If you have been charged with a white collar crime it is important to understand the difference between a civil and a criminal case as related to these types of offenses.

In a civil case somebody may sue you directly for the losses they suffered as a result of this offense. However, in a criminal case it is the government who is prosecuting you for a violation of the law. The penalties may be quite severe depending on the amount of loss as a result of your offense. If the loss was in the area of 50,000 dollars and its a state case you may be looking at a sentence of up to 4 years in state prison. If the loss of the offense is in the millions of dollars you could be looking upwards at 10 or 20 years in federal prison.

It is important to understand that the government is prosecuting you not the individual who suffered the loss. The penalties they are seeking are very severe.