Broward County | Fraud Defense
An accusation of fraud can turn ordinary business records into evidence against you. Miller & Jacobs helps you understand the charge, preserve the transaction history, and prepare a defense based on what actually happened. Start with the notice or investigator's message you received.
Asked to explain a payment, application, or account? Get legal advice before giving a detailed statement. Bring any deadline, subpoena, or court notice. Our Pompano Beach office serves people facing fraud allegations throughout Broward County.
Read the complete transaction history
Separate access from actual conduct
Different fraud laws require different proof
Local help with the next legal step
Three Questions First
What happened, who did it, and what shows intent?
Start with the statement, payment, or use of information the State says was wrong. Then ask who allowed it and what the records show about what that person knew and meant to do. A loss of money alone does not answer those questions. Neither does a name on a business account.
Florida Communications Fraud ActBefore You Respond
Keep original emails, messages, contracts, invoices, and account records you lawfully possess. Do not edit an old document to make it clearer or ask another person to match your account. Tell your lawyer about requests for records and upcoming interviews. Do not ignore a subpoena or court order while deciding how to respond.
Countywide Perspective
A customer in Hollywood, an office in Pompano Beach, and a payment processed in Fort Lauderdale may appear in the same file. The defense follows the conduct and records, not just one address. Explore our Pompano Beach fraud page, Fort Lauderdale fraud page, or Hollywood fraud page for city-level information.
Build the Timeline
A complaint may focus on a single transfer or message. The surrounding records can explain the agreement, the authority each person had, and what happened after the payment. Useful evidence often comes from several systems rather than one folder.
Compare the signed contract with proposals, revisions, and written approvals. Identify what was promised, who accepted it, and whether the terms changed before money moved. Keep attachments with the messages that delivered them.
Trace deposits, transfers, refunds, and payments to suppliers. A bank entry needs context: who initiated it, what it paid for, and who received the benefit. Avoid assuming every incoming payment represents a personal gain.
List who could use the account, any shared logins, device changes, and access logs. An account name alone may not show who sent a request. Save evidence without entering someone else's account or going beyond your permission.
Save shipping confirmations, work orders, service records, and customer acceptance messages. These records can show what was performed and when. Missing work still needs an explanation, but it should not erase documented performance from the timeline.
Keep full conversations rather than selected screenshots. Earlier questions, disclosed limitations, and later corrections may change how a message reads. Preserve dates and attachments so the sequence can be checked against financial records.
Ask what the alleged amount includes. Duplicate entries, reversed transactions, and amounts tied to other people deserve careful review. The relevant legal calculation depends on the charged offense, not simply the largest number in the complaint.
Preserve first, organize second. Keep original files intact. Make a separate timeline for your lawyer and clearly mark estimates or gaps in your memory. Do not create replacement records that could be mistaken for documents made at the time.
Know the Actual Law
The charging document should identify the statute and alleged conduct. Two cases involving money can require different proof and carry different consequences. We explain the actual charge rather than applying a generic fraud penalty chart to every client.
Florida Identity Information LawScheme
Section 817.034 addresses an ongoing scheme to defraud that obtains property. The value attributed to that scheme affects the offense level. The defense must examine both the alleged scheme and the property linked to it.
Communication
The same statute separately addresses communications made to obtain property through a scheme. That is not identical to proving that property was obtained. Review the actual communication, its sender, and its alleged purpose.
Identity
Section 817.568 addresses criminal use of personal identification information. Consent, authority, knowledge, and the charged subsection matter. The presence of another person's information in a file does not by itself explain why it was there or how it was used.
Exposure
The statute, amount, number of people involved, and other alleged facts can affect exposure. Some provisions carry enhanced consequences. Get a charge-specific explanation before judging an offer by the word fraud alone.
Start With the Documents
Understand the allegation before making your next move
Call 954-465-8733You do not need to solve the accounting or collect every record before calling. Bring the papers you have, identify the deadline, and explain who has contacted you. We can discuss what needs attention first and what information is still missing.
Free ConsultationMeet With Us
1600 S. Federal Highway, Suite 1101
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
Test the Accusation
Fraud defense belongs within the larger criminal case. Review our Broward County criminal defense hub for the broader process. On this page, the focus is the evidence behind the transaction and the decisions that evidence supports.
Broward Criminal Defense HubIntent
Compare the claim with disclosures made at the time, instructions, and efforts to do the work. A later dispute alone does not show what someone knew when they acted. An honest mistake is not the same as a plan to deceive.
Authority
Job duties, written permissions, and approval records can show who made a choice. A title alone does not show who was responsible. Ask whether the person acted alone, followed orders, or lacked the facts they needed.
Identity
Check account records, devices, signatures, and messages. Shared access can raise key questions, but it does not by itself defeat a charge. Use records to test who acted rather than guessing what another user did.
Context
A broken promise, disputed invoice, or failed venture needs careful context. Civil liability and criminal intent are different questions. Explain what changed, what was disclosed, and what each side understood without assuming that calling something a contract dispute ends the investigation.
Reliability
Check where records came from and whether the file is complete. A spreadsheet made for a lawsuit is not the same as an original account record. Look for missing attachments, totals that lack an explanation, and claims based on guesses rather than what someone saw or heard.
