Intoxication is a defense available to defendants in criminal law cases. A defendant who raises this defense claims that he should not be held liable for a crime because his compromised mental state prevented him from...
criminal law and procedure
investigatory stops
An investigatory stop is a limited, nonintrusive detention which requires reasonable suspicion. During an investigatory stop, an officer may briefly stop a suspicious person and make reasonable inquiries to confirm or dispel their suspicions...
Investor Protection Guide: Advance Fee Fraud
Advance fee frauds involve victims paying money in the hope of receiving something of greater value. This type of fraud takes on a myriad of forms, but they share some characteristics in common. Defrauders will often reach out to an investor...
Investor Protection Guide: Affinity Fraud
Affinity fraud is not a singular specific type of fraud but is rather defined as any and all frauds targeted towards members of an identifiable group of individuals such as those with a common religion, ethnic heritage, background, or...
Investor Protection Guide: Internet Fraud
The Internet can serve as an efficient tool for investors, but it is also an excellent tool for defrauders. The Internet allows individuals or companies to reach tens of thousands of people by building a web site, posting a message on an online...
Investor Protection Guide: Investment Newsletters
Some companies pay people to write online newsletters recommending their stocks, which are referred to as investment newsletters. Federal securities laws require the newsletters to disclose who paid for their product, the amount, and the type...
Investor Protection Guide: Micro-cap Stock Fraud ("Pump and Dump")
"Pump and Dump" is a type of stock fraud involving the use of false or misleading statements to increase stock prices and then sell the inflated stocks to the public. Stocks of microcap companies, which have low capitalizations and limited...
Investor Protection Guide: Ponzi Scheme
Named after Charles Ponzi, who infamously bilked investors out of millions of dollars in the 1920s, a Ponzi scheme is an investment scam that involves the payment of abnormally high "returns" to investors that are actually paid from money...
Investor Protection Guide: Prime Bank Schemes
Prime bank fraud is a type of investment scheme that promises extremely high yields over a short period of time. Individuals claim that they have access to secret financial products which they can buy at a discount and sell at a premium. In...
Investor Protection Guide: Promissory Note Scam
In a promissory note scam, the individuals perpetrating the scam often stay behind the scenes. They persuade others to sell promissory notes by promising them large commissions. The individuals who sell the promissory notes to investors often...