It is very common to hear about computer crime in the news these days, and in fact, prosecutors pursue these charges very aggressively. There are a number of reasons for this, but one of them is the simple fact that computer crime, or cyber crime, is relatively recent phenomenon. As such, many prosecutors feel that they can stand out from the crowd by cracking down, by being tough on computer crime. Like “economic crime,” the term computer crime actually refers to a broad category of criminal offenses, with the obvious commonality that they involve the use of computers. One of the difficulties of computer crime is that the offenders are not always aware that what they are doing is illegal. If you have been charged with computer crime, or if you are under investigation for any crime, contact an experienced, aggressive Denver criminal defense attorney immediately to protect your rights.

There are three general types of computer crime:

1. Crimes Targeting Computers

   In many computer crimes, the target of the crime is a computer or a computer system. This alone can take a number of different forms: mining a system for information, controlling the operation of the target computer, or in some cases, manipulating a computer or system just to prove that it can be done. Each of these crimes involves hacking, or breaking into a computer without appropriate authorization.

2. Crimes Using Computers as Weapons

   In these cases, computers are used as a tool in committing a more traditional crime, such as bank robbery or theft. Because so many people have personal and financial records kept in digital form, computer crime has become a very common way to steal or otherwise gain access to money or information. These kinds of crimes are prosecuted extremely aggressively, and can be quite complicated to defend.

3. Crimes Using a Computer as Storage

   In these cases, possession of illegal material, in the form of digital files stored on a computer, is considered computer crime. Some of the most obvious examples of this are storing pornographic images of minors, or illegal files on a computer.

Protect Your Rights

Protecting your rights when you have been accused of, or even when you are being investigated for computer crime is vital. Because these crimes are prosecuted so vigorously, you need to do everything possible to protect yourself, and to secure the best possible defense. These cases, in addition to being aggressively prosecuted, can be quite complicated to defend. Sometimes, law enforcement fails to observe legal protocol when examining people's computers and looking through their files. A Denver criminal defense attorney with the experience to understand the law may be able to have any evidence that is illegally obtained in this way suppressed, which sometimes may result in charges being dropped altogether. Steven Louth is a former Boulder County prosecutor who possesses a thorough understanding of how prosecutors assemble cases, as well as the ability to design a specific defense strategy for each unique situation.

If you are being investigated for cyber crime, or if you have been charged with any crime, contact Steven Louth Law Offices immediately to protect your rights. Steven Louth is an experienced, dedicated Denver criminal defense attorney who will protect your rights aggressively, and fight hard to get the best possible outcome for a terrible situation. For more information and a FREE CONSULTATION, contact Steven Louth today at (303)442-2297.