One New Jersey woman may be in need of a strong criminal defense after authority's claim she stole close to $2 million from a former financial executive.

The 47-year-old woman previously worked as an executive assistant at a bank in New York. She held her position for 11 years before being fired last fall. Recently, she was charged with bank fraud and money laundering.

The woman often prepared and cashed checks for the financial executive. Federal authorities claim that the woman wrote checks for higher dollar amounts than the executive authorized. In some instances, authorities claim the woman altered the checks after the executive had signed them.

Authorities say the woman used the extra money to buy vehicles, vacations and for other expenses.

Fraud charges are very serious. If a person is convicted of fraud, they could face harsh penalties. Anyone in New Jersey who is facing serious criminal charges may wish to consider working with an experienced criminal defense attorney.

Fraud charges usually involve a lot of confusing documentation. An attorney who understands the issues will be able to sort through the documents and prepare a meaningful defense against the charges. With the right help, a person may face lesser charges. In some cases, the charges may be dismissed completely.

In this specific case, federal authorities believe the woman is guilty of fraud. However, it is important to remember that anyone who is charged with a crime is innocent unless they are found guilty in a court of law.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Prosecutor: NJ woman stole $1.8M in bank fraud," Feb. 8, 2012