I’ve been looking into civil fraud cases, but I still have some questions. Like, what exactly is civil fraud? Is it always intentional or can it be unintentional? And if someone gets caught in a civil fraud case, what kind of penalty are we talking about? I’ve heard of restitution and big fines but not sure about the details. Also, how long does California give for a decision on civil fraud? Any help would be appreciated, this stuff is confusing.
I think civil fraud usually refers to cases that aren’t intentionally fraudulent at first, but later turn into fraud once things are investigated. Like, it wasn’t a scam on purpose, but it ends up being one. 
As for the penalties, it varies a lot. But you could be looking at paying back what you took (restitution) or even fines. I think it depends on how bad the fraud was and if a business was involved. Sometimes it’s just one person too.
In California, they’ll give you 10 years to enforce a civil fraud judgment, which is a long time! That’s the max period, I think.
About the witness statements thing… if they signed a confidentiality form, they might not be able to talk freely about it unless they’re subpoenaed. But if it was public testimony in court, then yeah, it can be accessed.
If you’re in New York and dealing with fraud, you’d probably want a civil fraud lawyer. You can also get the Manhattan DA involved for criminal charges if needed. They usually have resources to find lawyers for a lower cost too.