Thanks to Proposition 207, which Arizona voters approved last year, hundreds of thousands of people qualified to seal their criminal records of marijuana-related convictions can now do so.

Money laundering, like other white collar crimes, is currently on the rise in America. As a result, courts are cracking down on criminals who commit these crimes, with severer consequences and less leniency. But what exactly is a white collar crime and, more specifically, money laundering? And what do you need to know so you can make sure your rights are protected?

Money laundering, like other white collar crimes, is currently on the rise in America. As a result, courts are cracking down on criminals who commit these crimes, with severer consequences and less leniency. But what exactly is a white collar crime and, more specifically, money laundering? And what do you need to know so you can make sure your rights are protected?

In their general election on November 3, 2020, Arizona voters passed Proposition 207. The Marijuana Legalization Initiative effectively decriminalized the use and possession of modest amounts of marijuana for personal use for adults age 21 or older. The resulting Smart and Safe Arizona Act governs the adult use, taxation, and regulation of marijuana in Arizona. 

With unemployment still a major issue in the United States as COVID-19 measures make non-essential, in-person activity an impossibility, many states are still boasting high unemployment numbers. In Arizona, the unemployment rate is resting at around eight percent (8%) – just shy of 300,000 people out of work.

In 2010, Arizona citizens voted to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Over the course of the last decade, new legislature has been put in place to protect the rights of medical marijuana patients, their caregivers, and distributors throughout the state.

Possession of even a tiny amount of recreational marijuana is a felony in the state of Arizona. Arizona’s drug laws—from possession to manufacturing/cultivation to trafficking—are far harsher than most states, including potentially long prison terms and fines of up to $150,000.

If you don't show up to your criminal court date, you could land yourself another criminal charge — Failure to Appear. In Arizona, Failure to Appear is a criminal offense that can be a misdemeanor or a felony charge, depending on whether you missed a court date for a misdemeanor or a felony offense.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created opportunities for an increase in certain types of crime. One specific instance has been the increase of computer crimes relating to computer fraud and identity theft. News stories have detailed how some have capitalized on the stimulus checks and unemployment benefits to defraud others of money.

A person commits fraud when using deceptive tactics or false premises to achieve a personal gain. The term fraud is the general word used to define a range of offenses involving dishonesty or misrepresentation of fact, falsified statement, or deceitful behavior. Fraud is committed in many settings and people are committing fraud more than ever. Depending on the nature of the fraudulent activity, you can be accused of fraud both civilly and criminally.

A bank fraud accusation is extremely serious. Generally, the crime of bank fraud occurs anytime a person uses fraudulent means to obtain something of value from a financial institution or users of that institution. Bank fraud is extremely broad, covering numerous forms of fraudulent behavior. Because bank fraud is so broad, often times the crimes overlap with each other.