Hiring a Reno white collar crime attorney early matters because a financial case can take shape over months of audits, subpoenas, and record requests before a complaint is ever filed. Richard P. Davies, Esq. defends people in Reno facing fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and other financial charges, and he takes those cases on from the moment a client learns of an investigation rather than waiting for charges to be filed.
The elements and penalty ranges for each of those charges are set out on the firm’s Nevada white collar crimes page.
Who Investigates White Collar Crimes in Reno?
Fraud and embezzlement allegations in Reno can be investigated by local law enforcement or by a state unit built specifically for the type of fraud alleged.
According to the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, its Fraud Unit, which maintains a Reno office, contains separate units for mortgage fraud, insurance fraud, securities fraud, and workers’ compensation fraud. The Insurance Fraud Unit prosecutes violations of NRS Chapter 686A, and its cases typically involve people accused of submitting fraudulent insurance claims. The Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit handles cases against employers who fail to carry coverage for their employees and against employees accused of filing false claims.
Securities cases follow a two-step route: the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office primarily investigates them and then refers them to the Attorney General for criminal prosecution. A separate Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates fraud by health care providers and brings criminal charges against them.
Cases outside those state units are handled locally by the Washoe County District Attorney, and that is where an embezzlement allegation from a local employer could end up. Which office made contact is one of the first things a Reno white collar attorney will ask, because it shapes who files the case and where.
What Happens When an Employer Accuses You of Taking Money?
Anything you say or sign when an employer confronts you about missing money can later be offered against you in a criminal case, even if the conversation felt like a private workplace matter.
Under NRS 51.035, a statement you made yourself is not hearsay when the State offers it against you, and Nevada’s evidence code defines a statement to include a written assertion as well as a spoken one. That covers a signed acknowledgment, an apologetic email, or a repayment agreement drafted to settle things quietly, and a statement does not have to be made to the police to count.
Before you sign anything or walk an employer through the numbers, a Reno white collar crime attorney can review the document and the request and explain what each could mean later. Whether repaying the money affects a possible charge is a separate question, and it deserves an answer based on your own facts rather than on what an employer suggests in the moment.
How Long Does Washoe County Have to File White Collar Charges?
For theft and several categories of fraud, Nevada gives the State four years from the offense to file charges, and when an offense was hidden, that period runs from the date it was discovered instead.
The four-year list in NRS 171.085 covers theft, forgery, violations of the securities fraud provision in NRS 90.570, and violations of NRS 205.377, Nevada’s multiple-transaction fraud statute. Felonies outside that list generally carry a three-year limit.
The discovery rule comes from NRS 171.095, and it applies to felonies, gross misdemeanors, and misdemeanors alike. Whether a particular scheme counts as committed in a secret manner can become a contested issue in its own right. In practice, a transaction from years ago is not necessarily beyond reach, and a quiet stretch after an audit does not mean the matter has closed, so the dates of the transactions and the date anyone first noticed them matter as much as the amounts.
Why Can One Reno Fraud Investigation Become Many Felony Counts?
A single investigation can produce many counts because Nevada’s statute on repeated fraud in a business or occupation treats each qualifying act as a separate offense.
NRS 205.377 applies when a person, in the course of an enterprise or occupation, knowingly and with intent to defraud uses a false representation or omission that causes a loss. The conduct has to occur in at least two transactions within four years that share a pattern, method, victim, or other connecting characteristic. Each count is a category B felony carrying one to twenty years in prison, the court must order restitution on top of any sentence, and since 2023 the Attorney General has had authority to investigate and prosecute this offense alongside the local District Attorney.
For someone who ran a small business, managed client funds, or handled repeat transactions for a living, the pattern requirement is where the exposure grows, because a run of ordinary transactions with one client can be read as a series of connected acts. The defense then depends on whether the transactions are really connected the way the State says they are and whether intent to defraud can be shown for each one.
If an investigator, an auditor, or an employer has already started asking questions, speaking with a Reno white collar crime attorney before answering lets you understand your exposure while your options are still open. Call Richard P. Davies, Esq. at (775) 360-6894 for a free consultation.
How Does a White Collar Case Move Through Reno Justice Court?
A felony white collar case in Reno begins in Reno Justice Court or Sparks Justice Court, where the District Attorney files the criminal complaint, and it stays there until it is resolved, dismissed, or bound over to the Second Judicial District Court.
