Consider the phrase “moral turpitude.”
We reasonably suspect at the proven criminal defense law firm of Shazam Kianpour & Associates in Denver that those words don’t immediately resonate with many of our Colorado readers. Candidly, they are far from commonly used in everyday conversation.
Attorneys and judges know them well, though. Defense lawyers especially are attuned to their utterance in criminal law proceedings, since they are occasionally aimed at clients.
Moral turpitude is often a charge leveled by prosecutors seeking to establish that an alleged act of criminal wrongdoing was markedly base or vile. That is, it was especially egregious from the standpoint of violating community norms and standards.
We put it this way on our firm’s website. We stress that, “A crime of moral turpitude is one that says allegedly: This person cannot be trusted because they lie, steal or deceive.”
We further note this: “That’s a harsh way to go through life simply because you made a mistake.”
That diminishing label is sometimes applied in prosecutorial allegations charging a defendant with one or more offenses involving theft or a related economic crime.
That is a broad universe, ranging broadly from shoplifting to sophisticated fraud-related crimes. Theft offenses can link to impulsive acts of stealing, but also to alleged misconduct like identity theft, company embezzlement, racketeering, forgery and myriad other offenses.
The details of all those infractions can vary appreciably from case to case, but a certain commonality attaches to all alleged misconduct in the theft realm. Namely, that is the above-cited stigma linked to an individual accused of an offense grounded in stealing, fraud and deception.
Shazam Kianpour & Associates’ deep legal team helps accused offenders proactively and vigorously respond to criminal charges. Our goal in every case is to secure a best-case outcome for the valued clients relying upon our aggressive advocacy and representation.
We welcome contacts to the firm.