Experienced Defense Attorney in Credit Card Abuse Charges
A credit card abuse charge can begin with a transaction that looks suspicious on paper but has a more complicated explanation. Disputes over permission, shared finances, saved card information, or who actually made a purchase can all become important when prosecutors claim a card or account was used without authorization.
At Odefey, Witte, Wall, & Villafranca, LLP, attorney Jordan G. Fries represents individuals facing credit card abuse charges throughout Victoria, Port Lavaca, and surrounding South Texas communities. His approach starts with understanding the transaction itself and not simply accepting the conclusions drawn from a bank statement or police report.
Credit card abuse cases can involve traditional cards as well as account information used for purchases.
Common allegations include:
Permission can become a critical issue. A cardholder may have previously allowed someone to use the card, shared account information, or permitted certain purchases. When that relationship later deteriorates, determining what was actually authorized can be more complicated than simply identifying who completed the transaction.
Credit card abuse is generally treated as a felony in Texas.
A conviction may result in consequences such as:
The circumstances can become more serious when the alleged victim is an elderly person or when the investigation leads to additional fraud or theft allegations.
Jordan looks closely at how prosecutors intend to connect his client to both the transaction and the alleged lack of permission. Receipts, surveillance footage, text messages, online account records, purchase histories, and communications between the people involved may provide context that a transaction record alone cannot.
He also considers the history between the cardholder and the accused person. Prior authorized purchases can matter when the prosecution’s case depends on the claim that a particular transaction suddenly crossed the line into criminal conduct.
Credit card abuse cases often turn on details surrounding authorization and intent rather than whether a transaction occurred.
Jordan Fries brings a former prosecutor’s perspective to identifying which facts are likely to matter when the State evaluates those questions.