The Washoe County Public Defender’s Office notes that an initial arraignment is usually held within 72 hours of an arrest. Reno Justice Court’s criminal case management plan, as amended in August 2025, then schedules felony cases for a mandatory status conference roughly 30 days after arraignment, timed so that a prosecutor with authority to negotiate and resolve the case can attend. Absent good cause, the plan allows no more than two of these conferences for exploring negotiations and completing discovery, and it requires felony cases to be waived, dismissed, or set for a plea, preliminary examination, or trial within 120 days of the first complaint.
The arraignment itself is a decision point: a defendant who wants a speedy preliminary examination instead of the status conference track has to ask for it there, and a later request is scheduled under the court’s ordinary procedures. That choice is one a Reno white collar crime attorney should walk through with you ahead of the hearing.
A misdemeanor charged within the City of Reno, which can include a theft graded at the misdemeanor level, takes a different route and is heard in Reno Municipal Court rather than in Justice Court.
What Happens at a Preliminary Hearing in a Reno Fraud Case?
The judge presiding over a preliminary hearing decides only whether there is probable cause to believe an offense was committed and that you committed it. If there is, the case is sent to District Court, and if there is not, you are discharged, as NRS 171.206 provides.
Under NRS 171.196, the hearing must take place within 15 days unless the judge extends that time for good cause, and you have the right to cross-examine the State’s witnesses and to introduce evidence of your own. Waiving the hearing sends the case straight to District Court. Reno Justice Court’s case management plan adds that more time for negotiations will generally not be good cause to continue a preliminary examination.
In a financial case, probable cause may rest heavily on one witness’s reading of the records, whether that witness is a detective, an outside auditor, or a forensic accountant. The preliminary hearing is the first opportunity to test that reading in a courtroom, and testimony given under oath at that hearing can matter again if the same witness later tells a different story at trial.
What Should You Look For in a Reno White Collar Crime Attorney?
When choosing a Reno white collar crime attorney, look for years spent on the defense side of the Washoe County courts, because those courts are where a Reno financial case is filed, negotiated, and tried.
Richard P. Davies, Esq. worked for four years as a Washoe County Public Defender, an office that represents clients in Reno Justice Court, Sparks Justice Court, and the Second Judicial District Court. He also spent five years with Laub & Laub, a Reno law firm, before starting his own practice. In 2007 he attended the National Criminal Defense College in Macon, Georgia, for an intensive two-week program designed specifically for trial work.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reno White Collar Cases
Are Conversations With an Accountant Privileged in Nevada?
Nevada recognizes an accountant-client privilege, but it has limits that matter in a fraud investigation. Under NRS 49.185, a client can refuse to disclose confidential communications with the client’s accountant. The privilege applies only to an accountant as Nevada defines one, meaning a certified or registered public accountant holding a live permit under NRS Chapter 628, so a bookkeeper or a tax preparer without that credential falls outside it. NRS 49.205 also removes the privilege when an accountant’s services were used to help commit what the client knew or should have known was a crime or fraud, and for communications about an audit or report on financial statements. Voluntarily disclosing a significant part of a privileged communication can waive the privilege as well.
Can Talking About a Case From the Washoe County Jail Hurt the Defense?
Yes. The Washoe County Public Defender’s Office warns that jail telephone calls are recorded and can be used against you, and that the jail copies mail and provides those copies to law enforcement. The same office advises against discussing the facts with jail staff, including medical staff. In a fraud or embezzlement case, where the State has to prove intent, an offhand explanation to a relative on a recorded line can be played back as evidence of what you knew and when, so save that explanation for a private conversation with your Reno white collar attorney.
Where Are Federal White Collar Cases Heard in Reno?
The United States District Court for the District of Nevada sits in Reno at the Bruce R. Thompson United States Courthouse and Federal Building, 400 South Virginia Street. Some financial prosecutions become federal when the conduct crosses state lines, involves a federally insured bank, or draws in a federal agency, and a Reno white collar crime attorney handling a state case should know early whether a federal agency has an interest in the same conduct.
Talk With a Reno White Collar Crime Attorney Before You Explain the Numbers
Richard P. Davies, Esq. can review where your matter stands, identify which agency and which court are involved, and explain what the coming months are likely to look like in Washoe County. If other allegations are part of the picture, the Reno criminal defense lawyer page covers the wider range of charges he defends in the city. Call (775) 360-6894 to schedule a free consultation with a Reno white collar crime attorney.