Our Internet computer crime, cyber crime defense and Internet crime defense attorneys are experienced in defending against Virginia State and Federal cyber crime, computer crime, and Internet crime accusations.

Some of the most common cyber crimes are:

The Computer Fraud and abuse Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1030 – Creates both civil and criminal liability.  To prove violations of the the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the State must prove that a Defendant 1) Knowingly obtained 2)  Access to a computer; 3)  Without authorization; 4) to obtain information; 5) From a protected computer; and 6) said conduct involved Interstate or foreign communication.

Our attorneys are experienced in the defense of accusations of violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Virginia Computer Trespass, Va. Code § 18.2-152.4 - Creates both civil and criminal liability.  It is defined as using a computer to make a copy of computer data without authorization.  Our Virginia cyber crime law attorneys can defend you if you are accused of computer trespass in Virginia.

Virginia Computer Related Trespass to Chattels - Contact with a computer network without authorization thereby causing injury.

Cyber stalking – Cyber stalking is a crime in which the defendant is accused of harassing a victim through the use of electronic communications such as email, instant messaging, or forum posts.

Identity Theft – The Defendant is accused of operating a scheme under which he obtains personal information of another. The Defendant is accused of utilizing this information for many purposes, including to get credit, engage in other criminal activity for which the victim can be blamed. If you are accused of identity theft, you need a quality identity theft lawyer to represent your interests.

Internet sex crimes including Internet Child pornography, Solicitation of a minor via chat room, and Entrapment by Police Officers posing as juveniles.  Any actual use or possession of child pornographic material is a crime. Both the federal government and Virginia are aggressively prosecuting those charged with child pornography. The penalties are extremely severe.

These charges are commonly brought when the government alleges that a person knowingly transfer, possess, or use, without lawful authority the credit card or means of identification (many times computer access fraud charges are filed in conjunction with identity theft charges).  The means of identification may include social security numbers and other identifiable information.

Just like any Federal criminal charges (or cybercrime accusations), whether in the Eastern District of Virginia, the Southern District of Texas in Houston, the Arkansas Federal Courts, or any other Federal court require competent assistance.  With a solid technical educational background and experience, Domingo J. Rivera may assist you in defending against Fraud in Connection with Access Devices charges in Federal Court.  In Virginia, many of these cases are typically handled in the Richmond Division of the Eastern District of Virginia.

Some recent cyber crime defense cases where we have assisted our clients include:

• Our client was accused of being the leader of the most prolific Internet music piracy group in the world.  The charge consisted of conspiracy to commit copyright Infringement.  The charges were initially brought in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia located in Alexandria, Virginia.  The trial took place in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, located in Houston, Texas.  Our client elected to have is case tried by a Federal Jury.  Our technical knowledge assisted us in providing competent legal representation and bringing the case to a successful resolution.  Read More…
• Our client was arrested on access device fraud charges and aggravated identity theft in the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division.  The accusations involved alleged selling of stolen credit card numbers, social security numbers, other personally identifiable information, as well as e-mail account data for spam purposes.  We thoroughly reviewed the government evidence, both the technical and the legal aspects, and assisted our client in obtaining a favorable result.
• Our client was accused of using a computer system to solicit a minor in Chesterfield County, Virginia.  Our technical knowledge allowed us to properly dissect and understand the technical issues in the government’s evidence, resulting in a favorable resolution for our client.
• Our client appealed a case handled by another defense attorney to the Virginia Court of Appeals and to the Virginia Supreme Court.  The charges involved the use of a computer system to facilitate certain offenses involving children in Virginia.  Our technical knowledge allowed us to be able to understand the case immediately and completely analyze all the issues despite being retained after the appeal process was already underway.
• Our client was a victim of computer trespass and unauthorized network access by a former employee.  Our experience in both the legal and technical aspects allowed our client to gather the necessary evidence to prosecute the perpetrator in a “one-stop shopping” manner.
• Our client was charged with eight counts of use of a computer system to facilitate certain offenses involving children in Virginia.  Our technical analysis allowed us to get the majority of the charges dismissed, resulting in a resolution of the case involving no jail time.
• Our client was a victim of computer fraud, computer trespass and unauthorized access to his computer by a debt collector.  Our technical know-how and legal analysis allowed us to recommend a course of action for this activity, which may have otherwise gone undetected.  Read More…