When people think about criminals facing charges in Tampa, Florida, they often think of violent crimes. There are, however, many types of crimes that people are accused of that require the services of a competent Tampa criminal attorney. Some are very serious in nature and can be charged on a state or federal level. While some crimes are misdemeanors, others are felonies that hold penalties of several years in prison when convicted.

DUI

Driving under the influence (DUI) does not have to involve a car accident for someone to be charged with it. Tampa DUI attorneys frequently defend cases where a person was driving home from an event and was possibly speeding or ran a red light. While no one was injured, the police were nearby and stopped the driver of the vehicle for other violations. During the traffic stop, the odor of alcohol may have been present, resulting in sobriety tests and DUI charges. In this case, the individual would need a competent Tampa DIU attorney to present the best possible defense. Experienced lawyers that handle these types of cases understand the seriousness of the accusations and know how to prepare the best defense possible.

Counterfeiting

Many people associate counterfeiting with producing fake money in someone’s basement. While this is one method of it, there are many other types of counterfeiting and forgery that are also illegal, such as counterfeiting documents, prescriptions and checks. Possession of forged bank documents, forging official signatures and creating false identification cards, driver’s licenses or designer label goods are also against the law. When people are charged with these types of crimes, they may be punished with imprisonment, probation or monetary fines if convicted. Although the crimes are not violent in nature, they are taken very seriously by prosecutors, judges and juries.

Financial

There are many financial crimes that may result in serious prison time if someone is convicted. A Tampa criminal defense team is necessary to adequately defend someone against these charges. They include offenses such as uttering, writing worthless checks and embezzlement. These charges can be very serious, particularly when they involve large amounts of money and/or government agencies. Penalties for attempting to defraud government entities, such as the Internal Revenue Service, the county tax assessor’s office or the State of Florida are especially fierce.

Obstructing Justice

Sometimes scared or well-meaning people wind up in trouble with the law. This is often the case in obstruction of justice charges. The defendant is frequently accused of attempting to prevent law enforcement personnel or officers of the court from performing their job duties. It may be acts such as delivering tools to someone attempting to escape from prison, refusing to provide information or evidence to investigators, unlawfully using police communications devices or failing to appear as requested after being released from jail on bail. A competent Tampa criminal attorney that specializes in these types of non-violent crimes can help a defendant achieve the best possible outcome with the case.