Being accused of a crime can change your life. To effectively respond to the charges, you need an attorney to advise you of your options and help you decide what to do. When you have been accused of a cyber crime, you need a lawyer who understands the unique forces at play in internet-related crime. You need a cyber crime lawyer.
Contact Smith & Holder, PLLC, to bring your search to an end. Our criminal defense attorneys thoroughly investigate the charges against our clients, prepare a defense, and fight to protect your rights.
What Is Cybercrime?
The term cyber crimes might evoke images of hackers accessing secret data. However, cyber crimes include many other offenses that are committed via the internet, like harassment and sex-related crimes.
Private Information
Many cyber crimes involve accessing personal information or online accounts, especially financial accounts. Often, these crimes involve:
- Phishing,
- Malware,
- Ransomware,
- Bots, or
- Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
The alleged criminal may steal property, hold accounts hostage, or defraud individuals.
Specifically, Mississippi outlaws the following:
- Identity theft;
- Accessing electronic data intending to defraud, extort, or destroy data;
- Denying a person full and effective access to a computer or network;
- Disclosing means to access a computer or system without consent;
- Destroying or changing intellectual property without consent; and
- Disclosing, taking, or accessing intellectual property without consent;
The punishments for conviction of these crimes vary by the amount of harm done.
Harassment and Related Crimes
Several harassing behaviors performed online are crimes under Mississippi law, including:
- Cyberstalking;
- Posting messages online intending to cause injury; and
- Sending or posting obscene comments with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass.
Cyberstalking may involve using electronic means to:
- Communicate threats to inflict bodily harm on a person, their child, sibling, spouse, or threats to extort money or other valuables;
- Repeatedly threaten, terrify, or harass someone;
- Knowingly communicate lies related to the death, injury, illness, indecent behavior, or criminal conduct of someone’s family or household member with the intent to threaten, terrify, or harass them; or
- Allow someone else to use your electronic devices for any of the above purposes.
Punishments vary depending on the activity and severity of the crime.
Pornography
Accessing or distributing sexually explicit materials depicting individuals under age 18—i.e., child pornography—is another type of cybercrime. It is also a crime to disclose or threaten to disclose pictures or videos:
- Of someone’s intimate bodily parts or of them engaging in sexual conduct,
- Without their consent,
- Causing them harm,
- Allowing them to be identified, and
- With the intent to harm the person.
This crime is often called revenge porn.
Other Offenses
Several other offenses may involve online elements, too, like offenses related to:
- Gambling,
- Fraud,
- Piracy,
- Sexual extortion, or
- Prostitution.
Allegations that an offense was committed online may move it into cybercrime territory.
What Does a Cybercrime Lawyer Do?
At Smith & Holder, we defend those accused of cybercrimes. We investigate the prosecution’s claims, look for holes in their narrative, and identify issues with their evidence. Then, we consult with you, offering our advice and designing a defense strategy using our knowledge and experience.
Cybercrime Investigation
When we investigate cyber crimes, we review what steps police took to obtain evidence of the alleged crime. We examine how reliable their methods were, and whether there are questions left open by their investigations. For example, we may explore whether there is evidence tying you to the account used to commit the offense.
Cybercrime Defense
Based on our evaluation of the prosecution’s case, we will advise you of your options. As part of this cyber crime defense, we may, among other things:
- Challenge how the police obtained evidence if they appear to have violated your rights,
- Offer evidence indicating that you are innocent,
- Negotiate a plea deal, or
- Defend against the charges in court.
Having a cybercrime lawyer who understands the nuances of the justice system as it relates to these crimes is essential. This is especially true when it comes to identifying violations of your constitutional rights during the investigation and arrest process.
Hiring a Cybercrime Attorney Near Me
People might be tempted to find a lawyer by searching online for a “cyber crime attorney near me.” But this is not the most efficient way to find a seasoned lawyer who can best serve your needs. If you or someone you love has been accused of a cyber crime, contact Smith & Holder, PLLC. We can meet to discuss your case and explain how we can help you defend against these accusations. When you hire us, you get an experienced cyber crime attorney who will fight to defend you, carefully scrutinizing every piece of evidence the state offers.
Resources:
- Miss. Code § 97-3-119.2 (Sexual extortion), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-29-45 (Obscene electronic communications), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-29-64 (Disclosure of intimate visual material), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-29-64.1 (Disclosure of intimate visual material), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-3 (Computer fraud), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-5 (Offense against computer users), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-7 (Offense against computer equipment), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-9 (Offense against intellectual property), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-15 (Cyberstalking), link.
- Miss. Code § 97-45-19 (Identity theft), link.
