Public Assistance Prefiling

Florida’s criminal justice system, and the systems of the country of a whole, can seem purposefully designed to punish the less fortunate in our society. While it is certain that many crimes are committed with malice and an intent to commit harm, as criminal defense attorneys, we realize that many criminal offenses are simply committed due to the desperation of our clients. When it is clear that our clients are in those desperate situations and committed crimes in order to provide for the health and safety of their families, we make it our mission to do whatever we can to secure a dismissal for our clients. If you have been charged with any crime that you committed in order to keep food on the table for your family, don’t hesitate to retain a skilled Clearwater criminal defense lawyer to build your defense.

One of the criminal offenses that we see often committed out of desperation instead of a desire for personal enrichment or malice is the offense of public assistance and welfare fraud. The state of Florida has a relatively robust welfare system, supplying child care, food stamps, cash assistance, and medicaid for those in our society who are less fortunate. Sadly, the income requirements for public assistance fraud in Florida is shockingly low and there is a steep drop off for those who make too much money. People will often choose to forgo minor increases to their income in order to ensure they continue to receive public assistance. Often, this public assistance will go directly to and benefit the children in the family and not the person making the claims.

Often, people who come to us when they first learn that they are being investigated for public assistance fraud. Our public assistance clients often have young families that rely on the public assistance benefits that they receive. Even more often, those clients have never before been investigated for any kind of criminal offense. Because of our extensive experience dealing with these types of cases, we are often able to put these clients at ease and help them fully understand the process that lays before them.

While public assistance fraud is usually committed by those in our society that are the most needy, the investigators for the state of Florida and the prosecutors who bring the charges often don’t share the same empathy that we do. We unfortunately see stories of clients who, having heard nothing from the police investigating their case, are suddenly arrested in the middle of the night by police executing the surprise warrants. Unrepresented people investigated for public assistance fraud are often taken advantage of by the investigators with the department of financial services. Don’t be one of those people, hire a dedicated Clearwater criminal defense lawyer to represent you right away

Because of the volume of public assistance fraud cases that our firm handles, we have a rapport with the DFS investigators and have developed a plan for our clients to deal with the investigation before charges are even filed. In some circumstances, we are able to negotiate resolutions with the prosecution before formal charges are filed, preventing our clients from ever even being arrested. In other circumstances, where charges and arrests are inevitable, we are in constant contact with the investigators and prosecutors so that we know exactly when filing documents are sent to the sheriff and when warrants are issued. Because we know when that happens, we can make sure our clients are able to turn themselves in on their own terms instead of risking being arrested in front of their family.

The attorneys at Hanlon law are prepared to build the best defense for your unique case. Don’t hesitate to call us for a consultation as soon as you think you might need a lawyer at 727-897-5413.