a target, storage device or communication device. When used as a communication device, a computer may be involved in criminal activity such as:
- Soliciting minors
- Stalking
- Money laundering
- Wire fraud
- Harassment
- Bullying
- Trafficking in passwords
- Propagating viruses
- Transmitting child pornography
- Transmitting copyrighted material
When a computer serves as a target in an alleged computer crime, the criminal activity could include:
- Cyber warfare
- Identity theft
- Unauthorized access
- Cyber terrorism
- Industrial espionage
- Access for fraudulent purposes
When used as a storage device, a computer may be classified as part of criminal activity including:
- Storing unauthorized data
- Storing incriminating evidence
- Storing child pornography
New offenses are classified often in the state of Florida as computer technology advances. Both states and the federal government have laws that classify computer crimes. Some of these are classified as misdemeanors and others as felonies. There are several different federal statutes that can impact your potential criminal charges including:
- The Economic Espionage Act of 1996
- The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986
- The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986
- The Identity Theft and Assumption to Turns Act 1998
- The No Electronic Theft Act of 1997
- The Communications Decency Act of 1996 and
- The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996
In addition, there are laws within Florida that classify computer crimes. This lists the various offenses associated with criminal activity on computer systems, computer networks, and computers in the state of Florida, such as:
- Unauthorized access.
- Unlawfully obtained data storage.
- Damaging or destroying a computer system, computer or network.
- Destroying, stealing or modifying data associated with intellectual property or trade secrets.
- Executing or designing schemes to defraud.
- Introducing contaminants into any computer network, computer system or computer.
These can carry serious penalties depending on the type of crime alleged. For example; if the damage is more than $5000 or if the hacking interrupts government service then this can be classified as a second-degree felony. If this could have led to the loss of life, the crime is considered a first-degree felony. An aggressive criminal defense lawyer in Fort Lauderdale can assist you when you have been accused of any computer crime. Identifying appropriate legal representation as soon as possible can a long way towards giving you peace of mind about your future.