Options
The next step may be to seek missing records, challenge evidence, discuss an offer, or prepare for trial. Those choices should follow the proof and your goals. An honest review does not start with a promise to get the case dismissed or a plea chosen in advance.
Our Approach
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A clear defense follows the records, tests the assumptions, and explains your choices in plain English.
That is our service approach, not a promise about the result. You should understand the accusation and the reason for each recommended step. If a key fact remains uncertain, we identify the missing evidence instead of filling the gap with a confident guess.
Your Next Steps
There may be several deadlines at once: a court date, a records request, an employment issue, or a civil claim. Separate them early so a response in one matter does not create an avoidable problem in another.
01
Save the envelope, notice, and contact information. Tell counsel whether you have been arrested, charged, served with papers, or only contacted for an interview. Those are different starting points.
02
Keep the original records you lawfully control. Ask right away how to keep them safe. Do not delete messages, change files, or let routine cleanup erase records while you seek advice.
03
List important dates, people, payments, and agreements for your lawyer. Separate what you remember from what documents establish. Include facts that concern you, not only facts you believe are helpful.
04
Tell your lawyer about related lawsuits, questions from an insurer, workplace reviews, or license concerns. These processes may overlap. Settling a private dispute does not necessarily end a criminal inquiry.
05
Discuss the state's proof, missing material, and realistic options. Ask what each decision means for court obligations and your daily life. Keep questions in writing so important concerns are not lost.
06
Keep appointments and comply with existing court conditions. Send new notices to your lawyer right away. Do not contact an accuser to negotiate a withdrawal without advice, particularly where restrictions apply.
Working Together
A clear intake helps identify urgent issues without requiring you to tell the entire story through a public web form. Share basic contact information and the type of allegation first. Ask how to provide sensitive financial or identity records securely.
The charge, notice, or investigator's message
The next known deadline or court date
Key contracts and transaction records
Names of related businesses and proceedings
Questions about work, travel, and family obligations
Ask who will handle the matter, what the engagement covers, and how fees are structured. Identify any related civil or federal issue that needs separate attention. Do not assume that every connected dispute falls within the same representation.
Meet the Miller & Jacobs Partners
Partner | Trial Attorney
Discuss your concerns with Miller & Jacobs and ask about Mark Miller's role in your representation. Your consultation should establish responsibility for the matter, not rely on assumptions drawn from a name on the website.
Mark Miller's Professional Background
Partner | Trial Attorney
Ask about Rick Jacobs's role, communication arrangements, and how important decisions will be discussed with you. Clear expectations help you know where to direct new documents and urgent questions as the case develops.
Rick Jacobs's Professional BackgroundConsultation Checklist
You can begin with a small set of documents. Tell us what is missing and where it may be held. Do not delay because a bank, former employer, or agency has not yet supplied the complete file.
Provide the statute or case number if available. Otherwise, bring the words used in the notice or message. Avoid translating every financial accusation into the same kind of fraud.
Identify who made decisions, handled funds, communicated with customers, or controlled accounts. Describe actual roles rather than guessing who should be responsible.
Bring the agreement and representative payment records. Explain where additional files are stored and whether access may expire. Preserve originals instead of replacing them with a summary.
Tell us about release conditions, protective orders, or instructions in a subpoena. Keep complying with existing obligations while counsel reviews the available response.
Mention civil demands, employment proceedings, and other agency contacts. Include deadlines even when the document does not use the word criminal.
Explain the practical impact on your livelihood and household. We can discuss priorities alongside the legal issues without promising that any particular consequence can be avoided.
Fraud Defense FAQs
These answers explain common starting points. The charging document and underlying records determine how the law applies to an individual case.
No. A failed venture or unpaid invoice does not automatically prove criminal fraud. The alleged conduct must satisfy the charged law. Contracts, disclosures, performance records, and the timing of decisions help distinguish a commercial dispute from deliberate deception.
No. Organized fraud, communications fraud, and criminal use of personal information involve different provisions. Other financial offenses have their own requirements. Start with the statute on the charging document rather than assuming every fraud accusation has identical elements or penalties.
No. A refund or repayment does not automatically end an investigation or charge. It can be relevant to the facts or a proposed resolution. Discuss any payment or contact with the complaining person through counsel before taking action.
Shared access makes attribution important, but it is not an automatic defense. Preserve available records showing users, permissions, devices, and approvals. Do not enter another person's account or accuse someone else based only on a suspicion.
Get legal advice before giving a detailed account. An incomplete explanation can create confusion that is difficult to correct. Preserve the request and any deadline, and do not ignore a subpoena or court order while seeking counsel.
Yes. A civil dispute and a criminal matter can concern the same events. Resolving one does not necessarily resolve the other. Tell your lawyer about both so statements, documents, and deadlines can be considered together.
Keep original contracts, messages, invoices, payment records, approvals, and delivery evidence that you lawfully possess. Do not delete, alter, or backdate records. Ask counsel how to preserve sensitive material and provide it securely.
Contact Miller & Jacobs with the notice or allegation and the next known deadline. Explain whether you have been arrested, charged, or approached for information. The first conversation can identify urgent steps even when the complete records are not yet available.
