New York White-Collar Criminal Defense Lawyers
Abrams Fensterman White-Collar Criminal Defense & Investigations team represents businesses, executives, professionals, and individuals in complex criminal, regulatory, and internal investigations involving allegations of fraud, bribery, official corruption, tax offenses, False Claims Act violations, financial institution and insurance fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, forfeiture, whistleblower and retaliation claims, discrimination, harassment, and other high-stakes matters.
Our attorneys help clients address problems early through internal investigations, risk assessment, remedial action, and strategic engagement with prosecutors and regulators. When government action cannot be avoided, we work to protect clients quietly and decisively, pursuing favorable resolutions, immunity or non-prosecution agreements where appropriate, and coordinated dispositions involving parallel federal, state, criminal, civil, administrative, and regulatory proceedings.
Our criminal defense team includes former prosecutors and judges who understand how investigations are built, how charging decisions are made, and how to challenge the government’s case from the earliest stage through trial and appeal.
What Is White-Collar Criminal Defense?
White-collar criminal defense protects individuals and businesses accused of financial crimes such as fraud, embezzlement, bribery, and other business-related offenses, frequently during government investigations before any charges are filed.
At Abrams Fensterman, LLP, former prosecutors and judges challenge the evidence, negotiate favorable dispositions, and defend clients at trial throughout New York’s federal and state courts.
What Does a New York Criminal Defense Lawyer Do?
A criminal defense lawyer protects your rights from the moment an investigation begins through trial and any appeal. The work includes analyzing the prosecution’s evidence, advising you during questioning, filing motions to suppress evidence or dismiss charges, negotiating dispositions, and presenting your defense to a judge or jury when a case goes to trial.
Our attorneys represent individuals and businesses at the investigative, trial, and post-conviction stages in both federal and state courts in New York and across the country. We focus first on identifying weaknesses in the prosecution’s theory, then on the path most likely to protect your liberty, your livelihood, and your reputation.
Early Defense Can Change the Outcome
In many matters, the strongest result is resolving the case before charges are ever filed. In others, it means trying the case and persuading a jury that the charges do not hold.
Government investigations frequently move quietly long before anyone is arrested. Subpoenas, document requests, and witness interviews are signals that counsel should already be involved.
How Does a Criminal Defense Lawyer Help During a Government Investigation?
The earliest stage often matters most. A skilled defense lawyer can engage with prosecutors during the investigation, shape what evidence is gathered, protect you from self-incrimination, and, in the strongest outcomes, prevent charges from being filed at all.
Our team has extensive experience responding at this stage, when the goal is to influence the prosecution’s decision before it hardens into an indictment. Early, informed advocacy is often the difference between a matter that quietly closes and one that becomes a public prosecution.
What Types of Criminal Cases Does the Firm Handle?
White-Collar & Financial Crimes
Insider trading, securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, tax fraud, and public corruption.
Specialized Criminal Matters
Health care fraud, racketeering, cybercrimes, immigration fraud, regulatory enforcement matters, and complex investigations.
Serious Felony Defense
Homicide, assault, sex offenses, robbery, kidnapping, arson, DWI, drug crimes, perjury, obstruction, and witness tampering.
In health care fraud matters, Partner Alyssa A. Friedman leads the firm’s defense of health care providers facing fraud, abuse, and regulatory enforcement allegations. We assess each matter individually rather than applying a single template.
Why Hire Former Prosecutors and Judges to Defend Your Case?
Lawyers who once worked inside the system understand how the other side builds and values a case. Our criminal defense team includes former prosecutors and judges who know how charging decisions are made, how evidence is weighed, and where a prosecution is vulnerable.
This insight informs every stage of representation, from persuading a court to suppress evidence or dismiss charges to convincing a jury that a client was wrongfully charged and must be acquitted. Partner Douglas K. Stern and the wider team bring courtroom experience across federal and state forums. You can review the full criminal defense team on our attorneys page.
When Should You Contact a Criminal Defense Attorney?
Contact a lawyer the moment you learn of an investigation, receive a subpoena, or are contacted by any agency — not after charges are filed. Early representation gives counsel the most room to protect your rights, manage contact with investigators, and pursue a resolution before the situation escalates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you handle both federal and state criminal cases in New York?
Yes. Our attorneys represent clients in both federal and state courts in New York and in matters across the country, at the investigative, trial, and post-conviction stages.
What is the difference between white-collar and general criminal defense?
White-collar defense addresses financial and business-related offenses such as fraud and bribery, often involving regulatory agencies. General criminal defense covers a broader range of state and federal charges, including violent and felony matters. The firm handles both.
Can a lawyer help before I am formally charged?
Yes. This is often the most valuable time to involve counsel. Early representation can shape the investigation, protect you from self-incrimination, and, in some cases, prevent charges from being filed.
How do I start working with the firm?
Contact any of our New York offices to schedule an initial consultation. An attorney will discuss your situation and explain the options available to you.
Contact Our Criminal Defense Team
To discuss a white-collar criminal investigation, subpoena, agency inquiry, or pending criminal charge, contact Abrams Fensterman’s criminal defense team.
Long Island: 516-328-2300
Brooklyn: 718-215-5300
White Plains: 914-607-7010
Rochester: 585-218-9999
Albany: 518-535-9477
