Mail Fraud Charges

Mail Fraud is an extremely common charge in federal courts. The statute is very broadly written and a common joke among defense attorneys is that there is no one who has ever lived in the United States and has not committed mail fraud. Wire fraud and bank fraud are commonly charged along with mail fraud.

There are two essential elements to mail and wire fraud:

• Use of mails or interstate wires for the purpose of a fraudulent scheme
• Devise or intend to devise a fraudulent scheme

That being said, the negotiating skills of the lawyer you choose are important. Let the federal criminal defense attorneys at the law firm of Arnold and New represent you. We employ lawyers who speak English and Spanish, and represent clients in Florida and Georgia. Our federal mail fraud criminal defense lawyers make after hours appointments, and our phones are answered 24/7 to provide for emergencies that may arise, such as a late-night or weekend arrest.

Please consider retaining one of our federal criminal defense attorneys, led by Shawn Arnold, a Florida Board Certified Criminal Trial Lawyer. Contact us if you need legal representation in federal court; let our lawyers work for you!


18 U.S.C. § 1341. Frauds and swindles

Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, or to sell, dispose of, loan, exchange, alter, give away, distribute, supply, or furnish or procure for unlawful use any counterfeit or spurious coin, obligation, security, or other article, or anything represented to be or intimated or held out to be such counterfeit or spurious article, for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice or attempting so to do, places in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, any matter or thing whatever to be sent or delivered by the Postal Service, or deposits or causes to be deposited any matter or thing whatever to be sent or delivered by any private or commercial interstate carrier, or takes or receives therefrom, any such matter or thing, or knowingly causes to be delivered by mail or such carrier according to the direction thereon, or at the place at which it is directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, any such matter or thing, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.

Statutes above are up to date from http://www.law.cornell.edu/ as of October 1, 2009.