How does a criminal securities fraud case differ from a civil securities fraud case?

Criminal and civil securities fraud cases differ in how they are prosecuted and the penalty if found guilty. Criminal securities fraud is a criminal offense and must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt by prosecutors in a court of law. If a person is found guilty of criminal securities fraud in Florida, then they may face a fine, a jail sentence of up to 5 years, or both. Civil securities fraud, on the other hand, is a type of legal action that is handled in civil court. In this case, the burden of proof is less than that of criminal action and the penalty is typically a monetary one. Rather than a jail sentence, someone who is found guilty of civil securities fraud in Florida may be ordered to pay a financial penalty, return fraudulently obtained gains, or even be banned from working in the securities industry. Overall, the basic difference between criminal and civil securities fraud cases is that in criminal cases, the punishment involves jail time while in civil cases, the punishment involves financial penalties.

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