Criminal defense
Robbery and firearm charges
Norwalk Superior Court
Not-guilty verdict
Criminal defense
Long Beach White Collar Crime Defense Lawyer
White collar cases are usually decided before anyone is arrested, in the months while an agency, an auditor, or an employer is building a file. What you do in that window is the case. The consultation is free.
Patrick S. AguirreCriminal defense attorney · Long BeachCallback request
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The charges
What “white collar” actually covers
The phrase is not a legal category; it is a description of how a case looks. In California the actual charges are embezzlement, grand theft, theft by false pretenses, forgery, identity theft, insurance fraud, workers’ compensation fraud, real estate and mortgage fraud, securities offenses under the Corporations Code, money laundering, unauthorised computer access, and conspiracy tying several of them together.
What these cases share is that the conduct is documented rather than witnessed. There is rarely a dispute about what transactions occurred; the dispute is about what they meant and what the person intended. That makes them unusually defensible in the right circumstances, and unusually dangerous when the defense waits for the paperwork to speak for itself.
Sources: Penal Code 503 — embezzlement; Penal Code 532 — theft by false pretenses; Penal Code 550 — insurance fraud; Penal Code 502 — unauthorised computer access; Penal Code 186.10 — money laundering.
Before charges
The investigation stage, which is where cases are won
A white collar matter typically announces itself as something other than a criminal case: an internal audit, a letter from a regulator, a subpoena to an employer, a call from an insurance special investigations unit, a suspended licence, or a frozen account. Charges come later, if at all.
Three things matter in that period. First, say nothing to investigators, auditors, or an employer’s lawyers without counsel; those interviews are the evidence, and the employer’s lawyer does not represent you even if they are friendly. Second, preserve everything and alter nothing, because destroying or editing records converts a defensible case into obstruction. Third, get the documents organised and understood before anyone else frames them, and where appropriate present the client’s account to the prosecutor before the filing decision, which is a real opportunity that closes once a complaint is filed.
The exposure
Loss amount, aggregation, and the enhancement
The loss amount drives everything: whether an offense is a misdemeanor or a felony, whether transactions are aggregated into a scheme, and whether the Penal Code 186.11 enhancement attaches. That enhancement applies to two or more related felonies with fraud or embezzlement as a material element, forming a pattern of related felony conduct causing losses over $100,000, and it adds consecutive prison terms on top of the sentences for the underlying offenses.
It also allows the prosecution to seek pretrial orders preserving assets, which can freeze the money a defendant would use to retain counsel and experts. Responding to that is an early and separate piece of work.
Sources: Penal Code 186.11(a)(1)–(3) — the aggravated white collar crime enhancement and its terms; Penal Code 1170(h) — felony terms served in county jail.
Federal
State or federal, and why it matters
Conduct that used interstate wires or the mail, touched a federally insured institution, or involved a federal programme can be charged federally, and the same facts sometimes support both. The federal system changes the arithmetic: the Sentencing Guidelines tie the offense level to the loss table, relevant conduct can sweep in transactions that were never charged, and restitution covers the whole scheme. Federal matters are covered on the federal criminal defense page.
Sources: 18 U.S.C. 1343 — wire fraud; 18 U.S.C. 1001 — false statements to a federal agency; 18 U.S.C. 1957 — monetary transactions in criminally derived property.
The defense
How these cases are actually defended
Good faith is the backbone: contemporaneous emails, board minutes, accountant and lawyer advice, disclosures actually made, and the ordinary record of a business making decisions in real time rather than concealing anything. Reliance on professional advice is a recognised answer where the advice was sought honestly and the facts given were complete.
The loss figure is the second front, and it is usually assembled by an interested party. Independent forensic review of the same ledgers regularly produces a materially smaller number, which can move a case below a charging threshold or out of the enhancement.
Beyond that: whether transactions can lawfully be aggregated, whether the statute of limitations bars the older conduct, the scope and legality of the searches and subpoenas that produced the records, and whether the person charged actually had authority and responsibility for the decisions, which in a company is often someone else.
The office
How the Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre handles these matters
The office has defended fraud, theft, and embezzlement cases in Long Beach and across Los Angeles County for nearly three decades. The work begins with the documents and with controlling the client’s exposure during the investigation, including parallel civil suits and licensing proceedings, which can generate sworn statements that become evidence in the criminal case.
Nothing here predicts an outcome. The firm has offices in Long Beach and Downey and speaks Spanish.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions
I have not been charged. Do I need a lawyer now?
That is usually the most useful time to have one. Interviews, document productions, and statements made during an investigation become the evidence in any later prosecution, and a lawyer can sometimes present the client’s account to the prosecutor before a filing decision is made. Once a complaint is filed that opportunity is gone.
My employer’s lawyer wants to interview me. Are they on my side?
No. Counsel for a company represents the company, not its employees, even when the conversation is friendly and even when they say the company wants to help you. What you tell them is generally not privileged as to you and can be handed to the government. Get your own lawyer before that interview.
How does the amount of loss change the case?
It determines whether an offense is charged as a felony or a misdemeanor, whether separate transactions are aggregated into one scheme, and whether the Penal Code 186.11 enhancement applies, which requires a pattern of related fraud or embezzlement felonies with losses over $100,000. Reducing the provable loss is often the most valuable work in the case.
Can these charges be resolved without prison?
Many are, depending on the amount, the record, the restitution, and the court, but no outcome can be promised in advance and this page does not promise one. What can be said is that loss amount, restitution, and the absence of a prior record are the factors that most affect how these cases resolve.
Selected case results
Criminal defense results
A selection from 55 documented results
Criminal defense
Serious felony charges
Riverside Superior Court
Not guilty on all charges after three years in custody
Criminal defense
Domestic violence charge
Westminster Superior Court
Charge dismissed at trial
Client experiences
What clients say
★★★★★
“12 counts 2 felony charges DISMISSED … he got him out of jail FAST.”
★★★★★
“I just walked out of court a free man after getting my case dismissed.”
“From the beginning to the end, Patrick and his professional office staff kept us informed on any updates, concluding the case with a dismissal!”
“Best defense attorney in town. … He cares about his clients and takes every case seriously. The staff is friendly and caring.”
Meet your attorney
Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre
A Professional Law Corporation
The future of your case may depend on a successful outcome. It can be stressful to go through the legal process alone—but thankfully, you don’t have to.
The Law Offices of Patrick S. Aguirre will stand up for clients’ interests and rights, providing high-quality representation in personal injury cases and criminal defense matters throughout California from its Long Beach office.
We work with you and for your best interests. Our legal team is compassionate, hard-working, and tenacious—fighting to get the job done right when it matters most. No case is too complicated or insignificant for our full attention. Our clients may move forward into a brighter future free from worry about past mistakes.
We’re the legal team that never gives up. When you need an attorney who will fight for what’s right, turn to us, and we’ll do everything in our power to help. No matter how challenging your situation may seem, there is hope.
“Courage is the most important attribute of a lawyer.”
Robert F. Kennedy
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Talk with our office
Leave your contact information and, if helpful, a short general summary. The office will follow up.
Thank you.
The office received your contact request. If your matter is urgent, call 562-904-4337.