White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer in New York City
Last updated on April 22, 2026
When a subpoena arrives, agents want interviews, a target letter is issued, or an internal complaint suddenly points toward criminal exposure, the business cannot afford hesitation. White collar matters move on facts, timing, and judgment. Bad early decisions create avoidable problems.
Desai, Raveica, Raveica & Arshad, P.C., represents companies, owners, executives, and employees in federal and state white collar matters. We handle the high-risk moments that require immediate strategic control: grand-jury subpoenas, search-warrant fallout, target or subject notifications, internal allegations of fraud or embezzlement, regulator contact, parallel civil and criminal exposure, and the difficult question of whether and how to conduct a privileged internal investigation.
The first goal is simple: protect the client from making the problem worse. The second is to build a defense strategy grounded in the facts before prosecutors or regulators define the narrative for you.
When businesses and individuals call us
White collar matters often begin before formal charges. A company may receive a subpoena for records, learn that employees are being approached, discover a whistleblower complaint, or uncover conduct inside the company that could trigger scrutiny. An owner or executive may be told they are a target or subject of an investigation. A search warrant may already have been executed. In some cases, the first sign is a civil dispute that suddenly starts to sound like a fraud referral.
These are not moments for guesswork. What the government is asking for, what records exist, who holds the relevant devices and accounts, what employees know, what statements have already been made, and whether there is parallel civil exposure all matter immediately.
- Grand-jury subpoenas and document demands
- Target-letter, subject-letter, or witness issues
- Internal allegations of embezzlement, kickbacks, false billing, diversion, or financial misconduct
- Search-warrant response and device/document seizure issues
- Parallel civil and criminal exposure in fraud or business-dispute settings
- Regulator contact and internal-investigation decisions
What the first 24 hours should look like
The first day matters. Records and devices need to be preserved. Internal communications need to be controlled. The company needs to understand who actually holds the relevant information and what has already been said. Employees should not be improvising explanations, deleting messages, or trying to harmonize stories. Those instincts are human. They are also dangerous.
A disciplined early response usually means centralizing communications through counsel, identifying the document and data sources that matter, preserving devices and cloud systems, mapping the key witnesses, and making careful decisions about interviews, collection, and production. It also means separating what the client knows from what the client assumes.
For companies, the first-day analysis also includes governance and privilege questions. Who can direct the response? Who should receive reporting on a privileged investigation? Is there a conflict between the company and an executive or employee? Is there any need to consider suspension, access limits, or separate counsel?
Defense strategy from day one
A white collar defense is not built on slogans. It is built on facts, timing, and credibility. We help clients understand the actual exposure, preserve the right evidence, evaluate witness issues, and decide whether the case calls for a quiet internal review, a direct engagement strategy with the government, a challenge to overbroad demands, or a broader defense plan that addresses both criminal and civil risk.
Where appropriate, that includes privileged internal-investigation work: reviewing documents and financial records, interviewing witnesses, tracing transactions, analyzing communications, and preparing the client for the realities of government scrutiny. Some matters require aggressive engagement. Others require discipline, restraint, and a careful record-building process before any major move is made.
We also keep an eye on the overlap between criminal exposure and related business litigation. In many real-world matters, the same emails, accounting entries, or witness interviews affect both sides of the problem. Treating those tracks separately can create avoidable damage.
The current enforcement landscape makes timing more important
Companies and executives facing white collar risk should understand that timing has become even more consequential. In March 2026, the Department of Justice announced a department-wide corporate enforcement policy for criminal cases, reinforcing the importance of voluntary self-disclosure, cooperation, and remediation in appropriate cases. DOJ’s corporate whistleblower framework also continues to reward early internal reporting and creates circumstances in which a company may need to make high-stakes decisions quickly after learning of potential misconduct.
That does not mean every matter should be self-reported. It means the decision cannot be made casually or too late. A business that receives an internal fraud complaint, learns of suspicious billing or diversion, or receives notice that an employee may also be speaking to the government may be operating on a compressed clock whether it realizes it or not.
That is why our approach emphasizes early fact development, privilege, and realistic risk assessment. Before a client makes a disclosure decision, a production decision, or an interview decision, the client should understand the actual facts and the likely consequences.
Who we represent
We represent companies that need coordinated counsel during a crisis. We also represent owners, executives, employees, and other individuals whose interests may diverge from the company’s or who need their own defense strategy. Some matters remain confidential and investigative. Others become overt quickly. The common thread is that every serious white collar matter requires disciplined handling from the start.
Our role is to bring order to a moment that often arrives in disorder: identify the real risk, protect the record, preserve privilege, and build a defense plan that fits the facts.
What to gather before you call
If possible, gather the subpoena, target or subject communication, search-warrant inventory, preservation notices, internal complaint materials, key contracts, relevant financial records, and the communications that appear central to the issue. Also identify who may have the important devices, emails, or messaging-platform communications. But do not forward materials around carelessly and do not start interviewing witnesses informally on your own if criminal exposure may exist.
If agents or prosecutors have made contact, make a written record of who contacted whom, when, and what was said. That information matters.
FAQs
What should I do if I receive a subpoena for my business?
Do not ignore it, do not guess at the scope, and do not allow routine deletion or casual internal forwarding to continue unchanged. A subpoena should trigger immediate preservation, a structured response plan, and a careful assessment of privilege, scope, and parallel risk.
Can you help before anyone is charged?
Yes. In many white collar matters, the most important work happens before charges. Early counsel can shape document preservation, interviews, production strategy, internal-investigation design, and the overall risk assessment.
Should I talk to investigators before hiring a lawyer?
That is rarely a decision to make casually. Statements made early can affect the direction of the matter and create unnecessary risk. It is usually far better to understand the posture of the investigation and get counsel involved first.
What if the issue started as a business dispute and now sounds criminal?
That overlap is common. Allegations involving fraud, diversion, billing practices, or misuse of company funds can create both civil and criminal exposure. Those matters need a coordinated strategy so one track does not undermine the other.
Take control before the government or the allegations define the case.
If your company, executive team, or business partners are dealing with a subpoena, target issue, internal fraud concern, or other white collar exposure, contact Desai, Raveica, Raveica & Arshad, P.C., immediately and confidentially. Call us at 332-251-0108.
